The Ice House by Minette Walters is a bestseller that won the CWA John Creasey Award for Best First Crime Novel of the Year. Her second novel, The Sculptress won the MWA Edgar Award, and her third novel The Scold's Bridle won the CWA Gold Dagger - an impressive feat. Her first five books have been adapted for TV.
The ice house is on the Streech Grange estate, a shack buried under brambles where a nude, decomposed body has been discovered by the gardener. Local gossip accuses the three so-called 'witches' who live in the manor - writer Anne, decorator Diana, and owner Phoebe whose husband mysteriously vanished 10 years ago. Assumed lesbians, the friends choose to live together and ignore or inflame vicious rumours. It doesn't seem to be Phoebe's husband, or the body of a local man who vanished three years prior - there is no clue if it was even a man or a woman. The grown children return home from London and everyone is questioned, including the helper and his wife who were once 'inside'. As the police investigate, they have squabbles and rifts within the ranks, and the secrets of the three women and their families emerge from their long buried hiding places. Lots of guilt, shame, dysfunction and revenge to go around, with Walters creating a claustrophobic atmosphere for the characters to attack each other in.
This is competently written, impressive that it was a first novel, but I didn't enjoy it. There wasn't a character I cared about, and including the local village there was a wide range to choose from. There is the mystery of who died, and numerous subplots for each character I didn't find interesting. Usually the detective or inspector has enough presence you'd follow him into a series, but I found them unlikeable and surprisingly unprofessional.
At over 400 pages, I found my interest wane at the halfway mark, when I realized I didn't care how it ended (although I did finish it). I read a lot of different mysteries and am usually not so disappointed.
Dull.
1992 / Tradeback / 413 pages
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