Glare Ice

by Mary Logue

Overview

Wisconsin winter weather plays as important a role as any individual in this nicely paced tale of domestic abuse and murder. Claire Watkins is still adjusting to life in little Fort St. Antoine when she notices the bruises and stiff gait of a local woman named Stephanie Klaus. Small town or big city, Claire knows the signs of abuse when she sees them.

Stephanie, however, won't talk, even when her new boyfriend, Buck, is tied into his car, driven out on the treacherous ice of Lake Pepin and left there to sink and drown.

When Stephanie, accompanied by Buck's delightful dog, Snooper, tries to leave town, she is once again beaten; this time, she barely survives . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440554032
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	11/15/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	997,383
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Mary Logue is an award-winning poet and the author of the acclaimed Claire Watkins mystery series.

Editorial Reviews

Wisconsin winter weather plays as important a role as any individual in this nicely paced tale of domestic abuse and murder. Police officer Claire Watkins, last seen in Dark Coulee (2000), is still adjusting to life in little Fort St. Antoine when she notices the bruises and stiff gait of a local woman named Stephanie Klaus. Small town or big city, Claire knows the signs of abuse when she sees them. Stephanie, however, won't talk, even when her new boyfriend, Buck, is tied into his car, driven out on the treacherous ice of Lake Pepin and left there to sink and drown. When Stephanie, accompanied by Buck's delightful dog, Snooper, tries to leave town, she is once again beaten; this time, she barely survives. Still she won't identify her attacker. Claire, in between Thanksgiving details involving her daughter, her sister, her boyfriend, Rich a teensy bit tiresome in his devotion and Rich's mother, tracks down Stephanie's creepy parents, ex-husband, brother and a police officer full of attitude. Claire still can't identify the culprit, but Stephanie has some protection in the form of her neighbor Sven Slocum, a retired executive with a generous heart. As a massive snowfall begins to pile up, visibility is practically nil, but Claire at last begins to see things clearly. The finale is not as fully developed as it might be, but a powerful sense of place and good clean writing greatly enhance this somewhat unremarkable plot. In addition, Claire Watkins is an appealing heroine who, in a refreshing break from the standard modern female protagonist, leaves her political agenda at home. Agent, Jane Chelius. (Nov. 16) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Even though Thanksgiving's only a few days away, the woman sobbing hysterically into the telephone doesn't seem to have much to be grateful for. But Claire Watkins, Deputy Sheriff of Wisconsin's Pepin County (Dark Coulee, 2000, etc.), can't get her to say who she is before she hangs up. The next day Stephanie Klaus is walking around town with lumps that shouldn't happen to a mashed potato, and more tears brim up when her new sweetie Buck Owens is found dead, trussed up in his truck, which has crashed through the ice covering Lake Pepin. Is Stephanie's ex, a macho cop, to blame? Or her obsessively caring brother? Or Stephanie herself, out for revenge against her attacker? Claire's pheasant-rancher boyfriend Rich, concerned for her safety, considers asking her to quit being sheriff, but Claire perseveres, even finding time to stop a caregiver from taking advantage of her geriatric charge, settling her daughter Meg's differences with her bullying teacher, and getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table on time before putting the murderer/abuser in jail-where, inexplicably, Stephanie comes around to visit him, even though makeup can't quite cover all her bruises yet. Emotionally acute but predictable, with small-town minutiae rendered so faithfully that city folk are bound to feel stifled-and impatient to move on.

Kirkus Reviews