The Dead of Winter

Blackwater Bay #3

by Paula Gosling

When Sheriff Gabriel discovers a New York ex-convict's corpse in Blackwater Bay, he worries that the press will invade his quiet hometown, but when a local schoolgirl suddenly disappears as well, he realizes that greater evils are afoot.

Genres: Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Paula Gosling is a US born crime writer. She has lived in the UK since the 1960s. Gosling started her writing career as a copy-writer and published her first novel, A Running Duck, in 1974. This won the John Creasey Award for the best first novel of the year and she has also received both the Gold Dagger for Monkey Puzzle in 1985. She is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association.

Her novel A Running Duck, written in 1974 (also published as Fair Game), has been adapted twice into films, once as a Sylvester Stallone vehicle - Cobra and the second time as a film with Cindy Crawford entitled Fair Game.

Reviews

[Brynn Rucker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was a do not finish for me. I only made it 2 chapters, probably 18 pages, so I gave it a very short shot, I will admit, but it is not for me. I can't force myself to sit down with this book and finish it, I just cannot torture myself like that.

Tom's character scares me, I feel like he is obsessed with Jess and has a weird jealously over Jason. It's weird how jealous of a character he is, but it's being painted as loving & protective of her. That was the first thing that didn't sit right with me.

The second, was the sheriff's inner thoughts about his job. He is a sheriff, that doesn't like the publicity his solved murders received(which are written about in the author's first 2 books) which just felt dismissive of his job to me. He has seen 2 murders, a witness came to him with a potential third body, and he doesn't take any action because of the frozen lake. His entire attitude is something I would not want a sheriff of a small town to have.

Again, I only made it 18 pages through this book so this review is short and judgmental. But I could not make myself read anymore. I did not like how uncomfortable the characters were, and that was only because of how they were written by the author. That being said, since it is so short, the few pages can definitely be read and other opinions can be formed, this is mine.

[Susan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good little read that I picked up from the Free Little Library on Wilmington Is, GA. The story was tightly compacted and the writing was a bit better than the two previous books from this series that I have read. There was a pit of irony in place and people names to the theme of the story. A quick and interesting mystery read.

I returned this to the same Free Little Library where I got it.

[Denise Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Gosling book and I really enjoy the way she keeps you on your toes till the very end. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

[Frances Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this author for quite some time. Her books have been a little hard to find but Amazon has changed all that. Interesting mysteries and lots of backlog so I am set for quite a while.

[Padgett Ratings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadn't read anything by Gosling, but will now read everything. What a gift!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, fun mystery set in the UP of Michigan. Interesting setting and characters with the plot based around ice fishing which is not often written about in mysteries!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little town of Blackwater Bay is trying to get ready for the annual ice carnival, but the discovery of a body locked underneath the ice interrupts the preparations. Local sheriff Matt Gabriel soon learns that the body was that of a New York gangster and possible hit-man. Was he looking for someone in the witness protection program who testified against a mob boss? Meanwhile, high school teacher Jess Gibbons is worried about her student Chrissie. First Chrissie hosts a party that's raided by the police for drug use; now she's missing without the prescription pills she needs to keep her healthy.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dead of winter is the ordinary crime book that has your interest from start to finish. The average high school student named Jess Gibbons sees someone running across the ice. She goes to beleive that hes drunk no big deal. But, she finds out later that the man had been fishing and saw a dead man float up to the surface. As the book goes on, small town Jess gibbons is one of the leading people in the case on who killed this man. The mafia gets involved withe case and it becomes a huge case for the small town.

[Fran Irwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well written, but slow plot. It seesaws between decaying bodies under the ice, and silly roommates (high school teachers!) squabbling over household chores. Nothing wrong with a bit of comic relief, but there's just too much of it in this book. Is it a cozy? Or a suspenseful police procedural?

[Ellen Thielen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The winter setting of fishouses on the lake and the colorful characters within really made this story.

[Lia Marcoux · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is SO charmingly written but it has some troubling gender stuff so I'm averaging it out to a 3.

[Susan]

A good well written mystery in a layer backed way an interesting story

[Nann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many characters, an intricate plot, some laugh-out-loud scenes -- a great mystery!