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Howard County Mysteries #3
Ice on the Bay
The forecast: Record cold. The crimes: Colder still.
Case #1:Hardworking veterinary technician Jayvon Fletcher was honest, friendly, and without an enemy in the world. But two Christmas Eves ago, while covering the night shift, he vanished, leaving behind only a broken window and smears of blood on the clinic's back steps. Neither police nor the private detectives hired by Jayvon's grandmother could find him. Now Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller is asked to take another look at the case, although he doubts he can shed light on the young man's fate.
Case #2: Detective Sergeant Corina Montufar puzzles over a fire in an exclusive area. The details are familiar—two other houses burned the previous year in exactly the same way. But police had nabbed the arsonist. He was already in prison when this new crime occurred. Is this a copycat crime, or is the real culprit still at large and this the next in a series of attacks?
Case #3: It's only mid-January, and already Detective Sergeant Eric Dumas is staring at Howard County's first murder victim of the year. Michio Tamai kept an address book overflowing with criminal cohorts. But even his friends were his victims. Not one of them is sorry he's dead. Any might be his murderer.
While temperatures plummet, cold cases collide with new crimes, and somewhere a killer with blood as icy as the waters of the bay watches and waits.
A thrilling crime drama, Ice on the Bay is the third of Dale E. Lehman's Howard County Mysteries. For more drama and thrills, check out the rest of the series: The Fibonacci Murders (Howard County Mystery #1) and True Death (Howard County Mystery #2).
Case #1:Hardworking veterinary technician Jayvon Fletcher was honest, friendly, and without an enemy in the world. But two Christmas Eves ago, while covering the night shift, he vanished, leaving behind only a broken window and smears of blood on the clinic's back steps. Neither police nor the private detectives hired by Jayvon's grandmother could find him. Now Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller is asked to take another look at the case, although he doubts he can shed light on the young man's fate.
Case #2: Detective Sergeant Corina Montufar puzzles over a fire in an exclusive area. The details are familiar—two other houses burned the previous year in exactly the same way. But police had nabbed the arsonist. He was already in prison when this new crime occurred. Is this a copycat crime, or is the real culprit still at large and this the next in a series of attacks?
Case #3: It's only mid-January, and already Detective Sergeant Eric Dumas is staring at Howard County's first murder victim of the year. Michio Tamai kept an address book overflowing with criminal cohorts. But even his friends were his victims. Not one of them is sorry he's dead. Any might be his murderer.
While temperatures plummet, cold cases collide with new crimes, and somewhere a killer with blood as icy as the waters of the bay watches and waits.
A thrilling crime drama, Ice on the Bay is the third of Dale E. Lehman's Howard County Mysteries. For more drama and thrills, check out the rest of the series: The Fibonacci Murders (Howard County Mystery #1) and True Death (Howard County Mystery #2).
Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2018
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88 people want to read
About the author
Dale E. Lehman
12 books167 followersDale E. Lehman is an award-winning writer, veteran software developer, amateur astronomer, and bonsai artist in training. He principally writes mysteries, science fiction, and humor. In addition to his novels, his writing has appeared in Sky & Telescope and on Medium.com. He owns and operates the imprint Red Tales. He and his late wife Kathleen have five children, six grandchildren, and two feisty cats. At any given time, Dale is at work on several novels and short stories.
To get a bunch of freebies and sign up for Dale's Story Corner newsletter, visit his website.
To get a bunch of freebies and sign up for Dale's Story Corner newsletter, visit his website.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 14, 2025
Howard County has just been hit with one of the coldest snaps on record - but the cases keep coming.
"I know you guys got rule, but could you check up on it? Maybe see if something got missed?"
Detective Lieutenant Rick Peller is asked to look into a cold case - Jayvon Fletch disappeared from a vet office two Christmases ago, and not a trace of him has been found since. As a final act of desperation, a family member begs him to take a second look.
Detective Sergeant Corina Montufar is on the case of a series of suspicious fires - which bear an eerie resemblance to what happened to the County a year ago...but they had caught the criminal, right?
Detective Sergeant Eric Dumas must find out the murderer for Michio Tamai. But that man had the habit of pissing off the wrong people. Everyone's a suspect.
"Could be almost anybody he knew. He had a knack for making enemies out of friends."This is my third one of the Howard County mysteries and I had a lot of fun with it.
The three cases in this one did have a bit of a learning curve for me - I didn't quite get it at first that all three of the main characters were on completely different cases - but once I caught up, it was a lot of fun.
I was definitely intrigued by all of the mysteries and they came together really well by the end of the book.
I also adored the main couple - though I would have liked to see some more of their interactions and a bit more build to the relationship before they took the direction that they did. It felt a smidge too much like telling rather than showing.
The criminals this round were probably the best of the three books - that one couple was SUPER spooky - they honestly could've been the only 'big bads' in the entire book and I would have LOVED this book.
Overall, this was a rather satisfying conclusion to the series so far. Fingers crossed that there will be another!!
With thanks to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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February 23, 2018
A great sequel! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this third book in the series, so thank you to the author for that.
I am quite addicted to this series, it was exciting right to the last page. I really like Peller and Montefur as they try to do their jobs despite all the emotional trauma they are going through.
A great detective-style mystery, the skill of the author, and the detective within the story, to find and unravel the clues, so leading you on, keeps me quite hooked and I must say, impressed
No higher praise, than I regret finishing the book as I am now quote bereft without it.
I am quite addicted to this series, it was exciting right to the last page. I really like Peller and Montefur as they try to do their jobs despite all the emotional trauma they are going through.
A great detective-style mystery, the skill of the author, and the detective within the story, to find and unravel the clues, so leading you on, keeps me quite hooked and I must say, impressed
No higher praise, than I regret finishing the book as I am now quote bereft without it.
February 28, 2018
Ice On The Bay by Dale and Kathleen Lehman is a marvellous contemporary murder suspense. It is the third book in the Howard County Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Once again the reader is in for a gripping ride in this compulsive read. The police officers work together to get the job done. They remind me of the three musketeers with their dedication and their loyalty to each other.
A cold case collides with present day crimes of murder, blackmail, arson and burglary. The cases run side by side as the reader tries to guess the connection, if any. Literally a jaw dropping ending that had me hooked and reading with heart racing.
Not only is there great action but the reader really gets to know the characters - their back stories and their families. They are not just flat characters in a book but well developed 3D characters that leap out and engage the reader.
Meeting up with familiar characters gave an air of consistency and a feeling of catching up with old friends. The police officers are very personable, the reader cares about what happens to them. The 'baddies' are well drawn too, eliciting feelings of dislike from the reader. For some, we recognise they are caught in a spiral of crime due to circumstances of their upbringing. For others we see the result of poor choices.
These Howard County Mysteries are cracking detective novels. I think they would make a marvellous television mini-series. I am hoping there are many more books to come.
Absolutely compulsive and nail biting reading.
I received this book for free from The Book Gobbler. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
Once again the reader is in for a gripping ride in this compulsive read. The police officers work together to get the job done. They remind me of the three musketeers with their dedication and their loyalty to each other.
A cold case collides with present day crimes of murder, blackmail, arson and burglary. The cases run side by side as the reader tries to guess the connection, if any. Literally a jaw dropping ending that had me hooked and reading with heart racing.
Not only is there great action but the reader really gets to know the characters - their back stories and their families. They are not just flat characters in a book but well developed 3D characters that leap out and engage the reader.
Meeting up with familiar characters gave an air of consistency and a feeling of catching up with old friends. The police officers are very personable, the reader cares about what happens to them. The 'baddies' are well drawn too, eliciting feelings of dislike from the reader. For some, we recognise they are caught in a spiral of crime due to circumstances of their upbringing. For others we see the result of poor choices.
These Howard County Mysteries are cracking detective novels. I think they would make a marvellous television mini-series. I am hoping there are many more books to come.
Absolutely compulsive and nail biting reading.
I received this book for free from The Book Gobbler. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
February 9, 2018
An excellent crime suspense novel with the very best of ingredients. The writer ties together beautifully a series of seemingly unrelated events drawing the reader towards the final conclusion. Can't say too much more on this (spoilers). Characters are well written and believable and the pace of the novel is well set, it will keep you turning the pages asking for more.
March 8, 2018
A Good Howard County Sequel
=========================
I liked Dale E Lehman’s debut novel “The Fibonacci Murders”. For some reason though, I did not read the second book of the series “True Death” but went straight the task of reading and reviewing the newly written sequel, in collaboration with his wife Kathleen.
I believe that good sequels are measured if they manage to stand-alone as a book on their own. It’s a big issue in my view, if reading the first book is mandatory in order to understand the next. Albeit a hard task for an author no doubt, would you imagine needing to read nine of Agatha Christies’ superb Poirot novels before reaching the famous “Murder on the Orient Express” ? Not likely. I am pleased to report that in that aspect, the Lehman’s did not fall into a trap that many “sequeling” authors do. The book can be read as a stand-alone, and details from book II were easily filled. I did however thought that if someone read the book as a stand-alone he would have found Lieutenant Det. Rick Peller a bit timid, and over-fatherly. However, I’ll attribute it to him (Peller) simply playing a smaller role in this novel, and maybe just getting older, like most of us.
As always with Howard Country, there are few cases which seems at first not-connected, but interlink as the story draws near its end. Peller is working on an old two-year old case of a missing person; Detective Sgt. Montufar, now engaged in a hot & heavy relationship with Detective Sgt. Dumas, is trying to figure out a copycat arson event; and Dumas – who’s undeniably the main protagonist, is investigating a stone-cold murder of a hustler.
There are also subplots of Montufar’s father dying in the hospital and Peller getting involved with a socialite, both which I found completely redundant and not contributing to the plot (Dale Lehman would have to excuse me on this, as the hospital scenes are probably taken from some personal experience which he wanted to set-free).
The writing is precise as always, but sometimes too precise. It’s humouristic when the boys make wise-cracks for using high vocabulary words, but when the villains use them or an immigrant family, it somewhat hurts the overall flow.
I especially liked The Lehmans’ flirtation with the cold weather, reminding me a lot of my descriptive writing style which, on numerous occasions, was blamed to be throwing the reader off the main subject. I liked it, it gave the story a body.
My main criticism involves the story:
It is a similar problem to that which Mr Lehman had when he wrote solo “The Fibonacci Murders”. Basically, a lot of the details are revealed but the story kind of solves itself before they can serve as clues. The reader doesn’t really have a chance to reach any conclusion on his own, and one witness who could have easily given the story to begin with, if enough pressure had been applied, sings at the end, after we have already speculated what had accord. For me, it was a good story, portraying mundane police work, with likeable characters, but it lacked sophistication. The Howard County detectives came across as too naïve, and too trustworthy, but I liked them.
Another point is that I wasn’t quite sold on how the stories interlink, nor do I think that Peller and Montufar had contributed much to the cracking of the case.
The story redeems itself with a nice twist right at the end, although the way it was discovered and the entire charade seemed a bit messy. I’m not going to reveal anything here, but just as you think the novel reaches its end, The Lehmans’ give us a much-needed climax with a bursting action scene.
“Ice on the Bay” is a precise written novel, which shows the hard task of police detective work. The characters are likeable, the imagery is a pleasant surprise – but the story which is crucial, is somewhat lacking, for this die-hard crime thriller fan.
Get this book for FREE along many other titles, and read my Review on BookGobbler.com https://www.bookgobbler.com/2018/01/2...
=========================
I liked Dale E Lehman’s debut novel “The Fibonacci Murders”. For some reason though, I did not read the second book of the series “True Death” but went straight the task of reading and reviewing the newly written sequel, in collaboration with his wife Kathleen.
I believe that good sequels are measured if they manage to stand-alone as a book on their own. It’s a big issue in my view, if reading the first book is mandatory in order to understand the next. Albeit a hard task for an author no doubt, would you imagine needing to read nine of Agatha Christies’ superb Poirot novels before reaching the famous “Murder on the Orient Express” ? Not likely. I am pleased to report that in that aspect, the Lehman’s did not fall into a trap that many “sequeling” authors do. The book can be read as a stand-alone, and details from book II were easily filled. I did however thought that if someone read the book as a stand-alone he would have found Lieutenant Det. Rick Peller a bit timid, and over-fatherly. However, I’ll attribute it to him (Peller) simply playing a smaller role in this novel, and maybe just getting older, like most of us.
As always with Howard Country, there are few cases which seems at first not-connected, but interlink as the story draws near its end. Peller is working on an old two-year old case of a missing person; Detective Sgt. Montufar, now engaged in a hot & heavy relationship with Detective Sgt. Dumas, is trying to figure out a copycat arson event; and Dumas – who’s undeniably the main protagonist, is investigating a stone-cold murder of a hustler.
There are also subplots of Montufar’s father dying in the hospital and Peller getting involved with a socialite, both which I found completely redundant and not contributing to the plot (Dale Lehman would have to excuse me on this, as the hospital scenes are probably taken from some personal experience which he wanted to set-free).
The writing is precise as always, but sometimes too precise. It’s humouristic when the boys make wise-cracks for using high vocabulary words, but when the villains use them or an immigrant family, it somewhat hurts the overall flow.
I especially liked The Lehmans’ flirtation with the cold weather, reminding me a lot of my descriptive writing style which, on numerous occasions, was blamed to be throwing the reader off the main subject. I liked it, it gave the story a body.
My main criticism involves the story:
It is a similar problem to that which Mr Lehman had when he wrote solo “The Fibonacci Murders”. Basically, a lot of the details are revealed but the story kind of solves itself before they can serve as clues. The reader doesn’t really have a chance to reach any conclusion on his own, and one witness who could have easily given the story to begin with, if enough pressure had been applied, sings at the end, after we have already speculated what had accord. For me, it was a good story, portraying mundane police work, with likeable characters, but it lacked sophistication. The Howard County detectives came across as too naïve, and too trustworthy, but I liked them.
Another point is that I wasn’t quite sold on how the stories interlink, nor do I think that Peller and Montufar had contributed much to the cracking of the case.
The story redeems itself with a nice twist right at the end, although the way it was discovered and the entire charade seemed a bit messy. I’m not going to reveal anything here, but just as you think the novel reaches its end, The Lehmans’ give us a much-needed climax with a bursting action scene.
“Ice on the Bay” is a precise written novel, which shows the hard task of police detective work. The characters are likeable, the imagery is a pleasant surprise – but the story which is crucial, is somewhat lacking, for this die-hard crime thriller fan.
Get this book for FREE along many other titles, and read my Review on BookGobbler.com https://www.bookgobbler.com/2018/01/2...
May 20, 2018
A detective story with many threads, this book follows the Howard County police department as they work on three separate cases. Connections between these cases are alluded to and explored, while the prose itself is clear and entertaining.
I read this book as a stand-alone, without any foreknowledge of the characters or back-story. The trend of calling every character (police or not) by their surname made it hard to keep track of who was who and who had done what. There were also several side-characters without much of a role, particularly Corina’s family, and the deterioration of her father seemed to be the tail end of something from a previous book. Churchill was also a bit of a non-character and Peller’s interaction with her didn’t really add anything to the tale. However, the detective aspects of the story worked very well and overall the book was engaging from start to finish.
Religion was a big part of this novel, portrayed as a stumbling block to many relationships of the characters, but was nicely explored and resolved throughout the book. Peller’s interaction with his late wife Sandra was an interesting addition, as were the detectives’ musings on the occult. The descriptions were immersive, though sometimes too lingering in small details—except, oddly, when it came to the characters’ ages. The women in this novel were a bit disappointing: none of them seemed capable of making a decision or functioning separately from the men structuring their characters, or from their own appearance. This made a few language choices stand out, for example, ‘She beamed, a dog basking in her master’s approval.’ Corina’s brother also was abruptly creepy with the line: ‘he put a finger on her lips to silence her’, then later calling Corina a ‘good girl’, which was just a little bit weird.
Despite the above, overall this novel was well paced and kept the pages turning. I liked the exploration of religion and the occult and the easy weaving-together of each case. I feel I missed a bit of character development by not starting with book one, but otherwise had everything I needed to enjoy the novel on its own.
I am reviewing this book voluntarily. I thank the author for sharing a copy with me.
I read this book as a stand-alone, without any foreknowledge of the characters or back-story. The trend of calling every character (police or not) by their surname made it hard to keep track of who was who and who had done what. There were also several side-characters without much of a role, particularly Corina’s family, and the deterioration of her father seemed to be the tail end of something from a previous book. Churchill was also a bit of a non-character and Peller’s interaction with her didn’t really add anything to the tale. However, the detective aspects of the story worked very well and overall the book was engaging from start to finish.
Religion was a big part of this novel, portrayed as a stumbling block to many relationships of the characters, but was nicely explored and resolved throughout the book. Peller’s interaction with his late wife Sandra was an interesting addition, as were the detectives’ musings on the occult. The descriptions were immersive, though sometimes too lingering in small details—except, oddly, when it came to the characters’ ages. The women in this novel were a bit disappointing: none of them seemed capable of making a decision or functioning separately from the men structuring their characters, or from their own appearance. This made a few language choices stand out, for example, ‘She beamed, a dog basking in her master’s approval.’ Corina’s brother also was abruptly creepy with the line: ‘he put a finger on her lips to silence her’, then later calling Corina a ‘good girl’, which was just a little bit weird.
Despite the above, overall this novel was well paced and kept the pages turning. I liked the exploration of religion and the occult and the easy weaving-together of each case. I feel I missed a bit of character development by not starting with book one, but otherwise had everything I needed to enjoy the novel on its own.
I am reviewing this book voluntarily. I thank the author for sharing a copy with me.
February 26, 2018
I LOVED this book! The writing is top-notch, and the story is very atmospheric, flowing and easy to read. The characters seemed to live in my imagination as their thoughts and escapades unfolded. It was easy to relate to the protagonists as they fought against the unusually cold weather while trying to solve a string of murders that seem unrelated. The antagonists, on the other hand, were delightfully twisted, scary, and devious. There were plenty of nail-biting moments to ratchet up the suspense.
I was fully engaged throughout the book and felt a wonderful sense of completion and satisfaction with the resolution and ending of the book. This is the third book in the Howard County Mystery series and it read just fine as a stand-alone novel. I enjoyed the writing so much though that I definitely would like to read the previous two books, as well.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
I was fully engaged throughout the book and felt a wonderful sense of completion and satisfaction with the resolution and ending of the book. This is the third book in the Howard County Mystery series and it read just fine as a stand-alone novel. I enjoyed the writing so much though that I definitely would like to read the previous two books, as well.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
February 4, 2018
Howard County PD; three separate police investigations - a murder, an arson and a two year old missing persons case. All unrelated - or are they?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The characters are well developed and realistic and it moves at a good pace. It is a complex tale and contains all the elements one might e pact in a good crime suspense novel - and maybe a few surprises.
The more I read, the less I wanted to put it down to do mundane everyday things. In the end, mundane things lost and I read it in one sitting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The characters are well developed and realistic and it moves at a good pace. It is a complex tale and contains all the elements one might e pact in a good crime suspense novel - and maybe a few surprises.
The more I read, the less I wanted to put it down to do mundane everyday things. In the end, mundane things lost and I read it in one sitting.
February 22, 2018
This book moves at a pace that keeps you reading and trying to figure everything out before the end. The characters and plot of this story will have you leaving the reality around you just to escape into what feels like reality. The authors ability to make the reader feel as if they are the characters is remarkable. I highly recommend this book!
March 2, 2018
If you happen to see that this series is written by a software developer and you see that some of the other titles he’s written sound way beyond all of us, do not for a minute think he can’t write Crime Fiction because that’s what this is. A story about cops and crime and cops dealing with crime. But also a story about cops handling the daily emotion of their lives as well as what crime itself can add to that. There's a little bit of a love story in here. In fact this is not just police sitting in their cubicles. Some of them are trying to solve arson cases, some are hunting murderers and some are trying to help people get their lives straightened out too.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about this book was that there were so many pieces; so many human aspects to it and yet I think it was probably close to reality. Maybe not on the Bay where the setting is but in many cities in the U.S. today. This story really covers a lot of the aspects of our lives while being Crime Fiction. It does not jump around and is not hard to follow but I think the reason for that is Lehman’s handling of his characters. I enjoyed these characters. I felt sadness and loneliness for some; confusion and frustration for others. Making you feel the emotions of characters in a book like this means Lehman did a good job with character development. It takes a good writer to make you feel what his characters are feeling; especially so in a crime fiction storyline which can be very black and white. Full of cop’s offices, procedural dialog and paperwork.
This is Book 3 of "Howard County Mystery series". With characters like Lehman has written here, I'm sure the other books in the series are as well worth reading as this one was.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about this book was that there were so many pieces; so many human aspects to it and yet I think it was probably close to reality. Maybe not on the Bay where the setting is but in many cities in the U.S. today. This story really covers a lot of the aspects of our lives while being Crime Fiction. It does not jump around and is not hard to follow but I think the reason for that is Lehman’s handling of his characters. I enjoyed these characters. I felt sadness and loneliness for some; confusion and frustration for others. Making you feel the emotions of characters in a book like this means Lehman did a good job with character development. It takes a good writer to make you feel what his characters are feeling; especially so in a crime fiction storyline which can be very black and white. Full of cop’s offices, procedural dialog and paperwork.
This is Book 3 of "Howard County Mystery series". With characters like Lehman has written here, I'm sure the other books in the series are as well worth reading as this one was.
December 19, 2018
if I keep coming back to Howard County, that alone should tell you something.
Once again the strong, fully developed main characters are here and forming a very solid basis for not one case but three! By now I am hooked, so I can’t really say this could be read as a stand-alone – but why would you want to. Start with Fibonacci Murders and work your way to this one, you will not be sorry.
Once again the strong, fully developed main characters are here and forming a very solid basis for not one case but three! By now I am hooked, so I can’t really say this could be read as a stand-alone – but why would you want to. Start with Fibonacci Murders and work your way to this one, you will not be sorry.
October 12, 2018
Live very close to Ellicott City so could relate. But there were too many characters in the book. I just couldn't keep them all straight!!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews