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The book is set in Cooper’s Mill, Ohio. The town doesn’t exist in real life but it could. There’s a place in Bucyrus, Ohio called Cooper’s Mill but it’s more of a farmer’s market.
The town in the book is similar to all small towns in Ohio. Everyone knows everyone. Secrets don’t stay hidden for long. People do go ice fishing in Ohio like the characters in Black Ice. I don’t know if anyone has such extravagant set-ups in their shanties.
Frank Harper isn’t a bad guy but he has some issues with alcohol. He’s a former police officer from Alabama. Some of his issues are related to PTSD from an earlier case and also helping with the cleanup of Hurricane Katrina. The drinking has ruined his marriage and relationship with his daughter. The trip to Ohio is to visit his daughter and grandson. Of course, he gets involved in a homicide investigation.
The killer is an interesting character. I won’t give tell you who but I will say that he or she gets away with it longer than most people would.
Harper is trying to keep his drinking in check but as you probably all know it’s extremely difficult to control alcoholism without a support system. He thinks he’s keeping the drinking a secret but people know, especially after he shows up to a meeting still drunk from the day before.
It is written well. It was easy to imagine what the characters would look like in real life. Sometimes, the book is a bit repetitive with the flashbacks from the previous case in A Field of Red (Frank Harper Mysteries, Book 1).
I wouldn’t say that there’s much humor. The main topic is murder. It’s difficult to focus on murder as well as jokes.
If you like books about murder investigations, then you might like this book. If you aren’t interested in hearing about Harper’s drinking problem, then you should look elsewhere.
Ice Fishing Guidelines in Ohio
- I received this ebook from the author in exchange for doing a review. Thanks to Violeta. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
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