Select one of the keywords
Heart of Ice: Louis Kincaid    by P. J. Parrish Amazon.com order for
Heart of Ice
by P. J. Parrish
Order:  USA  Can
Pocket, 2013 (2013)
Paperback, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Heart of Ice is the eightth in the Louis Kincaid series that began with Dark of the Moon. It's written by two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. Kincaid's early life was not easy. Raised in a series of foster homes, he ended up with a couple, the Lawrences, that he respected. Once a cop, he tries to act with integrity which sometimes puts him at odds with those around him.

Having read two of the earliest episodes, I missed the ones in the middle so had some catching up to do on Louis Kincaid's life. At this point, he is a PI in a long distance relationship with Joe Frye (a county sheriff), and is trying to connect with Lily, the daughter he only recently discovered he had. He is also taking the first steps to try to get back in uniform as a police officer.

As Heart of Ice opens, Kincaid is taking small Lily on vacation to Mackinac Island. Arriving on the island they rent bikes and ride up to a huge log building on a bluff. Lily rushes ahead and explores, going through a milk chute. She falls into a pile of old bones. Chief of Police Jack Flowers enlists Kincaid's help with the investigation that follows. Oddly the corpse's skull is missing.

An overbearing state investigator shows up, hostile to Kincaid and with a past relationship with Joe. There's a weak minded hermit with a passion for animal skulls; a wealthy dying man who might be the victim's father; his housekeeper; his son Ross, a state congressman running for the Senate; and Cooper who had planned to meet someone at the lodge where the bones were found long ago, but fell through the ice instead.

Louis Kincaid is an engagingly flawed character, still trying to come to terms with the demons in his past. And Heart of Ice is a nicely convoluted mystery with several twists and turns along the way, and a final confrontation on the thin ice bridge where it all started. It's a good series, worth your time.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews