Bone Chilling

Alexa Glock Mysteries #6

by Sara E. Johnson

"Some say the world will end in fire.

Some say in ice..." --Robert Frost

Alexa Glock is teetering on a precipice, the ground threatening to open up beneath her--and it's not just the immediate peril of retrieving a long-lost hiker's skull, given up by a melting and dangerous glacier. She's spending a ski weekend with boyfriend DI Bruce Horne and his two daughters, and she couldn't be more terrified. An entire weekend trying to win over a sullen teenager and a preteen with obvious loyalties to Mom? She's more comfortable almost sliding to her death on an unstable glacier. When she indeed finds herself dangling in a crevasse waiting for the experts to rescue her, she discovers a pelvis (wearing a red Speedo!) frozen in the ice, and the heartbreaking task of identifying multiple remains and bringing closure to families begins.

Once safely back on terra firma, awaiting the arrival of Bruce and his dreaded daughters, Alexa follows the smell of smoke to a nearby pizza joint which has been completely destroyed by fire. When a body is discovered in the smoldering ruins, Alexa splits her time between fire and ice, working to identify a family's long-lost loved one and the charred remains of the fire victim. Then an avalanche during a snowboard competition leaves Bruce's oldest daughter missing along with the snowboarder she's been hanging out with. As Bruce and other rescuers race to find the missing teens, evidence begins to suggest that neither the fire nor the avalanche were accidents, and that the daughter's boyfriend might have information about both...

Genres: Mystery

368 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Sara E. Johnson is a mystery writer who spent nine months exploring wondrous New Zealand. Everywhere she snooped, there was a mystery that needed writing.
Molten Mud Murder, Sara's debut novel, will be published September, 2019 by Poisoned Pen Press. It is the first in the Alexa Glock Mystery series set in New Zealand.
Sara lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband Forrest and golden doodle Beaufort. She is a part-time educator and full time snooper. She is the current president of Triangle Sisters-in-Crime and a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network.

Reviews

[Alysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Alexa Glock mystery! I enjoyed learning about a different side of New Zealand. The forensics were fun and the investigation was full of twists and turns! I can’t wait for more!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

From remains that were given to the wrong family to extracting remains from a glacier to a fire and avalanche, Alexa is kept busy with all investigations! What will Alexa discover this time? What prediction will she face? Will her relationship with Bruce last?

If you love a good forensic mystery/crime book, then you will fall in love with Alexa Glock! I loved the balance of forensic facts with the plot! Sara Johnson does a great job of immersing the reader into her stories, so it feels like you are right there along with Alexa. This makes for a great page-turning forensic mystery. Even though it’s a series, every book can be read individually! Add this to your TBR list!

[Roberts Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bone Chilling by Sara E. Johnson is a taut, atmospheric mystery that fuses elemental danger with emotional depth, proving once again that few authors write suspense with such heart and precision. Set against the stark, icy beauty of New Zealand, this latest Alexa Glock mystery explores what happens when love, loyalty, and nature itself collide.

When a glacier yields a long-lost hiker’s skull and a nearby fire reveals another burned body, forensic specialist Alexa Glock finds herself navigating two extremes fire and ice that mirror the turmoil in her personal life. Trapped between natural peril and emotional uncertainty, Alexa’s journey becomes as much about survival of the heart as it is about uncovering the truth.

Johnson writes with cinematic clarity and forensic accuracy, yet her true power lies in emotional texture. The shifting terrain literal and relational gives Bone Chilling its pulse. This is a story where every discovery cuts deep, every landscape mirrors an inner fracture, and every act of courage feels hard-won and human.

Perfect for readers of Nevada Barr, Tana French, and Ann Cleeves, Bone Chilling captures both the thrill of the investigation and the fragile beauty of connection. It’s a mystery as sharp as ice and as haunting as the human truths it reveals beneath the surface.

[Robyn Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from Sara E. Johnson. Alexa Glock would rather spent quality time with old skulls and their teeth than her lover, Bruce Horne's, two resentful teenage daughters, but on this bonding ski trip to the mountains of New Zealand, she gets to do both. Couldn't put it down, looking forward to more of Alexa's adventures in New Zealand.

[Debbie Schiedel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bone Chilling thriller that will keep you guessing up until the end. This is the perfect mystery to curl up with on a cold snowy night as it takes place on a ski resort. Characters are interesting and relatable.

[Marg Corjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this in a Goodreads Giveaway. This is an excellent mystery thriller. Fast-paced, relatable characters, interesting setting, and a strong dose of suspense. I will definitely be reading the author's earlier books.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Alexa Glock books and this edition certainly had the hallmark forensic & suspense elements that have made them great. Johnson also included great info on glaciers. However, there were just too many life and death incidents and not enough forensics for me. It ended up feeling forced.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent…..