When Sandy Lipton and her unborn child disappeared, the court of public opinion found young Chris Matheson guilty. Decades later, the retired FBI agent returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion cast over him and his family has never lifted. With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson starts … Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on this cold case to uncover what had happened to Sandy and her baby and the clues are getting hot!
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With humor and anxiety inducing thrilling passages, Lauren Carr once again keeps you glued to the pages (or speakers) with this new series about a retired FBI agent raising three daughters.
As if raising girls isn’t challenging enough, Chris Matheson has a challenging and active mother plus a lady friend in law enforcement.
When rumors about Chris’s past start circulating among his eldest daughter’s school, he has no choice but to defend his own name as well as keep his family safe.
A wonderful balance of danger and family life and well written story you can’t tear yourself away from.
I started reading this at night and finally had to set it aside when my eyes got blurry. I woke up n the dark, around 5:46 A.M. and the booked popped right into my head. So, I turned on the light and started back up with it, devouring it in a couple of hours.
I’ve read other books by Lauren and shared reviews saying how much I loved her mysteries and her characters, both human and other. This was a brand new cast of characters and I had such a great time getting to know them.
Chris retired from the FBI. A man in his mid forties, he moved home to his mother’s farm to raise his three daughters after his wife was killed in a terrorist attack overseas. It works well for all of them.
The opening scene is a bit sad as Chris is spreading the ashes of his beloved german shepherd companion. Kind of bittersweet, but it doesn’t stay that way for long because a new dog enters the life of the family. Sterling is a two year old german shepherd who was recently retired from the police force after he was injured and his handler and fellow officer was killed. I had a feeling these two would help each other heal. What I didn’t expect was how Sterling would steal my heart. I confess he was the character I wanted most to read about. Lauren makes the non human character’s as much a part of her stories as their human counterparts. Some of Sterling’s quirks are hilarious. The scene at the casino was so fun. As was his penchant for country music. And what can I say, I’m a dog lover.
On to the mystery, or I should say mysteries, as there are several to untangle. From a couple of cold cases to recent murders, Chris is dragged back into law enforcement as a consultant and things get hairy. Lauren can create such great plots. You really have no clue who did what until right at the end. I did catch one bread crumb that turned out to be right. The rest, I couldn’t figure out the culprits til they were caught. One character I had hopes for didn’t go the way I wanted. Shows how the author can deliver such genuine characters, take you down so many false trails, and serve up the culprits in ways that keep you guessing.
A big bonus that Lauren does is supply a cast of characters at the beginning of the book. She details each one and also puts them in the order they appear in the story. Even the non human ones. It helps when you can’t quite remember who someone is. But even with so many characters, you easily become familiar with them and nothing slows down the reading.
I couldn’t find one thing to fault with Ice. It kept me riveted. I connected with and loved so many of the characters. Cracked up more times that I could count. Enjoyed the brushes with romance. And was very satisfied with how it was all wrapped up.
An exciting, superb new series and I can’t wait for more.
Ice begins the series, A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery by Lauren Carr. I have read a few of her books previously and enjoyed every one. This one does not disappoint. It tells the story of retired FBI agent Chris Matheson coming back to the town he grew up in. He finds his appearance not very welcoming as the town still blames him for the murder of young, pregnant Sandy Lipton from decades earlier. He joins forces with others to solve this murder so he can clear his name.
Ice is such a fun read. So many characters in this book that I loved dearly, such as his mother, Doris, his girls, Katelyn and Emma, and his love interest, Helen. But none of them can beat his highly intelligent and funny dog, Sterling. I could not help but to laugh out loud at that crazy dog and antics. I think he is the character that makes the whole book. I never knew what he would get into next.
The story line and plot of Ice is full of action and adventure, mystery and suspense, and romance. I did not find the it to be predictable at all. I never knew or could guess who the real killer was until near the end. I was surprised at all how it all ended.
I am giving Ice a well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend this book, as well as, the audio version. I thought the narrator portrayed the characters perfectly. His performance was superb. I am looking forward to reading the next installment from A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery series.
I received the audio version of this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
When you’ve read every single book by a favourite author, it’s always an exciting day when they launch a new series. Such is the case with Lauren Carr and ICE. All her previous book series centered around characters that were in some way connected. With the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery series we step into a whole new world.
Chris Matheson is a strong male character, a former FBI agent and a single dad of three girls. He moves home to the family farm to live with his mum after his dad dies so they can help each other. Due to circumstances, his return home is not easy. Many years before Sandy Lipton, girl he went to high school with, had accused him of getting her pregnant. Shortly before giving birth she mysteriously disappeared. While Chris denied any involvement with Sandy, there is no way to prove his innocence as she literally vanished into thin air.
Enter the Geezer Squad. Disguised as a book club, this group of retired professional men and women discreetly look into solving cold cases. Chris Matheson is brought into the club not really knowing it was more than a book club, but he quickly becomes a part. After he shares Sandy’s story, the group decides to step in.
As the mystery surrounding the young teenager’s disappearance slowly begins to unfold, the danger increases. Chris finds himself working closely with a member of the local police – Helen Clarke – his first love who broke his heart for reasons unknown. The suspects continue to multiply as the two find themselves drawn closer together, their passion reigniting. The ending, when it comes, will surprise you.
ICE holds many of the elements Lauren Carr fans love about her books – strong, independent male and female characters, wonderful dogs full of character, a mystery that needs solving, a bit of humour and a good splash of danger. However, this series has a bit of a darker flavour to it which I loved. Not too much. Just enough to keep me turning those pages one after another.