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The Stranger on the Ice
How deep is she willing to go to find the secrets of her past?
Tour guide Valerie Blaine has always been haunted by the tragic death of her mother during an Arctic expedition thirty years before—unsolved, hushed up, and for Valerie, an unsettled part of a past she’s never been able to escape. Its grip on Valerie is tighter than ever, now that she’s been hired to lead a tourist group across the same desolate terrain where her mother died.
But when a woman’s frozen corpse is found outside a quiet Inuit village just as they’re about to depart, and a friend of Valerie’s mysteriously disappears, Valerie’s suspicions grow; her disquiet is only eased by Clem Hardeven. A man of adventure and roughneck charisma, he’s drawn to Valerie—but he knows nothing of the mysteries that consume her.
As their search takes them into the icy reaches of the Arctic north, Valerie starts to fear that it’s all tied to the darkness that befell her own family long ago—a dangerous puzzle whose pieces have remained elusive to her. Until now.
Tour guide Valerie Blaine has always been haunted by the tragic death of her mother during an Arctic expedition thirty years before—unsolved, hushed up, and for Valerie, an unsettled part of a past she’s never been able to escape. Its grip on Valerie is tighter than ever, now that she’s been hired to lead a tourist group across the same desolate terrain where her mother died.
But when a woman’s frozen corpse is found outside a quiet Inuit village just as they’re about to depart, and a friend of Valerie’s mysteriously disappears, Valerie’s suspicions grow; her disquiet is only eased by Clem Hardeven. A man of adventure and roughneck charisma, he’s drawn to Valerie—but he knows nothing of the mysteries that consume her.
As their search takes them into the icy reaches of the Arctic north, Valerie starts to fear that it’s all tied to the darkness that befell her own family long ago—a dangerous puzzle whose pieces have remained elusive to her. Until now.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2016
321 people are currently reading
1224 people want to read
About the author
Bernadette Calonego
21 books96 followersI was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, on Lake Lucerne, a very picturesque area with mountains and lakes. I grew up in a house full of book lovers. As a child, I sneaked in my brothers' rooms to read their adventure books like "Ivanhoe", "The Leatherstocking Tales", "Treasure Island", "Robinson Crusoe", "Huckleberry Finn". Or I persuaded my mother that I was old enough to read romances (they were really harmless!). To make me happy, I wanted nothing more than read a good book while eating an apple, and to be left alone!
My mother, a poet, encouraged me to try my hand at writing at an early age. My first publication was a fairytale, which appeared in a Swiss newspaper when I was eleven years old.
But I did not turn into a writer right away. I became a teacher, then a reporter and a foreign correspondent.
My career has included working as a reporter/editor for Reuters newsagency in Zurich. My time covering financial news for Reuters inspired my book "The Zurich Conspiracy".
From 1990 to 2000, I was the foreign correspondent for “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the largest circulation daily newspaper in Germany, reporting from Switzerland. After I had emigrated to Canada, I wrote regularly for newspapers and magazines in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
I now reside and work as a crime novelist near Vancouver, Canada, on the beautiful Sunshine Coast (okay, in winter, it is raining a lot). Visitors in my backyard include black bears, racoons, coyotes and bold eagles. You can also find me often in northern Newfoundland on Canada's east coast which is moose, polar bear and humpback whale territory.
My popular mystery thriller series with intrepid RCMP detective sergeant Calista Gates is set in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Come and read my English blog on my website www.bernadettecalonego.com
You can also contact me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernadetteCa...
Or Instagram @bernadettecalonegoauthor
Or Tiktok @bernadettecalonego.author
I would love to hear from you!
My mother, a poet, encouraged me to try my hand at writing at an early age. My first publication was a fairytale, which appeared in a Swiss newspaper when I was eleven years old.
But I did not turn into a writer right away. I became a teacher, then a reporter and a foreign correspondent.
My career has included working as a reporter/editor for Reuters newsagency in Zurich. My time covering financial news for Reuters inspired my book "The Zurich Conspiracy".
From 1990 to 2000, I was the foreign correspondent for “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the largest circulation daily newspaper in Germany, reporting from Switzerland. After I had emigrated to Canada, I wrote regularly for newspapers and magazines in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
I now reside and work as a crime novelist near Vancouver, Canada, on the beautiful Sunshine Coast (okay, in winter, it is raining a lot). Visitors in my backyard include black bears, racoons, coyotes and bold eagles. You can also find me often in northern Newfoundland on Canada's east coast which is moose, polar bear and humpback whale territory.
My popular mystery thriller series with intrepid RCMP detective sergeant Calista Gates is set in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Come and read my English blog on my website www.bernadettecalonego.com
You can also contact me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernadetteCa...
Or Instagram @bernadettecalonegoauthor
Or Tiktok @bernadettecalonego.author
I would love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 26, 2021
I picked up The Stranger on the Ice as I needed a book originally published in another language for a challenge. I must admit, in recent years I’ve only tried a couple of other translated titles. This book didn’t make me want to rush and try some others.
Although Calonego wrote the book originally in German, the setting is the Canadian Arctic Circle. I really wanted to like this book for this reason alone. I love the complete foreignness of snow and ice and am always eager to read something set in such a cold climate.
Calonego takes full advantage of the setting early on when a young woman’s body is found on the side of the road. Not any old road but the ice road made famous from the reality show Ice Road Truckers. This first chapter was actually okay and I thought from it that I might enjoy the rest but…
The plot and characters made it a bit impossible for me to connect with the book. For example, also near the beginning, Valerie, our heroine, takes a phone call from a friend, Sedna, pleading for help before the call breaks up and they get cut off. Valerie doesn’t fret too much about Sedna’s predicament nor rush to call the authorities because, well, Valerie is in bed with a cold. Okay then…
Valerie does go on to think about all of Sedna’s annoying and suspicious behaviours, thus attempting to justify why one wouldn’t get too anxious with the late night call. This sort of sums up how each scenes goes. Valerie and Clem, our hero, are constantly doing something odd and then just thinking about things, usually things that happened in the past. Their pasts aren’t shown in flashbacks nor is there much actual action of things happening in the moment. Just lots of thinking.
Then there was the poor grammar. I’m afraid it just drove me to distraction. One day either Calonego or her translator, Chapple, read about short sharp sentences. And they decided they were a good idea. So they used them. All the time. Often in conjunction with exclamation marks. But why! I don’t know. It was annoying. I needed something longer. Maybe with description. And then there were Yoda moments. Backwards were things. Patience is a virtue. But not one of my traits. I got very bored!
And don’t even get me started on the stilted and clunky dialogue.
I was going to stress that the book may be better read in its original language and things might have been literally lost in translation. However, I did glance at some reviews written in German and, although my memory of grade 8 German lessons are not good enough for me to read what they’ve said, none of them have particularly high ratings. So…
I really couldn’t recommend this to anyone. 1 out of 5 with the 1 being awarded for the ice road really.
Although Calonego wrote the book originally in German, the setting is the Canadian Arctic Circle. I really wanted to like this book for this reason alone. I love the complete foreignness of snow and ice and am always eager to read something set in such a cold climate.
Calonego takes full advantage of the setting early on when a young woman’s body is found on the side of the road. Not any old road but the ice road made famous from the reality show Ice Road Truckers. This first chapter was actually okay and I thought from it that I might enjoy the rest but…
The plot and characters made it a bit impossible for me to connect with the book. For example, also near the beginning, Valerie, our heroine, takes a phone call from a friend, Sedna, pleading for help before the call breaks up and they get cut off. Valerie doesn’t fret too much about Sedna’s predicament nor rush to call the authorities because, well, Valerie is in bed with a cold. Okay then…
Valerie does go on to think about all of Sedna’s annoying and suspicious behaviours, thus attempting to justify why one wouldn’t get too anxious with the late night call. This sort of sums up how each scenes goes. Valerie and Clem, our hero, are constantly doing something odd and then just thinking about things, usually things that happened in the past. Their pasts aren’t shown in flashbacks nor is there much actual action of things happening in the moment. Just lots of thinking.
Then there was the poor grammar. I’m afraid it just drove me to distraction. One day either Calonego or her translator, Chapple, read about short sharp sentences. And they decided they were a good idea. So they used them. All the time. Often in conjunction with exclamation marks. But why! I don’t know. It was annoying. I needed something longer. Maybe with description. And then there were Yoda moments. Backwards were things. Patience is a virtue. But not one of my traits. I got very bored!
And don’t even get me started on the stilted and clunky dialogue.
I was going to stress that the book may be better read in its original language and things might have been literally lost in translation. However, I did glance at some reviews written in German and, although my memory of grade 8 German lessons are not good enough for me to read what they’ve said, none of them have particularly high ratings. So…
I really couldn’t recommend this to anyone. 1 out of 5 with the 1 being awarded for the ice road really.
September 2, 2018
Visit the locations in the novel
What a great book! The setting, mystery based on true facts and the brilliantly nuanced plot with overriding sense of foreboding throughout.
There’s a lot to like about this story and the fact the author has done the exact same trail as the main character really fascinated me from the off. It’s a mega trail too so very impressive. I found that as well as the mystery I learned so much about the Inunit communities and way of life at the same time. Boy, it was a remote and chilling experience reading it and being there but what an experience it was. the book is evocative and the words cut like blades of ice.
The fact that a frozen body is found really sends the chills up the back of your neck. When ice and the icy north completely controls where you go, how you live and sometimes how you die, to spend time there, even fictionally can really cause serious burns it would seem! I did like this one. It had everything a good thriller should have and more. More please and how I would love to meet the author! Get us a cup of hot coffee each and pick her brains further on the setting and her inspiration,. The story behind the story is almost as interesting as the book itself. More please!
September 22, 2018
Interesting thriller with a fascinating setting in the Canadian Arctic.
At the beginning of the book a body of a young woman is found on the Ice Road. The Ice Road runs from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk and it is the longest non-privatized ice road in the world (as we learn from the book). The discovery of a young woman’s corpse causes an uproar in a small community. No one seems to know how she happened to be there and who she was.
The main character Clem Hardeven is very troubled by the whole affair. He wants answers and he wants them asap. He feels responsible for everything that happens on the Ice Road, because he is one of the people supervising it. He won’t stop at nothing to learn the truth.
MacKenzie River ice road - via Wikimedia Commons
Another character Valerie also wants to know what happened and she has some suspicions that the dead woman is somehow connected with her friend Sedna, who mysteriously disappeared. Valerie regularly takes tourists on the Arctic tour to Whitehorse in the Yukon. On the tour they travel by dogsled along the Takhini River and visit the gold-miner town of Dawson City. While reading this novel I also felt like a tourist. There was a lot of information about the climate, tourist destinations and the history of the place. By reading this book it was also possible to learn a little about the Inuvialuit community, its traditions and believes, which are fascinating. The characters participated in the Muskrat Jamboree, the Inuvialuit spring festival.
There are many secrets in this novel and it was interesting to learn about them. Valerie and Clem are nice characters and it was a pleasure to read about their adventures. But the best part without a doubt was the setting in the Canadian Arctic. After finishing this book, I think that the real “killer” was the Arctic itself. It is a frozen place, the climate is brutal and if you are not cautious enough it will kill you. Just imagine: you go outside in the spring time and it is twenty-five degrees below zero. What a torture! When it is sunny and “only” thirteen degrees below, people rejoice and call it a good weather. In this climate you can’t leave anyone alone outside, because it could mean a death sentence if a person got lost. The author Bernadette Calonego did a great job describing the realities of life in the Arctic and giving her readers the feel of the place. I very much recommend this book for everyone who wants to read a good thriller and is interested in the Arctic.
I received "The Stranger on the Ice" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
At the beginning of the book a body of a young woman is found on the Ice Road. The Ice Road runs from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk and it is the longest non-privatized ice road in the world (as we learn from the book). The discovery of a young woman’s corpse causes an uproar in a small community. No one seems to know how she happened to be there and who she was.
The main character Clem Hardeven is very troubled by the whole affair. He wants answers and he wants them asap. He feels responsible for everything that happens on the Ice Road, because he is one of the people supervising it. He won’t stop at nothing to learn the truth.
MacKenzie River ice road - via Wikimedia Commons
Another character Valerie also wants to know what happened and she has some suspicions that the dead woman is somehow connected with her friend Sedna, who mysteriously disappeared. Valerie regularly takes tourists on the Arctic tour to Whitehorse in the Yukon. On the tour they travel by dogsled along the Takhini River and visit the gold-miner town of Dawson City. While reading this novel I also felt like a tourist. There was a lot of information about the climate, tourist destinations and the history of the place. By reading this book it was also possible to learn a little about the Inuvialuit community, its traditions and believes, which are fascinating. The characters participated in the Muskrat Jamboree, the Inuvialuit spring festival.
There are many secrets in this novel and it was interesting to learn about them. Valerie and Clem are nice characters and it was a pleasure to read about their adventures. But the best part without a doubt was the setting in the Canadian Arctic. After finishing this book, I think that the real “killer” was the Arctic itself. It is a frozen place, the climate is brutal and if you are not cautious enough it will kill you. Just imagine: you go outside in the spring time and it is twenty-five degrees below zero. What a torture! When it is sunny and “only” thirteen degrees below, people rejoice and call it a good weather. In this climate you can’t leave anyone alone outside, because it could mean a death sentence if a person got lost. The author Bernadette Calonego did a great job describing the realities of life in the Arctic and giving her readers the feel of the place. I very much recommend this book for everyone who wants to read a good thriller and is interested in the Arctic.
I received "The Stranger on the Ice" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
March 25, 2019
Winter, Schnee und Kälte. Bald kommen sie wieder in unsere Lande und treibt uns dazu die warmen Sachen heraus zu holen.
Die Temperaturen, die wir allerdings als kalt bis eisig empfinden, herrschen in anderen Ländern unserer Welt im Sommer. Dazu gehört auch das antarktische Kanada, über welches im Buch berichtet wird.
Ich hatte das Buch letztes Jahr gewonnen und musste nun entsetzt feststellen, das ich es noch nicht gelesen hatte.
Dies wollte ich natürlich schnell nachholen und begann damit. 10 Seiten weiter war ich dann bereits in eine Welt eingetaucht, die mich einfach nur verblüffte.
Warum? Lest selbst.
Wenn es etwas neben dem ganzen Schnee gab, dann waren es Charaktere. Im Laufe der Geschichte lernten wir immer mehr Personen kennen, die teils zur Geschichte beitrugen, sie aber auch teils verwirrter machten.
Valerie ist eine der Hauptpersonen des Buches, der mir leider nicht so ganz gefiel. Wir erfuhren sehr viel über ihre Vergangenheit,welche nicht immer leicht zu verstehen war, da man Handlungen nicht nachvollziehen konnte. Die Trennung von ihrem Mann, verstand ich zum Beispiel keineswegs. Zur Geschichte ihrer Eltern möchte ich hier nicht all zu viel sagen, da sich diese im Laufe des Buches immer mehr aufbaute und schließlich auch gelöst wurde.
Was sie allerdings wieder sympathisch machte, war ihre Art, Touristen das Land, welches nur aus Eis und Schnee zu bestehen schien, schmackhaft zu machen. Sie führte ihre Gruppe vorbildlich an und gab spannende Informationen, die man als Leser förmlich aufsog.
Clem Hardeven, dagegen konnte durchweg überzeugen. Der Behüter der Eisstrasse legte eine große Portion Neugier an den Tag, die hin und wieder störte. Allerdings merkte man einfach, das sich dieser Mann um seine Umgebung sorgte. Er wollte Sicherheit sowohl für die vielen Völker als auch für Arbeiter oder Touristen.
Natürlich gab es noch viele weitere Charaktere im Buch. Da aber die Fülle an Personen dafür sorgte , das man stellenweise nicht mehr wusste, wer, wer war und welches Amt er trug, wäre es für mich unmöglich gewesen sie alle zu benennen.
Gerade da die Geschichte in einem Land spielte, das viele noch nie besucht hatten, hätte ich mir gewünscht, das man sich mehr auf die Völker bezogen hätte und ihren Kampf gegen die Außenwelt.
Ich kam sehr gut in das Buch und fühlte mich bereits nach einigen Seiten mehr als wohl. Die Geschichte versprach viel und lieferte auch viel, was ihr am Ende zum Verhängnis wurde.
Tatsächlich ist man im Buch sehr schnell mit den Charakteren und den vielen Handlungssträngen überfordert.
Ein Mord, Überfälle, Explosionen, Vergiftungen, falsche Freunde, die Liste der Dinge die im Buch geschahen war lang und verzweigte sich hin und wieder, was nur noch mehr verwirrte. Hier hätte ich mich gefreut, wenn man die Reise auf mehrere Bücher verteilt oder Valerie, mehr als einmal, eine Gruppe Touristen durch das Land geführt hätte. Für ein Buch war dies alles einfach zuviel.
Wenn nicht gerade etwas geschah, erlaubte es die Autorin in die wundervolle Welt der Arktis einzutauchen. Teils wurde diese so realistisch erläutert, das es mir trotz Decke und Tee gehörig fröstelte. Man hatte einfach das Gefühl mitten im Schnee zu stehen und zu spüren wie die eisige Kälte, den letzten Rest Wärme aus dem Körper zerrte.
Besonders spannend erlas sich, das die Autorin die Strecke tatsächlich schon selbst einmal hinter sich gelegt hatte und daher, dieses Buch mit ihren Erfahrungen schmücken konnte.
Einmal ist für mich ein Versehen, zweimal kann passieren, auch dreimal kann ich noch verschmerzen. Allerdings entdeckte ich mehr als einmal das Leerzeichen fehlten oder Sätze zum Teil doppelt hintereinander standen. Hier würde ich mir eine Bearbeitung wünschen.
Das Cover sprach mich sehr an, da es einfach zu Thematik im Buch passte. Die verschneiten Berge, der vereiste See und die kühlen Farben, einfach wunderschön. Leider aber nicht sehr auffallend.
Hier half es auch nicht, den Titel des Buches in Rot zu gestalten, da diese Farbe sehr deplatziert wirkte.
Ich konnte es gut verstehen warum man die Gestalt mit auf das Cover genommen hatte. Immerhin stellte sie eine Person im Buch dar. Da es im Buch aber nicht nur um sie ging, hätte ich hier ein anderes Motiv gewählt.
Die Idee zum Buch war toll und die Beschreibung der Orte einfach verblüffend. Leider hakte es gewaltig an der Umsetzung der Geschichte und ihren vielen Verläufen, die den Leser schnell verwirrten.
Die Temperaturen, die wir allerdings als kalt bis eisig empfinden, herrschen in anderen Ländern unserer Welt im Sommer. Dazu gehört auch das antarktische Kanada, über welches im Buch berichtet wird.
Ich hatte das Buch letztes Jahr gewonnen und musste nun entsetzt feststellen, das ich es noch nicht gelesen hatte.
Dies wollte ich natürlich schnell nachholen und begann damit. 10 Seiten weiter war ich dann bereits in eine Welt eingetaucht, die mich einfach nur verblüffte.
Warum? Lest selbst.
Wenn es etwas neben dem ganzen Schnee gab, dann waren es Charaktere. Im Laufe der Geschichte lernten wir immer mehr Personen kennen, die teils zur Geschichte beitrugen, sie aber auch teils verwirrter machten.
Valerie ist eine der Hauptpersonen des Buches, der mir leider nicht so ganz gefiel. Wir erfuhren sehr viel über ihre Vergangenheit,welche nicht immer leicht zu verstehen war, da man Handlungen nicht nachvollziehen konnte. Die Trennung von ihrem Mann, verstand ich zum Beispiel keineswegs. Zur Geschichte ihrer Eltern möchte ich hier nicht all zu viel sagen, da sich diese im Laufe des Buches immer mehr aufbaute und schließlich auch gelöst wurde.
Was sie allerdings wieder sympathisch machte, war ihre Art, Touristen das Land, welches nur aus Eis und Schnee zu bestehen schien, schmackhaft zu machen. Sie führte ihre Gruppe vorbildlich an und gab spannende Informationen, die man als Leser förmlich aufsog.
Clem Hardeven, dagegen konnte durchweg überzeugen. Der Behüter der Eisstrasse legte eine große Portion Neugier an den Tag, die hin und wieder störte. Allerdings merkte man einfach, das sich dieser Mann um seine Umgebung sorgte. Er wollte Sicherheit sowohl für die vielen Völker als auch für Arbeiter oder Touristen.
Natürlich gab es noch viele weitere Charaktere im Buch. Da aber die Fülle an Personen dafür sorgte , das man stellenweise nicht mehr wusste, wer, wer war und welches Amt er trug, wäre es für mich unmöglich gewesen sie alle zu benennen.
Gerade da die Geschichte in einem Land spielte, das viele noch nie besucht hatten, hätte ich mir gewünscht, das man sich mehr auf die Völker bezogen hätte und ihren Kampf gegen die Außenwelt.
Ich kam sehr gut in das Buch und fühlte mich bereits nach einigen Seiten mehr als wohl. Die Geschichte versprach viel und lieferte auch viel, was ihr am Ende zum Verhängnis wurde.
Tatsächlich ist man im Buch sehr schnell mit den Charakteren und den vielen Handlungssträngen überfordert.
Ein Mord, Überfälle, Explosionen, Vergiftungen, falsche Freunde, die Liste der Dinge die im Buch geschahen war lang und verzweigte sich hin und wieder, was nur noch mehr verwirrte. Hier hätte ich mich gefreut, wenn man die Reise auf mehrere Bücher verteilt oder Valerie, mehr als einmal, eine Gruppe Touristen durch das Land geführt hätte. Für ein Buch war dies alles einfach zuviel.
Wenn nicht gerade etwas geschah, erlaubte es die Autorin in die wundervolle Welt der Arktis einzutauchen. Teils wurde diese so realistisch erläutert, das es mir trotz Decke und Tee gehörig fröstelte. Man hatte einfach das Gefühl mitten im Schnee zu stehen und zu spüren wie die eisige Kälte, den letzten Rest Wärme aus dem Körper zerrte.
Besonders spannend erlas sich, das die Autorin die Strecke tatsächlich schon selbst einmal hinter sich gelegt hatte und daher, dieses Buch mit ihren Erfahrungen schmücken konnte.
Einmal ist für mich ein Versehen, zweimal kann passieren, auch dreimal kann ich noch verschmerzen. Allerdings entdeckte ich mehr als einmal das Leerzeichen fehlten oder Sätze zum Teil doppelt hintereinander standen. Hier würde ich mir eine Bearbeitung wünschen.
Das Cover sprach mich sehr an, da es einfach zu Thematik im Buch passte. Die verschneiten Berge, der vereiste See und die kühlen Farben, einfach wunderschön. Leider aber nicht sehr auffallend.
Hier half es auch nicht, den Titel des Buches in Rot zu gestalten, da diese Farbe sehr deplatziert wirkte.
Ich konnte es gut verstehen warum man die Gestalt mit auf das Cover genommen hatte. Immerhin stellte sie eine Person im Buch dar. Da es im Buch aber nicht nur um sie ging, hätte ich hier ein anderes Motiv gewählt.
Die Idee zum Buch war toll und die Beschreibung der Orte einfach verblüffend. Leider hakte es gewaltig an der Umsetzung der Geschichte und ihren vielen Verläufen, die den Leser schnell verwirrten.
May 23, 2018
I loved this book!!! I read Stormy Cove a few years ago (also loved it) and couldn't wait to read more books by the author. This book did not disappoint . I loved the characters, story and writing style. I felt like I was there in the Arctic on one of Valerie's tours (minus the freezing cold). I feel like I also get a mini history lesson on the Inuits and expeditions that took place in the Arctic.
Valerie Blaine runs her own tour company and frequently takes tourists into the Arctic north. Her father was a famous hockey player and her mom loved trekking around the Arctic. It was on one of those Arctic expeditions when Valerie's mom mysteriously died. Her death was never talked about and Valerie never knew what happened.
Right before Valerie takes her latest tour group to the Arctic, a woman's body is found frozen on Ice Road outside an Inuit village. Valerie also gets a strange message from Sedna, a woman she once considered a friend. Then Valerie meets one of her mom's childhood friends. Naturally, I disliked Sedna. She seemed crazy, I did feel bad for her at the end, but only slightly.
There were several mysteries revealed throughout the book. Valerie discovers what happens on her parent's fateful trip. The reasons behind Sedna's actions are revealed. I honestly never saw that coming and found that part to be a wonderful twist. It was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed being on the tour with Valerie. The book was beautifully written. It was a bit of a mystery, with a little romance thrown in.
I definitely recommend this book and can't wait to read more by the author.
Thanks to NetGalley, AmazonCrossing and the author, Bernadette Calonego, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.
Valerie Blaine runs her own tour company and frequently takes tourists into the Arctic north. Her father was a famous hockey player and her mom loved trekking around the Arctic. It was on one of those Arctic expeditions when Valerie's mom mysteriously died. Her death was never talked about and Valerie never knew what happened.
Right before Valerie takes her latest tour group to the Arctic, a woman's body is found frozen on Ice Road outside an Inuit village. Valerie also gets a strange message from Sedna, a woman she once considered a friend. Then Valerie meets one of her mom's childhood friends. Naturally, I disliked Sedna. She seemed crazy, I did feel bad for her at the end, but only slightly.
There were several mysteries revealed throughout the book. Valerie discovers what happens on her parent's fateful trip. The reasons behind Sedna's actions are revealed. I honestly never saw that coming and found that part to be a wonderful twist. It was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed being on the tour with Valerie. The book was beautifully written. It was a bit of a mystery, with a little romance thrown in.
I definitely recommend this book and can't wait to read more by the author.
Thanks to NetGalley, AmazonCrossing and the author, Bernadette Calonego, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.
October 1, 2018
3,5 stars.
After reading Stormy Cove from Bernadette Calonego last year I was excited as soon as I saw there was a new book from the author. The setting is similar (cold, cold, cold and a small community) so I was sure I will enjoy it. And I did, my only problem with the novel is probably that my expectations were so high!
"The Stranger on the Ice" is good, with a very strong sense of place and good characters even if the MC Valerie was a bit week in my opinion.
The plot was interesting but too many things had been thrown in and not fully developed. Reading the author's note some things are explained, other (minor) events don't have a proper resolution. Some people like open endings and here we have some resolution and something left to our imagination, so everybody can find something to love about it.
Overall and enjoyable read, I rounded up my rating to 4 stars because the setting is really good, you can feel the cold seeping through the pages. But if you're new to Bernadette Calonego I will start by reading Stormy Cove first.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me ARC of that book in exchange for an honest review.
After reading Stormy Cove from Bernadette Calonego last year I was excited as soon as I saw there was a new book from the author. The setting is similar (cold, cold, cold and a small community) so I was sure I will enjoy it. And I did, my only problem with the novel is probably that my expectations were so high!
"The Stranger on the Ice" is good, with a very strong sense of place and good characters even if the MC Valerie was a bit week in my opinion.
The plot was interesting but too many things had been thrown in and not fully developed. Reading the author's note some things are explained, other (minor) events don't have a proper resolution. Some people like open endings and here we have some resolution and something left to our imagination, so everybody can find something to love about it.
Overall and enjoyable read, I rounded up my rating to 4 stars because the setting is really good, you can feel the cold seeping through the pages. But if you're new to Bernadette Calonego I will start by reading Stormy Cove first.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me ARC of that book in exchange for an honest review.
August 27, 2018
Not only the cover drew my attention to this book, but also the title. Anyway, this was an enjoyable book, but wouldn't say that it gripped me as much as i would have thought. There were parts that i seem to fly through and parts where i found it hard going. This book wouldn't stop me from reading more by this author in the near future.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.
June 6, 2018
Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the eARC.
Not knowing what to expect from this book, I ended up absolutely loving it. What a fabulous mental vacation, visiting the freezing Arctic from my warm home!
We meet the 2 main characters, Valerie Blaine and Clem Hardeven. Valerie is an independent tour guide, who takes tourists on trips through the Arctic North. Clem is the manager of the Ice Road, the 15-foot thick road of ice that truckers, locals and tourists use in winter.
The frozen body of a young girl is found not far from an Inuit village just before Valerie takes a group of tourists out. That and the mysterious disappearance of her friend Sedna upset her quite a bit and she can't wait to get to Tuktoyaktuk to share her concerns with Clem.
Valerie, a former journalist, has a secret past. Her father was Canada's most famous hockey player and on a trip he took with Valerie's mother to the Arctic, she was mysteriously killed. Her father never discussed it with either her or her twin brothers and she grew up not really knowing her birth mother, but with a loving stepmother. Her love of the Arctic may have something to do with wanting to find out what really happened to her mother.
The tour, as lovingly described by the author, is so vivid you almost automatically screw up your eyes when traversing the blinding snow and ice; as for the cold...unbelievable! Somehow I don't think I would travel further than Canada's Sunshine Coast and Vancouver...but reading about the Inuit communities, the animals, the permafrost and the stunning sights was fascinating. Of course I Googled the area; the history of it alone is so interesting. The only thing I wouldn't do, as a fervent dog lover, is visit the Arctic - I would be like Clem's ex-girlfriend: so upset the dogs are kept on a short chain, outside 24/7 unless they're pulling sleds, I'd have to high tail it out of there.
But that's just a personal observation; the book is terrific, I highly recommend it. A good mystery with a surprise ending and a bit of romance in an exotic locale...what's not to love!?
Not knowing what to expect from this book, I ended up absolutely loving it. What a fabulous mental vacation, visiting the freezing Arctic from my warm home!
We meet the 2 main characters, Valerie Blaine and Clem Hardeven. Valerie is an independent tour guide, who takes tourists on trips through the Arctic North. Clem is the manager of the Ice Road, the 15-foot thick road of ice that truckers, locals and tourists use in winter.
The frozen body of a young girl is found not far from an Inuit village just before Valerie takes a group of tourists out. That and the mysterious disappearance of her friend Sedna upset her quite a bit and she can't wait to get to Tuktoyaktuk to share her concerns with Clem.
Valerie, a former journalist, has a secret past. Her father was Canada's most famous hockey player and on a trip he took with Valerie's mother to the Arctic, she was mysteriously killed. Her father never discussed it with either her or her twin brothers and she grew up not really knowing her birth mother, but with a loving stepmother. Her love of the Arctic may have something to do with wanting to find out what really happened to her mother.
The tour, as lovingly described by the author, is so vivid you almost automatically screw up your eyes when traversing the blinding snow and ice; as for the cold...unbelievable! Somehow I don't think I would travel further than Canada's Sunshine Coast and Vancouver...but reading about the Inuit communities, the animals, the permafrost and the stunning sights was fascinating. Of course I Googled the area; the history of it alone is so interesting. The only thing I wouldn't do, as a fervent dog lover, is visit the Arctic - I would be like Clem's ex-girlfriend: so upset the dogs are kept on a short chain, outside 24/7 unless they're pulling sleds, I'd have to high tail it out of there.
But that's just a personal observation; the book is terrific, I highly recommend it. A good mystery with a surprise ending and a bit of romance in an exotic locale...what's not to love!?
May 17, 2018
4 stars
Valerie Blaine is a tour guide for a company of one. She is in the Artic to conduct her latest tour. The Artic is where he own mother died approximately thirty years earlier. Her mother’s death was kept quiet and remains unsolved.
She is in bed with the flu when her friend Sedna calls saying she is in trouble. Then the call is cut off. Valerie reminisces about her relationship with Sedna. She’s nothing but trouble. She still likes her for some odd reason though. When Sedna goes missing, Valerie is not too worried about it at first. Sedna has done this many times before.
A woman’s body is found on the ice near Inuvik outside of a small Inuit village.
Clem Hardeven is manager of the Ice Road. He is very frustrated at the lack of information he gets from his boss about the woman on the ice, so he and his dog Meteor drive around town looking for any scraps of information they can find.
Clem and Valerie are the protagonists in the story. They form a relationship. Over time, the body on the ice is identified as Sedna. More surprises are in store for Valerie as she wonders if this killing is tied to her mother’s.
This is a good story, well written and translated from its original language. I enjoyed it, although not as much as some of Ms. Calonego’s earlier works. It was rich in description of the forbidding ice and cold in the Artic and the small village.
I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read, enjoy and review.
Valerie Blaine is a tour guide for a company of one. She is in the Artic to conduct her latest tour. The Artic is where he own mother died approximately thirty years earlier. Her mother’s death was kept quiet and remains unsolved.
She is in bed with the flu when her friend Sedna calls saying she is in trouble. Then the call is cut off. Valerie reminisces about her relationship with Sedna. She’s nothing but trouble. She still likes her for some odd reason though. When Sedna goes missing, Valerie is not too worried about it at first. Sedna has done this many times before.
A woman’s body is found on the ice near Inuvik outside of a small Inuit village.
Clem Hardeven is manager of the Ice Road. He is very frustrated at the lack of information he gets from his boss about the woman on the ice, so he and his dog Meteor drive around town looking for any scraps of information they can find.
Clem and Valerie are the protagonists in the story. They form a relationship. Over time, the body on the ice is identified as Sedna. More surprises are in store for Valerie as she wonders if this killing is tied to her mother’s.
This is a good story, well written and translated from its original language. I enjoyed it, although not as much as some of Ms. Calonego’s earlier works. It was rich in description of the forbidding ice and cold in the Artic and the small village.
I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read, enjoy and review.
June 21, 2018
"One point to you, my friend," he conceded. "Be careful not eat too much maktak or you'll be as white as a tanngit."
I saw the cover of this one, read the description and was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, this book and I were just not a good fit. The conversations the characters had just didn't seem realistic - there were odd words thrown in that made them sound less natural (and really pulled me out of the story). The story itself was too full of random people - the two storylines were meshed and confusing and I just never found myself really invested in the missing friend, the dead woman, the random mystery of her mother's death and the 25K that was taken.
I saw the cover of this one, read the description and was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, this book and I were just not a good fit. The conversations the characters had just didn't seem realistic - there were odd words thrown in that made them sound less natural (and really pulled me out of the story). The story itself was too full of random people - the two storylines were meshed and confusing and I just never found myself really invested in the missing friend, the dead woman, the random mystery of her mother's death and the 25K that was taken.
February 23, 2020
I did not enjoy this book - to say the plot is far fetched is an understatement. The characters are shallow and numerous, and have for most part unusual names. They are hard to keep straight, and have no endearing qualities. Every now and then there is an interesting tidbit or cool thing mixed in such as the 'ice house'. I made it thru the book but just barely.
September 19, 2018
Got 38% finished with this book and couldn’t read it anymore. There was no story! Couldn’t figure out what/where the book was going? Decided to not waste my time when there are soooo many books out there.
November 4, 2018
Received this book from the Goodreads Giveaways. Really enjoyed it.
The story is set in Arctic Canada. A woman is found frozen to death on the Ice Road. This is the road that freezes on the MacKenzie River Delta from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk. Clem Hardeven is in charge of the road and feels responsible for the woman's death. It takes awhile to figure out who she is and the mystery is why she was out there.
The owner of a tour company that leads groups from Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk is Valerie Blaine and a friend of Clem's. She receives a call from her friend Sedna saying her life has been threatened then ends the call. Valerie is starting a new tour and is worried about her friend. As the tour progresses she keeps finding out that Sedna has been asking about her parents in places that Valerie visits. Valerie's mother died in the Arctic in a tragic accident about 30 years earlier and there is a bit of a mystery surrounding that. Valerie wants to find her friend and finding out what really happened to her mother. Her father was a famous hockey player and Valerie sort of hides her identity because she doesn't want the publicity surrounding her famous parents. One of her brothers has finally decided to help her look into things and sends some people to keep an eye on her (protect her) without her knowledge.
In the meantime Clem's boss has been going missing off and on and Clem has been attacked as has a ranger in the area. Some other strange things have happened in the area such as a local musher's dog has been poisoned and a mysterious large explosion out on the ice. Lots of side stories going on and things come together in the end.
Really good descriptions of an area that most of us would never visit. Challenging conditions to live in especially in the small isolated villages. The story also discusses a lot about the local native traditions and myths. Some romance thrown in along with jealousy, greed, resentment and secrets.
A good read.
The story is set in Arctic Canada. A woman is found frozen to death on the Ice Road. This is the road that freezes on the MacKenzie River Delta from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk. Clem Hardeven is in charge of the road and feels responsible for the woman's death. It takes awhile to figure out who she is and the mystery is why she was out there.
The owner of a tour company that leads groups from Whitehorse to Tuktoyaktuk is Valerie Blaine and a friend of Clem's. She receives a call from her friend Sedna saying her life has been threatened then ends the call. Valerie is starting a new tour and is worried about her friend. As the tour progresses she keeps finding out that Sedna has been asking about her parents in places that Valerie visits. Valerie's mother died in the Arctic in a tragic accident about 30 years earlier and there is a bit of a mystery surrounding that. Valerie wants to find her friend and finding out what really happened to her mother. Her father was a famous hockey player and Valerie sort of hides her identity because she doesn't want the publicity surrounding her famous parents. One of her brothers has finally decided to help her look into things and sends some people to keep an eye on her (protect her) without her knowledge.
In the meantime Clem's boss has been going missing off and on and Clem has been attacked as has a ranger in the area. Some other strange things have happened in the area such as a local musher's dog has been poisoned and a mysterious large explosion out on the ice. Lots of side stories going on and things come together in the end.
Really good descriptions of an area that most of us would never visit. Challenging conditions to live in especially in the small isolated villages. The story also discusses a lot about the local native traditions and myths. Some romance thrown in along with jealousy, greed, resentment and secrets.
A good read.
August 28, 2018
Disclosure:
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Book Information How deep is she willing to go to find the secrets of her past? Tour guide Valerie Blaine has always been haunted by the tragic death of her mother during an Arctic expedition thirty years before--unsolved, hushed up, and for Valerie, an unsettled part of a past she's never been able to escape. Its grip on Valerie is tighter than ever, now that she's been hired to lead a tourist group across the same desolate terrain where her mother died. But when a woman's frozen corpse is found outside a quiet Inuit village just as they're about to depart, and a friend of Valerie's mysteriously disappears, Valerie's suspicions grow; her disquiet is only eased by Clem Hardeven. A man of adventure and roughneck charisma, he's drawn to Valerie--but he knows nothing of the mysteries that consume her. As their search takes them into the icy reaches of the Arctic north, Valerie starts to fear that it's all tied to the darkness that befell her own family long ago--a dangerous puzzle whose pieces have remained elusive to her. Until now.
Review I have to say, this is the first book were it was hard for me to follow along. Honestly there was to many things going on in this story, there was just to many things going on in this story. It's very hard for me to actually write this review, being there is also to many charters actually involved in the over all story moving forward. I would recommend this book to anyone who has patience and likes suspense, because that's exactly what this book is about, "Suspense."
Book Information How deep is she willing to go to find the secrets of her past? Tour guide Valerie Blaine has always been haunted by the tragic death of her mother during an Arctic expedition thirty years before--unsolved, hushed up, and for Valerie, an unsettled part of a past she's never been able to escape. Its grip on Valerie is tighter than ever, now that she's been hired to lead a tourist group across the same desolate terrain where her mother died. But when a woman's frozen corpse is found outside a quiet Inuit village just as they're about to depart, and a friend of Valerie's mysteriously disappears, Valerie's suspicions grow; her disquiet is only eased by Clem Hardeven. A man of adventure and roughneck charisma, he's drawn to Valerie--but he knows nothing of the mysteries that consume her. As their search takes them into the icy reaches of the Arctic north, Valerie starts to fear that it's all tied to the darkness that befell her own family long ago--a dangerous puzzle whose pieces have remained elusive to her. Until now.
Review I have to say, this is the first book were it was hard for me to follow along. Honestly there was to many things going on in this story, there was just to many things going on in this story. It's very hard for me to actually write this review, being there is also to many charters actually involved in the over all story moving forward. I would recommend this book to anyone who has patience and likes suspense, because that's exactly what this book is about, "Suspense."
July 7, 2025
This book was neat, from a perspective of seeing life in the far north. The natives and their hunts, caribou parkas and seal boots, -13° in the spring - all fascinating. Unfortunately however the story didn't quite cut it for me. Usually in a well-thought-out novel, you can start to put the pieces together yourself after a certain point - Not that you want to be able to guess the ending, of course, but when the final puzzle piece falls, it all clicks for you.
I didn't experience that in this book. Instead it was more like the author gave us the final puzzle piece, and nothing clicked for the reader, and then she realized a lot was missing, so here's another puzzle piece, oh and you need this one too, oh, but that doesn't make sense without this other one, and also this little piece here... It was like the entire story was squeezed into the "big reveal" (not that there was any sort of big reveal, it was more that a bunch of little things happened, and then suddenly the author shoveled up a huge pile of information, and the characters had to awkwardly try to make it all fit together for the reader). Probably don't recommend unless you want to check out life in the Arctic, which I admit was neat.
I didn't experience that in this book. Instead it was more like the author gave us the final puzzle piece, and nothing clicked for the reader, and then she realized a lot was missing, so here's another puzzle piece, oh and you need this one too, oh, but that doesn't make sense without this other one, and also this little piece here... It was like the entire story was squeezed into the "big reveal" (not that there was any sort of big reveal, it was more that a bunch of little things happened, and then suddenly the author shoveled up a huge pile of information, and the characters had to awkwardly try to make it all fit together for the reader). Probably don't recommend unless you want to check out life in the Arctic, which I admit was neat.
August 1, 2022
The strength of this book was in the setting, and in that point it didn’t disappoint. Told largely though the perspective of a tour guide in icy northern Canada the narrative take us into a frozen world most of us will never personally experience (even mocking reality shows like Ice Road Truckers that script experiences in this remote region).
With Inuit characters, naive tourists, and eery frozen tundras the novel attempts a truly authentic description of life in the Arctic. It’s almost a shame the story required a murder mystery as a device to draw the reader into the setting. The mystery, though sufficiently twisty for the genre, was the least gripping part of the narrative.
With Inuit characters, naive tourists, and eery frozen tundras the novel attempts a truly authentic description of life in the Arctic. It’s almost a shame the story required a murder mystery as a device to draw the reader into the setting. The mystery, though sufficiently twisty for the genre, was the least gripping part of the narrative.
August 30, 2018
I won this book from a goodreads giveaway.
I was skeptical about the book since it was translated, but it’s actually pretty well written. I had a hard time connecting/relating to the characters. I couldn’t keep up with all the twists and it was hard to understand all the characters and their roles (even at the very end). There were some parts of the book that, to me, were not very realistic (but maybe it could be for the area the book is set in?).
Overall, it was nice to read something different from a new author.
I was skeptical about the book since it was translated, but it’s actually pretty well written. I had a hard time connecting/relating to the characters. I couldn’t keep up with all the twists and it was hard to understand all the characters and their roles (even at the very end). There were some parts of the book that, to me, were not very realistic (but maybe it could be for the area the book is set in?).
Overall, it was nice to read something different from a new author.
September 10, 2018
Hanging Threads
The book moves swiftly but often reads like a romance novel. After the first few chapters, I was sure the author had been a tourist in the area, not a local. I was bothered by unresolved and confusing plot threads like the shaman rattles and someone's hiding a dead woman's locket for no reason.
This is a fun, fast read if you are tolerant of two-dimensional characters and trite courtship troupes. I did like reading about this part of the world. The author is at her best when describing the tourist group and their interactions. That part felt real.
The book moves swiftly but often reads like a romance novel. After the first few chapters, I was sure the author had been a tourist in the area, not a local. I was bothered by unresolved and confusing plot threads like the shaman rattles and someone's hiding a dead woman's locket for no reason.
This is a fun, fast read if you are tolerant of two-dimensional characters and trite courtship troupes. I did like reading about this part of the world. The author is at her best when describing the tourist group and their interactions. That part felt real.
October 23, 2018
This is the second time I have been mesmerized by this author. The way the landscape is detailed and explained makes me feel like I’m really there! I found myself reaching for the blanket because I was cold - in the summer. The plot development held my interest throughout the story and wasn’t predictable but yet wasn’t frustrating either. Sometimes when an author throws in a plot twist that makes no sense just to get a rise out of an audience it bothers me. That’s not the case here. The character relationship development is sweet and romantic. Overall this is another 5 star from the author.
August 9, 2018
Es war nicht schlecht. Die Story war ok, die Personen glaubhaft und lebendig. Und natürlich kann ich mir vorstellen, dass die Arktis für viele Krimi-Leser doch noch relativ unbekannt ist und daher einen besonderen Reiz ausübt.
Aber so begeistert, dass ich jetzt sofort alle anderen Bücher der Autorin aufspüren täte, bin ich wirklich nicht.
Aber so begeistert, dass ich jetzt sofort alle anderen Bücher der Autorin aufspüren täte, bin ich wirklich nicht.
August 2, 2018
Stranger on the Ice is a very complex thriller! It has twists and turns, suspicious characters, lovely folklore and a tense story. This is a terrific novel with well written characters and a wealth of detail for the locations, the people and the story itself.
September 12, 2018
A mystery and history in the frozen arctic
The book has several plots that inter weave with excellent characters. The description of the Arctic landscape and its native people painted such an enlightening picture of this region. Enjoy your reading of this arctic mystery.
The book has several plots that inter weave with excellent characters. The description of the Arctic landscape and its native people painted such an enlightening picture of this region. Enjoy your reading of this arctic mystery.
October 23, 2018
Wasn't sure in the first couple pages if it was my type of book. Then things picked up and started getting interesting! Kept getting more interesting the more I read. Liked the Arctic setting and the interweaving of characters. Intriguing plot and ending. very good read!
October 27, 2018
Brought the arctic to life
It was a slow start and a bit confusing during the first third of the book. As the pieces started coming together, the story became much more interesting. Some strong characters emerged, but there were many twists. Loved the scenery most of all!
It was a slow start and a bit confusing during the first third of the book. As the pieces started coming together, the story became much more interesting. Some strong characters emerged, but there were many twists. Loved the scenery most of all!
August 9, 2019
A peak at life in the frozen north!
I enjoyed this author's writing and description of the life in the Artic! Her plot was complicated and airtight. I love a mystery that I haven't solved midway!
I enjoyed this author's writing and description of the life in the Artic! Her plot was complicated and airtight. I love a mystery that I haven't solved midway!
September 25, 2023
Interesting Travelogue
The description’s and information were very good. I liked the characters and plot. A little “twisty” , so the strands had to be tied together, rather than a movement in sequence.
However I liked it as a whole and would read another by this author.
The description’s and information were very good. I liked the characters and plot. A little “twisty” , so the strands had to be tied together, rather than a movement in sequence.
However I liked it as a whole and would read another by this author.
June 12, 2024
Good book.
The characters had a purpose in this book. They are written well and describe their circumstances.
There is only one person and a dog that are actually murdered in this book. Other people die but they are not murdered.
The characters had a purpose in this book. They are written well and describe their circumstances.
There is only one person and a dog that are actually murdered in this book. Other people die but they are not murdered.
June 18, 2024
Close ur eyes and ur there...
I closed my eyes and could feel everything that Colonego described in the story.....cold...winds...snow...the characters. The ending twist was pure genius..
I closed my eyes and could feel everything that Colonego described in the story.....cold...winds...snow...the characters. The ending twist was pure genius..
September 26, 2018
I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway - thank you to all involved. This is an interesting
book with a good plot. I would recommend it.
book with a good plot. I would recommend it.
December 30, 2018
Loved the details!
I enjoyed the characters and story. The details of the people and places and what they did there, were what brought the book to life for me.
I enjoyed the characters and story. The details of the people and places and what they did there, were what brought the book to life for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews