Somewhere in the vast Alaskan wilderness hides a psychotic monster. His methods are unlike any other serial killer to date. He likes his women cold, frozen to be exact. Once finished with a victim, he displays her like a twisted piece of art.
YOU CAN’T RUN
FBI Agent Annie Thomas is on leave after the loss of her fiancé, Matt Locklear. She has spent the better part of a year in his one-bedroom cabin in the wilds of Alaska. Lately she’s had the feeling of being watched. Is her self-imposed exile getting the better of her?
YOU CAN’T HIDE
Homicide Detective Stone Wooshkeetaan has become a driven man. He would work 24/7 if he could, anything to prevent him from sleeping. He’s the one who found the mutilated body of his friend, Matt, an image that has haunted his dreams ever since.
YOU CAN’T MOVE
It’s the day after Christmas and Draper’s Pond is filled with the sound of laughing children as they race around on the ice trying out their new skates. Little do they know a dark cloud looms ahead. Two little girls are holding hands and spinning as fast as they can until they break apart. One goes sliding into a snow bank. Once she rises, a blood curdling scream rips from her tiny throat, silencing the crowd. Directly below her is the body of a woman trapped under the ice; her hands up as if warding off an attack, her mouth frozen in a silent scream.
HE WINS
The woman’s death was not an accident and Stone is certain this isn’t the killer’s first victim. He asks Annie to help him prove it, but before long the investigation takes a sinister turn. The bodies of women start showing up all over the Mat-Su Valley looking like horrific ice sculptures. Now Annie and Stone are on the hunt for a sadistic killer hiding in a state over twice the size of Texas and largely comprised of uninhabited wilderness. They must capture this beast before he finishes his perverse agenda and disappears… AGAIN
Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers that are NOT for the Faint of Heart. A two-time semi-finalist in the 2016 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS. She's held many positions including a teller where her hands and feet were bound while armed robbers took over the bank. Years later she discovered she'd dated a serial killer. That's when she knew her destiny was in writing, because sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She resides in San Diego, California, where she’s busy working on her next novel. She loves to hear from readers. Write to her at morganwrites@yahoo.com To ensure you don’t miss a single book You can sign up for newsletter alerts on her website & Facebook page. Website:http://www.morganhannahmacdonald.com For her twisted weird humor LIKE her on Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/#!/MorganHann.... Twitter: morganhannah2u See what she likes on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/morganhanna...
One of the things I look forward to in suspense novels is seeing the creative things authors come up with on how to kill a person and how sick they can make their killers. This author never disappoints in those areas..
As this series is about the Thomas siblings this time we get Annie's story. Each of the siblings is in law enforcement in some capacity. Annie is a FBI agent who has been in training for the BAU. She is currently on sabbatical after the death of her fiance Matt Locklear. She's been staying in his cabin in Alaska away from her family and the world to try and heal. When women start showing up frozen either above or below the lakes she ends up helping Homicide Detective Stone Wooshkeetaan to try and find the unusual killer. Stone was Matt's best friend and he is the one that found him murdered in his cabin. Its been a year and he still cant get over the image. He also finds himself attracted to Annie while they are working the case and struggles with the right and wrong of that.
Along with that case we also get a secondary story with JJ (Jesse) Thomas (from the first book) and his partner Shadowhawk Quinn. They are investigating the gruesome murder of an elderly couple along with trying to find out who is stalking and vandalizing Shadowhawks home.
Once I started this I didnt want to put it down. This authors gift of entertaining you with a great story mixed with humor always keeps me turning the pages.
I was given an ARC of Ice Scream for an honest review and this is my review. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of having two mysteries going on at once by two teams that are not related in any way. The first mystery was who was after Shadowhawk who we have met in previous books by MacDonald. In this part of the story her and her partner J.J. Thomas are try to solve a homicide while also trying to figure out who is stalking and messing with Shadowhawk. This part of the book was intriguing because the readers got to reconnect with Thomas and Shadowhawk, two characters who they grew to love in MacDonald's Sandman book. This mystery kept the reader guessing who the perpetrator was until the end. The second mystery which was taking part at the same time but in a different state focused around Annie, Thomas' sister who is an FBI agent who was in Alaska grieving the death of her fiance and Stone the local sheriff who are in search of a serial a killer who leaves women frozen in and on lakes after doing unspeakable acts with the bodies. This is the part were the romance comes in as well between Annie and Stone who suit each other very well. Even though this mystery is solved quicker then the other owner there are a few twist in Alaska as well. This was a very well written book and an excellent addition to to series. I loved seeing the old characters have a big role in another book. This definitely gets five out of five stars.
This series of books are very good and interesting. This book has a little bit of something for everyone. Mystery, romance, crime fiction. The back story is interesting but I do have to say that I noticed, in this particular book, as well as one or two of the others, that there could have been more of the main story instead of focusing on characters from the other books. It just seems that there should be less of the other characters from previous books than there is in this particular book.
Ice Scream has two parallel stories throughout. The main one follows Annie, on sabbatical from the FBI in Alaska after the death of her fiance Matt. While there, she gets involved in the case of a killer who poses his victims in terrifying ways and then drops them in freezing bodies of water to be discovered. Annie teams up with Stone, a detective and Matt's best friend, but before long, they are spending time together in ways that have nothing to do with the case (wiggles eyebrows).
The secondary story follows one of the Thomas siblings from a previous book, JJ, and his partner Shadowhawk down in southern California. They get called in to investigate the murder of an older couple, but in the course of the investigation, it becomes more apparent that the case centers around Shadowhawk herself.
I thought both stories were intriguing and suspenseful, and had no trouble keeping my attention. BUT, that being said, I didn't really get the whole two stories happening at the same time thing, especially since I spent the entire book waiting for them to connect, and they never did. Funnily enough, the secondary story with Shadowhawk and JJ ended on a much more satisfying note. The suspense was built up very well and went out with flair. The Alaska/Annie story line...meh, not so much. Very anti-climactic. I enjoyed the book, but with the two story lines never syncing up and one being so much stronger than the others, it was a little bit messy.
I enjoy discovering new authors and my enjoyment is magnified when the stories in question are wonderful. Well, ICE SCREAM by Morgan Hannah MacDonald falls into that category.
It has been awhile since I have read a suspense novel that grabbed my attention from the first line. To say it had me on the edge of my seat is an understatement. This was a spine-tingling read. I literally had difficulty putting it down. I was eager to see how the events would unfold. I simply could not get enough.
ICE SCREAM is the 4th book in the Thomas Family series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone. There are two stories taking place in this novel. The focus of the primary story is on special agent Annie Thomas and homicide detective Stone Wooshkeetaan. This story is set in Alaska where a serial killer is on the loose. The secondary story, which is set in California, is based on characters that were introduced in the first book in the series. Initially, I thought that there would be a connection between the two stories, however, as the story progressed I realised they were unrelated.
Both stories were intriguing and suspenseful. They were filled with unexpected twists and turns and were well paced. As a result, there was never a dull moment. They kept me guessing at every page turn. It was obvious that the villains in both stories were nut jobs, but one cannot help but admire them. Although their actions were gruesome, the manner in which they carried out their acts demonstrated their ingenuity.
I thought that the characters of Stone and Annie were well developed. I could not help but to be caught up in every aspect of their lives. After reading this installment I am inclined to go back and read the other books in the series. This inclination was further fueled after reading about JJ Thomas and Shadowhawk Quinn, who were the focus of the secondary story.
Although I enjoyed this installment, I was disappointed by the lack of romance. The novel was classified as a romantic suspense, but the romance was underdeveloped. The chemistry between Annie and Stone was undeniable and there were moments of intimacy. However, I do believe that more time should have been spent exploring this attraction before we see them hopping into bed. I had a hard time accepting that they had fallen in love in such a short time. Especially knowing that Annie had been recently mourning the loss of her fiance.
Bottom Line: I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy suspenseful stories. The story is solid, the plot exciting and the characters captivating. If you are curious to find out more, then get a copy of ICE SCREAM.
This review is from: ICE SCREAM: The Thomas Family (Kindle Edition)
Morgan Hannah MacDonald certainly has the gift! Ice Scream, another amazing story in the Thomas Family series. This murder mystery features sister Annie Thomas who is an agent on hiatus from the FBI. Annie is staying in her deceased fiancée Matt Locklear's Alaskan cabin, mourning the loss of her love when murder strikes close to "home". Bring in Detective Stone Wooshkeetaan, Matt's best friend, lead investigator in the horrific death of a young woman. Through Matt's family, Stone meets Annie and requests her assistance on the case...one thing leads to another...and if you really want to know what happens you will have to read the book! To add to what is already a great story, in a second story line you are re-introduced to Annie's brother JJ (Jesse) Thomas and his partner Shadowhawk Quinn and their own murder mystery in California. You can always rely on this writer to have more twists and turns than a Missouri country road (and I live in Missouri, let me tell you there are nothing but twists and turns). Ms. MacDonald writes a page turning, can't go to sleep till I get to the end, with just the right amount of humor and romance to keep you from being afraid to shut the light off murder mystery. I'm not sure which parts I like best, the "love" interests, or the inventive murders she's come up with. What I know for sure is, once you pick this book up, you aren't going to want to stop reading it until you get to the end. Buyer beware, if you haven't previously read any of this author's books, once you read this one, you are going to want to read her other books! Thanks Morgan, for another great story!
Copy gifted for an honest review. Morgan has done it again with a fantastic mystery/romance novel. This is book 4 of The Thomas Family Series that she has written. Ice Scream can be read without reading the prior three in this series. I have read all of them and although these are serial killer stories it is the emotions of MacDonald’s love interests that draw me in. Although some reviews seem to cut a book down because of editing errors and perhaps not all the most technical terms are used to their liking, I just love the story and its characters. That is what I am in it for. The Thomas Series circles around the Thomas Family siblings, Ice Scream zeros in on Annie Oakley Thomas. Yes the Thomas Family Parents named all the children after the Old West Legions. Annie, a FBI agent, is on leave staying in a remote Alaskan cabin. Her solitude is due to the death of her fiance Matt. Matt’s friend Police Detective Stone Wooshkeetaan is faced with piecing together Ice Art Murder Victims happening in and around his small Alaskan town. Stone and Annie team up to race to stop more deaths. Inter-twined in the chapters is a revisiting of Annie’s brother Jesse James Thomas and some crime drama in California. If only MacDonald could write as fast as I read.
The tale of two siblings is still here. With the main story following Annie and Stone the secondary is from Jesse and his partner Shadowhawk who is the main focus. I would have liked more closure from the point of the original case in Minnesota and to know what happened with the Lockhart family and if Shadowhawk saw Maria and the kids but all of this was left in an unanswered end. The serial kill was very different from those of the last 3 books. Again I will have to complain that the end with him seemed cliffhanger bc the absence of questioning with the police department in Minn. And the military base. The psycho at the end of Shadowhawks story did get a true end. Over all this story is only a four bc of what I listed the story telling is amazing the characters have their own personality and back story. Annie is a trainee in the BAU and brings in a lot of little strengths in her small package.
I read Sandman by this author in 2012 (and liked it), and I didn't know there were more books in the series. They're loosely related, but one of the main characters from Sandman is also in this book.
It's a little confusing after reading the blurb, because it only mentions the Alaska serial killer. A few chapters in, the books moves to California and a whole different storyline starts. Then it goes back and forth until the end. I kept waiting to see how the two cases were related, but it turns out they weren't related at all. The Alaska storyline was much stronger and I liked the book better when it was focused on it. Stone and Annie were both interesting characters, and their case was so much creepier.
The ending totally threw me, I didn't see that coming, but I think Annie made the correct decision in relation to that.
This series is one of my favorites when it comes to murder, mystery and romance. Morgan has a great way of pulling you into the story and making you feel like you know the individuals. What I really like about this series is the detail given to the crime scenes. In this book however, I felt the author could have had even more details in the end. I wanted to know more about the killer, how he was living and have more time to absorb the conclusion. Seemed a bit rushed but still feel it was a 3.5-4 star book.
I just love this author. This is another winner following the Thomas family. Annie is the sister who gets Involved with a serial killer case in Alaska and with the detective on the case. The characters are well developed and very likeable. We also get to visit past characters with their own investigation going on at the same time. The first two books I read within a day and I can't wait to read the next book. I would recommend reading both Sandman and Last Scream although its not necessary to enjoy this book.
Really looked forward to this next installment of the Thomas family saga, and boy it did not disappoint,it is one of those books I just could not put down. The story centers around posed frozen bodies being left for people to find, and the police having to solve the case with the help of an FBI agent who is coming to term with the loss of a loved one. I do think these stories should be made in to a mini TV series or movies at the cinema. Fantastic 20 out of 10. Will there be an other?
Unlike most other mystery and suspense novels, this book had two different mysteries going on at one time. Two different crime sprees with two different groups of people. That made the story much more interesting. Just when I think Morgan Hannah MacDonald has to have run out of ideas for serial killers, she comes up with another scenario that surprises me. Shadowhawk is one amazing heroine, and I couldn't get enough of Stone and Annie!
Loved this new Thomas family mystery! Annie Thomas’s story was set in Alaska at the holidays and was such a delight. Very well written plot and the romance was perfect. Also in this book we get to touch base with Thomas and Shadowhawk. Loved catching up with them and being a part of their case and mystery. All in all this was a superb book! Can’t wait for the next one!
I chose 4 stars instead of 5 only because I enjoyed book # 3 in this series a little better. But again like the other books in the thomas family series it was an excellent read and flowed through very well and the characters were well developed and easy vocabulary but still well developed and exiting.
This is another excellent book by Ms. MacDonald. I had no idea how anything was going to turn out. I also enjoyed catching up with other characters from this series. Hot love scenes, great suspense, and great characters, what more can you ask for?
2 very different stories in one book one happens in warm southern California, the other in the frozen countryside of Alaska. the twist to the serial killer story was a shocker. the hea was nice. intense plots and characters.
This author is amazing loved Ice Scream as much as the other books in the Thomas series. Can't wait to see if there is another series to be wrote. This is one author who knows how to keep a reader gripped from start to finish xxx
I love meeting each member of the Thomas Family, and how different each member is! The last chapters of this book were a HUGE surprise, and I love, love Annie's resolution of a tough situation. Great read!
This book is ok, but I would like to know the books done in succession to this one so I can get closure on what happened with the characters. I should mention that when I received my copy of this book, it was only 39 pages. I'm looking to get my hands on the full version
I really enjoyed this book. Engaging characters and great plotting. It moved right along and I couldn't put it down. Now I'm going to read all the rest of her books!