Irish solicitor’s gift of gab propels suspenseful novel

’The Well of Ice’ By Andrea Carter. Oceanview, 352 pages, $26.95

As a solicitor in the village of Glendora on the Inishowen peninsula in Ireland, Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe has earned the trust of her clients aswell as that of her friends and neighbors. Her confide-in-me personality serves her well in “The Well of Ice,” this solid third novel from Andrea Carter.

While Ben doesn’t always seek out confessions, Carter skillfully makes this trope organic to the plot. And Ben has no shortage of situations to keep her occupied in “The Well of Ice.”

The local pub is the target of an arsonist on the same night that a local woman goes missing. On what should be a pleasant mountain ramble, Ben and her boyfriend, police sergeant Tom Molloy, find a strangled body not far froma creepy abandoned cabin that is straight out of a horror film.

Meanwhile, Ben keeps seeing her sister’s killer, Luke Kirby, who, now out of prison, has decided to come back to Glendora.

The appealing Ben keeps the suspenseful plot churning as she talks with others, fortified with coffee, tea or the occasional whisky.

Ben’s been dealing with the law long enough that she sees patterns in conversations and links to secret family relationships. Carter’s travel guide to the picturesque Irish countryside adds to “The Well of Ice.”

Zoom with the authors

Andrea Carter will discuss “The Well of Ice” during a conversation with Matt Coyle (“Blind Vigil”) at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 sponsored by Murder on the Beach bookstore, 104W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, murderonthebeach.com. Cost to join the virtual discussion is the purchase of either novel, or $5 that may be credited to future purchase of either novel; includes free shipping. Email Murder on the Beach at murdermb@gate.net or call 561-2797790 for more information. A link for the virtual event will be sent to those registered.

FRANVEALEPHOTO Andrea Carter’s third novel is the suspenseful‘TheWell of Ice.’