Bones Under the Ice

by Mary Ann Miller

Overview

Jhonni Laurent is the first female sheriff of Field’s Crossing, Indiana—and now she has her first murder case

Two days after a blizzard hits Field’s Crossing, Indiana, Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers the frozen body of a high school senior under a fifteen-foot pile of snow and ice. Murder is rare in farm country, and this death marks the beginning of Jhonni’s first homicide case.

Just as the investigation gets underway, Jhonni’s opponent for sheriff from four years ago wages a bitter reelection battle to oust her. Then, Jhonni finds another body, and further complications arise when a century-old feud between two families reaches its breaking point.

Soon, a slew of newspaper articles causes the Indiana State Election Board to doubt her credibility. Jhonni must fight to maintain her reputation, keep the small farming community together, and find the murderer at large—all while demons from her own past threaten to crush her. Can she find the killer and mend her battered spirit before it’s too late?

Perfect for fans of J. A. Jance and C. J. Box

While the novels in the Jhonni Laurent Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Bones Under the Ice
Cracks Beneath the Surface

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608096077
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Series:	A Jhonni Laurent Mystery , #1
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Mary Ann Miller has been a bookworm from the moment she learned how to read. An Illinois native, she moved south to Winter Garden, Florida, with her husband, Mike, to escape the snow and start a new chapter as a mystery writer. Bones Under the Ice is her debut novel and the first book in the Jhonni Laurent Mystery Series.

Editorial Reviews

01/02/2023

Sheriff Jhonni Laurent—the protagonist of Miller’s promising debut and series launch, a slow-burn police procedural—investigates the murder of 18-year-old Stephanie Gattison, whose body was discovered frozen under a mound of plowed snow and ice in rural Field’s Crossing, Ind. Suspects include Dylan Martin, Gattison’s boyfriend, and members of the Tillman family, who have been rivals of the Martins for generations. Meanwhile, Laurent is up for reelection, and running against her is her deputy, Mike Greene, who, in collaboration with the local newspaper editor, goes to extremes to skew the election results in his favor. A second murder, of a banker, complicates matters further. Dialogue can be stilted, and the reveal comes too soon, but the depiction of farm culture (crops, livestock, weather, futures, financing, seeds), the workings of local government, and old-time cronies breakfasting at the town diner all ring true. There are times when Miller might have heeded the advice of good farmers and not plowed the same field so often, but, like the community she cares about, hers is an honest effort with potential for a popular series. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Set in a small town and filled with twists and turns, Bones Under the Ice is a chilling story of secrets and murder that will keep you guessing.” —Charlie Donlea, USA Today best-selling author

“A slow-burn police procedural . . . with potential for a popular series.” —Publishers Weekly

“A new series perfect for fans of J.A. Jance and Craig Johnson or anyone who likes small-town settings, small-town secrets, and lots of characters.” —Library Journal

“Sheriff Jhonni Laurent, flawed but decent, is up against a murder case, a political enemy, and winter itself in Mary Ann Miller's cracker of a debut. Bones Under the Ice is a satisfying police procedural, an absorbing character study, a love letter to a harsh landscape, and the perfect series opener. I'll be back for book two.” —Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of In Place of Fear

“Bones Under the Ice is an engrossing mystery novel in which a small-town sheriff’s skills are tested when she’s tasked with solving cold-minded murders.” —Foreword Reviews

“Set in rural, blizzard-frozen Indiana, Mary Ann Miller’s Bones Under the Ice launches a chilling police procedural series. From page one when Jhonni Laurent brushes snow off a frozen hand, the reader will be rooting for this likeable sheriff.” —Vinnie Hansen, author of Lostart Street

“Bones Under the Ice tugged personal heartstrings: betrayal, bullying, abandonment. As with Laurent, adversity developed strength and integrity. More than an excellent mystery, Bones Under the Ice is a tale of one person’s perseverance. Highly recommended!” —Bookreporter

“[Bones Under the Ice is a] carefully crafted and original suspense thriller of a 'whodunnit' mystery will have a particular appeal to readers with an interest in police procedural murder mysteries . . . Unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review
 

From the Publisher

01/01/2023

DEBUT The first woman sheriff of the small farming community of Fields Crossing, IN, never expected to be looking down at a corpse in a snow pile in the dead of winter. Sheriff Jhonni Laurent has been summoned to the scene after two boys find the hand of a dead girl peeking out of snow in a park. The timing of the murder could not be worse. Laurent is running for re-election, and some unsavory townsfolk have scores to settle. But the investigation continues even as the sheriff faces mounting pressure from residents and the local newspaper to solve the case. Tensions mount when a second murder victim is found. The community now demands answers from a stressed sheriff who has a few secrets of her own. Are the two murders connected? And what long-hidden secrets do they threaten to reveal? VERDICT A new series perfect for fans of J.A. Jance and Craig Johnson or anyone who likes small-town settings, small-town secrets, and lots of characters.—Bill Anderson

Library Journal