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Dead on Ice

by Lauren Carr (Goodreads Author)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 42 ratings · 26 reviews

Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The cas...more

Paperback, 236 pages

Expected publication: September 1st 21012 by Acorn Book Services (first published September 10th 2012)

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Dec 16, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by Lauren Carr and I really enjoyed it. It is the first in the Cameron Gates/Joshua Thornton (Lovers in Crime) series and the third one to feature Joshua ... I'd like to go back and read the first two with Joshua.

Cameron is a cop and Joshua is a prosecuting attorney. Joshua is a widower with five children (just teenager Donny is living at home) and a dog named Admiral and Cameron is a widow with a big cat that looks like a skunk named Irving.

This book begins wit...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 ABookVacation rated it 4 of 5 stars

To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

Lauren Carr’s novels never cease to intrigue me. I love the many mysterious aspects Carr incorporates, and trying to figure out who is behind the murders in all her novels is highly entertaining—Dead on Ice being no different. Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates are back in their very own series, and I’m excited to see them outside the Mac Farady novels, though I loved them in those novels, as well. Cameron Gates is awesome, and her cat...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Stephen Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I admit it. This one throw me for a while. I actually stopped reading it when I thought that both halves of the couple were male. You know, Joshua and Cameron. Well, in Australia I don’t see Cameron used much as a girl’s name and it took my wife to remind of that little-known actor Cameron Diaz. After a little research, I realised that Cameron can indeed be a girl’s name!!!

With that sorted out, I got on to reading this enjoyable little mystery. There is a real connection between the two ma...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dead On Ice: Lauren Carr

Cheryl Smith was out to make sure that Angie Sullivan would pay for what she thinks happened between her and her boyfriend, Ned Carter. What was supposed to be a special night between Angie and Kyle would turn into one filled with revenge, vengeance, hate and accusations. June 3, 1978 would remain in the hearts and minds of many as the events of that night, the final outcome would come front and center in the present. Ruthless, mean, cunning and definitely a bit delusiona...more

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Dec 08, 2012 TAMMY CUEVAS rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

In 1978, teenager Angie Sullivan went missing. When her body was found, the girl who had been bullying her, Cheryl Smith, was the prime suspect. When Cheryl left town, everyone assumed it was an admission of guilt. When a mummified body is found over 30 years later, the case is reopened by Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates and her lover, Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton.

This is the first in a new series by Lauren Carr, author of the Mac Faraday Mysteri...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Rhonda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review: Dead On Ice by Lauren Carr
5 STARS

I have enjoyed reading Lauren Carr's mystery novels. Dead On Ice A Lovers In Crime Mystery does not disappoint.
Joshua Thornton Hancock County Prosecuting Attorny is back. We even get to see more of his home life and Meet his 16 year old son Donny.
Also back is his girl friend Detective Cameron Gates, A Pennsylvania State Police homicide Detective. With her is Irving cat that looks like a skunk and does not like to be left alone.
Joshua and Cameron find dea...more Review: Dead On Ice by Lauren Carr
5 STARS

I have enjoyed reading Lauren Carr's mystery novels. Dead On Ice A Lovers In Crime Mystery does not disappoint.
Joshua Thornton Hancock County Prosecuting Attorny is back. We even get to see more of his home life and Meet his 16 year old son Donny.
Also back is his girl friend Detective Cameron Gates, A Pennsylvania State Police homicide Detective. With her is Irving cat that looks like a skunk and does not like to be left alone.
Joshua and Cameron find dead in his house Albert Gordon. Albert was a criminal defense attorney and a distant cousin of Joshua. In his house they found it full of junk. He was a horder since the death of his wife.
He left his stuff to his church so the Church had a work party to clean up and go through his house before it could be sold. While cleaning it up Cameron spotted a bomb in the basement.
After the bomb blew up they found a body in an old fridge that survived the bomb blast.
Since Cameron was on the scene she got to work the case. The body had been in the air tight fridge for decades.
Thier are a lot of suspects and more crimes are uncovered I was surprised on some of the cases but others parts I guessed right.
I did not put the book down till I had finshed the book.
I like how at the begining of the book is a list of characters as we meet them. Though on a book you can always flip easy enough to return thier to refresh a point on the character.
The characters are a mixed bag some you hate and others you would like to see more of them. Thier are a lot of secrets to be had in the small town and country side.
Irving and Admiral are fun animals though we don't see too much about Admiral Joshua Irish wolfhound-great Dane dog. The two pets get along. Irving brings along some humor with him.
The plot has a bunch of twists and turns before we learn who killed or was killed.
I will read more books by Lauren Carr in the future.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by the Author.
09/01/2012 PUB Acorn Book Services (less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Meigan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s

DEAD ON ICE - solid, light mystery. Just ok.

