The Ice House by Minette Walters

Minette Walters is a British crime fiction author of more than twelves books. The Ice House is the first of her books that I have read, and I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. It was published in 1992 by Macmillan and won the Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Award for best first novel. It has been translated into several languages.

A decaying body is found on the property of a woman and her two friends. This sparks the interest of the police, who has never been able to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the woman's husband ten years earlier. But what is the police really looking for? Are the three women keeping something from them? And why does everyone in the village hate them?

I love the way Walters write: extremely witty dialogue, sharp characterisation, and of course, enough suspense to want you to finish the book in one reading. Walters has created three wonderful characters (the women living on the property). I kept wanting more! There isn't one moment of tension in the story, and I can guarantee you will be kept guessing until the end as to what really happened. This is my first Minette Walters book, but it won't be the last.