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Deep Water, Thin Ice
Simon Brook is a celebrated and flamboyant conductor. When he kills himself, his wife Alex is shocked she didn’t see it coming. Guilt-ridden and grieving, she escapes to Hillen Hall, an old house by the sea, abandoning her classical singing career and distancing herself from everyone but her sister Erica.
Hillen Hall is an old Brook family home. Once a fine manor house, it is now creaking and unloved. When Theo Hellyon, Simon's cousin, turns up offering to help with its renovation, Alex is confused. She didn’t know Simon had a cousin. And Theo is charming and reminds her of Simon so, despite Erica's warnings, Alex cannot resist having him in her life.
But the old Hall has a tortured history which Alex cannot begin to suspect and Theo is not what he seems. How long will it be before she realises she’s making a fatal mistake?
Hillen Hall is an old Brook family home. Once a fine manor house, it is now creaking and unloved. When Theo Hellyon, Simon's cousin, turns up offering to help with its renovation, Alex is confused. She didn’t know Simon had a cousin. And Theo is charming and reminds her of Simon so, despite Erica's warnings, Alex cannot resist having him in her life.
But the old Hall has a tortured history which Alex cannot begin to suspect and Theo is not what he seems. How long will it be before she realises she’s making a fatal mistake?
- GenresFiction
ebook
First published February 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Shuker
7 books43 followersI am a British author of absorbing and compelling mysteries, stories of intrigue and long held secrets. I trained as a physiotherapist but a back injury forced me to change career and, after studying design I worked as a freelance artist.
I started writing many years ago and now write full-time. I have written four stand-alone mysteries as well as three novels in the Dechansay Bright Mysteries, a series featuring two itinerant art restorers who become involved in a range of intrigues on their travels.
I live in Devon in southwest England. Art is still a major passion as are the natural world and music. Sadly, despite years of trying, (and the tolerance of both husband and neighbours) mastery of the piano, guitar and fiddle remains as elusive as ever.
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathyshukera...
I started writing many years ago and now write full-time. I have written four stand-alone mysteries as well as three novels in the Dechansay Bright Mysteries, a series featuring two itinerant art restorers who become involved in a range of intrigues on their travels.
I live in Devon in southwest England. Art is still a major passion as are the natural world and music. Sadly, despite years of trying, (and the tolerance of both husband and neighbours) mastery of the piano, guitar and fiddle remains as elusive as ever.
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathyshukera...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2014
I love a book that sets up its suspense early then allows the reader to push forward from that inciting moment to slowly and sometimes precariously uncover the "why" and "who" of the tale. DEEP WATER, THIN ICE leapt into its narrative quickly, then unfolded with a plot line that was immediately compelling, with a cast of characters that grabbed our sympathy and interest and embodied the story with rich detail.
Alex, our talented, hearty protagonist, has lost her husband under suspicious circumstances and compelled by both grief and a need for solace, decides on a sabbatical to the countryside to spend time in his inherited -- and previously abandoned -- home. While there, her innate curiosity gets her out to explore the town and its eclectic coterie of inhabitants, most of whom pique her interest, particularly the heretofore unknown cousin of her late husband -- an attractive fellow with a strong resemblance to her husband -- and his odd and slightly off-putting mother. From there the story unfolds in a way that is both alarming and page-turning, introducing us to various mysteries, personalities, and possibilities that sometimes throw red-herrings our way but ultimately lead to the complex, many-layered resolution of Alex's husband's death…as well as a few other unexpected other plot points.
Author Kathy Shuker, a gifted storyteller, clearly knows the land and people of which she writes. The textures and rich, specific elements that create the people, location, and atmosphere of her book are offered with just enough detail to make the reader feel transported and completely enveloped. As one who's never been to the English countryside, I felt as if I could smell the air and feel the unique rhythms of the place she created, an immersion I always appreciative as a reader! The suspense was complex enough to keep me awake far too long on my last night with the book, eager to get to the end, hopeful that our feisty protagonist would sort out the subterfuge before it overwhelmed her.
Shuker made an interesting choice in allowing the audience in on the secret before her main character becomes aware, giving us that dreaded if pulse-pounding perspective of watching Alex walk into traps despite us waving our arms and hollering for her to step away! :) I enjoyed the tension of that choice and thought the author wielded it successfully.
If I have any critique of the book it's that the main antagonists of the story seemed, at times, to be too broadly drawn, a little too obvious and just maybe a tad clichéd in their nefariousness. By the time that was the case, however, I was enough captured by the story that it didn't spoil things, but I might have suggested a bit more subtlety, particularly in how the main villain comported himself both with Alex and others along the way.
And, though this may seem minor, the book's ending -- literally, the verbiage of the last line or two -- felt slightly clunky, as if there needed to be a more expansive, meaningful denouement after such a dense, rich journey. The idea introduced at that point didn't totally work for me, but I do appreciate the author's clear desire to leave us with a twist. I just might have rendered it a bit more poetically, as it felt as if it ended a sentence – or even word -- or two too quickly!
But overall, a great read by an obviously talented writer I’d happily read again. A solid recommend.
Alex, our talented, hearty protagonist, has lost her husband under suspicious circumstances and compelled by both grief and a need for solace, decides on a sabbatical to the countryside to spend time in his inherited -- and previously abandoned -- home. While there, her innate curiosity gets her out to explore the town and its eclectic coterie of inhabitants, most of whom pique her interest, particularly the heretofore unknown cousin of her late husband -- an attractive fellow with a strong resemblance to her husband -- and his odd and slightly off-putting mother. From there the story unfolds in a way that is both alarming and page-turning, introducing us to various mysteries, personalities, and possibilities that sometimes throw red-herrings our way but ultimately lead to the complex, many-layered resolution of Alex's husband's death…as well as a few other unexpected other plot points.
Author Kathy Shuker, a gifted storyteller, clearly knows the land and people of which she writes. The textures and rich, specific elements that create the people, location, and atmosphere of her book are offered with just enough detail to make the reader feel transported and completely enveloped. As one who's never been to the English countryside, I felt as if I could smell the air and feel the unique rhythms of the place she created, an immersion I always appreciative as a reader! The suspense was complex enough to keep me awake far too long on my last night with the book, eager to get to the end, hopeful that our feisty protagonist would sort out the subterfuge before it overwhelmed her.
Shuker made an interesting choice in allowing the audience in on the secret before her main character becomes aware, giving us that dreaded if pulse-pounding perspective of watching Alex walk into traps despite us waving our arms and hollering for her to step away! :) I enjoyed the tension of that choice and thought the author wielded it successfully.
If I have any critique of the book it's that the main antagonists of the story seemed, at times, to be too broadly drawn, a little too obvious and just maybe a tad clichéd in their nefariousness. By the time that was the case, however, I was enough captured by the story that it didn't spoil things, but I might have suggested a bit more subtlety, particularly in how the main villain comported himself both with Alex and others along the way.
And, though this may seem minor, the book's ending -- literally, the verbiage of the last line or two -- felt slightly clunky, as if there needed to be a more expansive, meaningful denouement after such a dense, rich journey. The idea introduced at that point didn't totally work for me, but I do appreciate the author's clear desire to leave us with a twist. I just might have rendered it a bit more poetically, as it felt as if it ended a sentence – or even word -- or two too quickly!
But overall, a great read by an obviously talented writer I’d happily read again. A solid recommend.
August 5, 2014
This author is a master at guiding the reader into the setting. As I was reading it I physically felt like I was in London on crowded sidewalks or in the Old Hall. The author is also a master at diving into the emotional world of her characters.
My life is full of interruptions so I personally like a book that moves a little faster and digs a little less deep. Which is why I gave the book 4 stars. However, it would be a good read for someone who has the time to relax and savor all the little nuances the author skillfully weaved into her novel.
My life is full of interruptions so I personally like a book that moves a little faster and digs a little less deep. Which is why I gave the book 4 stars. However, it would be a good read for someone who has the time to relax and savor all the little nuances the author skillfully weaved into her novel.
February 8, 2017
Excellent. Well written and a gripping story. I loved it.
September 27, 2017
I enjoyed this story set in Devon. A recent widow finds herself living in a house her late husband inherited. She soon becomes friendly with his cousin, not a nice man! Quite an exciting mystery.
August 8, 2016
I saw this book advertised on Facebook for only $.99. A triller, set in an old house on the Devon coast--definitely my type of book! The night after I bought it, I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep due to stressing about work. So I started reading this book and was immediately pulled in. It was a smart move to let the reader in on the identity and motive of the villain early on and caused me to react the same as I do in a horror film when I know a character is walking into danger. My only quibble is with the ending. I am not sure what the purpose was in revealing new information in the last paragraph. I may have to reread the book with this info in mind and see if it causes any interpretive changes in my reading.
March 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this book: so much so that I was sorry to reach the end. I’m not at all surprised that other reviewers have reacted similarly. I see that one described it as a love story, and so it is – but it’s also so much more. The cast of convincing characters, led by a vulnerable young widow, are beset by a psychopath, the unravelling of an unsavoury family history, injustice, sexual deviancy and a haunting. All this is cleverly set against the contrasting background of a peaceful Devon village and the nurturing of a new nature reserve. Highly recommended.
December 21, 2019
I read the book Deep Water Thin Ice by Kathy Shuker. I picked this book to read because one of my friends recommended it to me and the title itself interests me. The book Deep Water Thin Ice it starts out as Simon killing himself and Alex, his wife being so devastated and caught off guard she doesn't know what to do. She stops her singing career and isolates herself from everyone nut her sister. Her name is Erica. She feels Erica is the only one who gets her because she had a similar situation happen to her. She moves to an old house handed down to Simon, to escape reality. But then there is a twist, Simons cousin Theo, who Alex did not even know exited randomly shows up offering to help fix the place up. Alex had been alone for a while and obviously is not going to turn down the offer, afterall it is technically partly his house too. All of this time she is now pending with Theo, living in the same house, renovating and all, is making Alex forget about Simon. But on the other hand, Theo reminds her of Simon. In fact she ends up falling for him because of this fact. Even though Erica warns her about this Theo he can't help but fall for him. But there is something really fishy about this guy. Will Alex ever see that Theo is not all as he seems? How long will she go on before she knows she is making a terrible mistake? Read Deep Water Thin Ice to find out the ending. My favorite character is the main character Alex just because I feel for her like when you are in a situation, you don’t always see both sides of the person. Even if you do, you don't like the bad side of them so you don't really acknowledge it. So she is my favorite character just because I know that the situation is hard. Yes this book kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time. Also kept me second guessing like is Theo going to do something bad or is it just the author giving me suspense? Read this book to find out what happens with Theo and Alex.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews