The Ice House

Winner of the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger Award
 
It's been ten years since Phoebe Marbury's husband disappeared from their country manor, Streech Grange, when one afternoon her gardener discovers a decomposed body in the ice house. Now in her mid-thirties, Phoebe shares the manor with two unmarried friends, and the rumors in the village suggest they're up to something--witchcraft, lesbianism, child abuse. Chief Inspector Walsh is eager to find out for himself when he's called to investigate the body. What he discovers is a faceless, contorted corpse and three women who clearly know something they're not telling him. When his detective falls under the spell of Phoebe's friend, Anne, the investigation gets even murkier.
 
Minette Walters's first novel gives a raw, contemporary spin to a classic mystery convention.

Minette Walters is the author of fourteen suspense novels and the winner of numerous awards. Her work has been translated into twenty-six languages. She lives with her husband in Dorset, England.