This was my first book by author Lauren Carr. I thought it was just OK. This is the first installment of her new series, Lovers in Crime. I have a feeling that both of the leads, Joshua and Cameron, may have made appearances in other books of Carrs. I felt like I was missing something with them, they seemed very one dimensional to me.

The good points:

This was a good, solid "light" mystery that takes place in a series of small towns, Hookstown, PA, and...more DEAD ON ICE - solid, light mystery. Just ok.

This was my first book by author Lauren Carr. I thought it was just OK. This is the first installment of her new series, Lovers in Crime. I have a feeling that both of the leads, Joshua and Cameron, may have made appearances in other books of Carrs. I felt like I was missing something with them, they seemed very one dimensional to me.

The good points:

This was a good, solid "light" mystery that takes place in a series of small towns, Hookstown, PA, and Chester, WV. (I say light, because it was a very PG book. No violence, cussing, etc., not like the darker tales that I enjoy.) I am familiar with the area in PA, but no so much with the area of WV. Carr did a great job describing the location, you can tell that she is either from the area, or has extensive knowledge of it.
There was quite a number of characters in this book! When I first saw the cast written out in the first few pages, it appeared a little daunting. That's alot of folks to keep up with, and it isn't exactly convenient to have to flip back and forth when you forget who someone is. I guess you can always study it before reading! The good thing with having so many characters is that it leads you from this person to that when trying to figure out on your own who the murderer is. I wasn't able to figure it out, which is always a huge bonus! I really appreciated the small town setting and how Carr hit the mark by having the "usual suspects" who run rampant in small towns - the busybodies and the gossipers, the set who always thinks they are too good for the town, and then the handful of "normal" folks. Another thing I enjoyed was how well Cameron and Joshua got along. I would have just liked to have known more about them, but that's what happens many times in series books with recurring characters. If you haven't read previous books, many times you are being introduced to "old" characters cold and you don't really get the feel of why this is funny, or why that is "so Cameron". Perhaps I will eventually read Carr's backlist, I'm sure that will make me appreciate this novel more.

The not-so-good points:

I found the cat to be annoying. I thought Irving's behavior was far-fetched, and the fact that he went everywhere with Cameron just started to get on my nerves. I also found some of the dialogue to be weird and awkward to read. As an example, when Joshua is talking to Brianne, he says "Who else Cheryl hurt before going off to Hollywood?". I'm not sure whether it is meant to be extremely casual conversation, or if there are editing mistakes that needed to be corrected. Either way, it was weird to read. I found myself going over the sentences like that trying to decipher how they should be read. That's rather distracting.

All in all, it was OK for a mystery. I didn't love it, but it did get me interested in researching Lauren Carr and looking into other books she has written. After I read those, I may come back and change my review, since the other stories may shed some clarity on what I was missing.

**I received a complimentary copy of this eARC on behalf of Acorn Book Services via Netgalley in exchange for my honest feedback and review. I was not compensated. (less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

When poor Albert was found dead in his house under piles and piles of magazines and other things he couldn't throw away, an investigation began. The investigation didn't begin just because of Albert's death but because a dead body was found in the freezer of his basement. A body of someone who disappeared more than 20 years ago.

The investigation went from one character to another, and when I thought I had it figured out it turned out I was wrong each time....I didn't even guess the real murderer...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Evelyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

There are no secrets in a small town. Pennsylvannia homicide detective Cameron Gates and her Maine Coon cat Irving investigate a cold case homicide with her lover WV Hancock County prosecutor Joshua Thornton after a dead body is found in an air-tight freezer in Joshua's cousins's basement. The case then links back to a real cold case murder from 1978.

This is the first in the Lovers in Crime series and the first book by Carr that I've read. I wish I would have read the first two Joshua Thornton b...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Lis Carey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

This is the third mystery involving Hancock County (WV) Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates, though the first that I've found and read. They are also a couple. When crime spills over the border between their states, sometimes that helps them work together, and sometimes it creates an uncomfortable conflict of interest. They're both widowed; Cameron's husband, also a PA state cop, was killed in a traffic stop gone bad, and Joshua's w...more
This is the third mystery involving Hancock County (WV) Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates, though the first that I've found and read. They are also a couple. When crime spills over the border between their states, sometimes that helps them work together, and sometimes it creates an uncomfortable conflict of interest. They're both widowed; Cameron's husband, also a PA state cop, was killed in a traffic stop gone bad, and Joshua's wife died after many years of marriage and several children, only the youngest of whom, Donny, is still at home.

When church and family members are cleaning out the house of Joshua's cousin, a criminal defense attorney, on the Pennsylvania side of the border, Cameron finds a bomb in the basement--just in time to get the house cleared. And when they go through the debris after the explosion, they find, scorched but essentially undamaged, an old freezer, with a body in it.

The body is initially identified as Cherry Pickens, a porn star who disappeared sometime in 1985. Further investigation reveals that she was originally Cheryl Smith, a local girl who disappeared a few years prior to that, after the murder of another local girl.

And from this point, things get very, very complicated. The body of the murdered girl, Angie Sullivan, was found on the West Virginia side of the border. Friends, relatives, and suspects of everyone involved in this local, small town murder mystery live on both sides of the border. The search for answers to the known mysteries--who really killed Angie Sullivan, and who killed Cheryl Smith?--uncovers more and more secrets. Old scandals, secret and not-so-secret extra-marital affairs, complicated relationships among people who appear to be casual friends or purely professional business contacts.

Then there are such difficult personal issues for Cameron and Joshua. Will her cat Irving learn to tolerate Joshua? How will Donny react as his father's new relationship grows more serious?

This is a short, engaging mystery with likable, interesting characters. I'll be looking for previous and future entries in the series.

Recommended.(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Cindy McDonald rated it 5 of 5 stars

What would you do if you found the body of a deceased porn star in your cousin's basement? Yikes!

DEAD on ICE is the first book in Lauren Carr's new series, Lovers in Crime, which features an old favorite, Joshua Thorton, and a new sure-to-be favorite, Detective Cameron Gates, along with her skunk-cat, Irving(Cameron and Irving were introduced in Carr's last novel Shades of Murder).

DEAD on ICE is an exciting roller coaster ride of who done it when the body of a dead porn star, Cherry Pickens, is...more

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Jan 04, 2013 LORI CASWELL rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

This is the first book in a series featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

When a group of people get together to clean out the home of a long time resident they barely escape with their lives. Someone had planted a bomb in the house that was discovered just seconds before it blew. While investigating the explosion an old freezer was found in the basement almost unscathed. The contents were very surprising – a b...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Kathleen Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished

A body found in a freezer after an explosion leads to an investigation by Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates. The body turns out to be that of Cherry Pickens, a star of pornographic films. How did she get there and why in a freezer in the home of a her lawyer who's home was blown up? as Cameron and Joshua search for clues as to who may have murdered Cherry, they come across a lot of buried secrets that begin in 1978...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Laurel-Rain rated it 5 of 5 stars

In 1978, Angelina Sullivan disappeared after an evening at the skating rink in Hookstown, Pennsylvania.

While there was much speculation about who might have killed her, after her body was found in the mid-eighties, none of the suspects were ever arrested.

But then a gruesome discovery of a dead body in a freezer comes to light in the present day, when volunteers are clearing out the home of Albert Gordon, a deceased attorney, who was also a serious hoarder.

When the body turns out to be that of Ch...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Brent Soderstrum rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read

I won this book through Good Reads First Read program.

A fun mystery that I read in a day. There were actually two mysteries to solve. The first happened in 1978 to Angie Sullivan. The second happened to Cheryl Smith aka Cherry Pickens a porno movie star 35 years later. Is there any connection besides happening in the same general area? The new team of Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Detective Cameron Gates is on the case. They also happen to be dating.

I enjoyed the twists and turns as t...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Kari Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

From Goodreads.com
Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin’s b...more From Goodreads.com
Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin’s basement.

It doesn’t take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué star’s roots were buried in their rural Ohio Valley community, something that Cherry had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept her hometown off her road map, too—because when this starlet came running home from the mob, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.

I was drawn to this book because of “Ohio Valley” being in the summary. I am always a sucker for books that are in my neck of the woods. I was even more intrigued to learn that Lauren Carr is also a West Virginia gal. I am so glad that I read this book. I absolutely loved it.

While I love a good murder mystery that is intense and keeps me on my toes the entire time, I love one even more that keeps me on my toes but has a little comedy mixed in.

I am a huge character person. If I can’t connect with characters, books are duds for me. But throw in a few great nuts and I will keep coming back for more. In this book, there were several characters I couldn’t get enough of. I really liked the strong power couple relationship between Thornton and Gates. They were professional when in the field, but have a nice relationship in their private lives. But the supporting cast took the cake for me in this book, particularly the old church bitties. They are catty and spiteful and downright hilarious for women who say they live at the foot of the cross. And throw in the death of a porn star?

This book had just the right amount of mystery and suspense mixed in with humor and fun.

Lauren Carr definitely won me over with Dead on Ice. I look forward keeping up with series and see how it grows. I give Dead on Ice 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Fred rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dead On Ice is the first book in the Lovers In Crime series.

Readers first met Joshua Thornton, prosecuting attorney in Hancock County, WV and Cameron Gates, homicide detective with the Pennsylvania State Police, in Shades Of Murder, a Max Faraday series by Lauren Carr.

This book, set in the present day, centers around the disappearance of 18 year old Angie Sullivan after a skating party in Hookstown, PA. Her body was found seven years later submerged in her car, in a river near Chester, WV. The...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Harry Lane rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Carr's setting reminds me in some ways of the small town I grew up in. Her characterizations ring true, if in some cases exaggerated. The story is a police procedural, complicated by jurisdictional issues and romantic involvement of the principal characters. There are the usual red herrings and blind alleys, but Carr manages these adroitly, and brings things to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading more of her stuff.

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Jan 02, 2013 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read my full review at: http://bit.ly/TIbN2z

My rating: 3.5 Stars

My opinion: The only way I can describe this mystery is that it is a Chick Lit Mystery. By that, I mean a very light mystery, usually romance, cozy-ish, but not going the full way to cozy. If you are looking for a deeper book, this one isn't for you. However, this is a great read for the right audience or if you want to take a break with a lighter mystery.

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Dec 25, 2012 Michele Genest rated it 4 of 5 stars

Entertaining mystery with more than a bit of humor thrown in. Set near the Pennsylvania and West Virginia state line, two murders years apart allow Detective Cameron and prosecutor Joshua, who are dating, to work together to solve a case. Small town humor and interconnected relationships add to the unraveling of an engaging mystery.

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Jan 25, 2013 Lauren Carr rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

It isn't everyday you meet a Lover in Crime. That's what makes writing Dead on Ice, the first installment in the Lovers in Crime Mysteries such a fun ride. I'm sure readers will have as much fun solving murder mysteries with Cameron Gates and Joshua Thornton as I did bringing this couple together.

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Mar 24, 2013 Black Butterfly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ADULTS

Recommended to Black Butterfly by: AMAZON

Shelves: mysteries

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT IT HAD COMEDY, MYSTERY, MURDER, & SUSPENSE. ANOTHER WONDERFUL BOOK BY LAUREN CARR. INEVER GET TIRED OF READING HER BOOKS.

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May 14, 2013 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, review-copy, reviewed

Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

Really interesting tale that had my attention the whole time. The pace was wonderful and the characters engaging. Beautiful storytelling that entertained the whole time!

It had really great flow and did the job of making me think at times. I love a book that taps into my emotions. An edge of the seat thriller all the way!! Great twists...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

You can see my review here: http://beautybrite.com/2012/09/dead-o...

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Dec 04, 2012 Melina rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Lauren Carr books, she is a great writer I highly recommend her!

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May 17, 2013 Michelle Jones marked it as to-read

Shelves: my-kindle-books

May 08, 2013 Dave Freas marked it as to-read

Apr 18, 2013 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 13, 2013 Rebekah marked it as to-read

Apr 08, 2013 Vivek rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Lauren Carr

Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award.

Lauren is also the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. It’s Murder, My Son, Old Loves Die Hard, and Shades of Murder, have...more

More about Lauren Carr...

Books by Lauren Carr

It's Murder, My Son (Mac Faraday Mystery #1)

Shades of Murder (Mac Faraday Mystery #3)

Old Loves Die Hard (Mac Faraday Mystery #2)

A Small Case of Murder (Joshua Thornton Mystery #1)

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