Danger! Danger! Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen just stole a day of my life. I could not stop reading it. The story starts with Boston Medical Examiner Maura Isles getting lost in the Grand Teton Mountains outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She and her companions seek shelter in a deserted cult village. As clues accumulate, it becomes clear that something awful happened, and help is not on the way. Will Maura fall victim to the cult, crooked police, armed neighbors, or the weather before her friend Boston detective Jane Rizzoli can save her?
Note: Part of the plot deals with a misogynistic cult where the men are violently in control, women are subservient, and young girls are taken as brides. The violence and abuse happen outside the narrative. The cult behavior is discussed often but in general terms.
A crowd of people works to rescue Maura, including Rizzoli, Rizzoli’s FBI husband, Maura’s lover Daniel Brophy (also a Catholic priest), and her rich friend Anthony Sansone. However, the real hero is a teenage foster child who goes by the name Rat.
There might be two themes to this story. The first is that the intermountain west (aka the Rockies Mountains) is a populated with isolated groups of dangerous, xenophobic people. This included the cult, armed people, and corrupt officials. The second theme is that if you are in trouble, you need important, powerful friends. In the end, Maura is not rescued by her own cleverness or Jane’s derring-do. Key to the happy ending is Jane’s FBI husband and Maura’s rich friend.
If you are looking for a tightly written mystery with plenty of twists and turns, this is your book. Just be certain you have cleared your calendar before you start. You’ve been warned.
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