Heart of Ice
Author: Gregg Olsen
Publisher: Kensington
Date of Publication: March 1, 2009 (Hardcover)
March 28, 2017 (Mass Market Paperback)
Pages: 480
Gregg Olsen has written many wonderful books, both fiction and non-fiction. Unfortunately, Heart of Ice isn't one of his better efforts. This novel is really two stories which seem totally unrelated until the very conclusion.
The first story is about a missing pregnant wife with an irascible and totally unlikable husband (who quickly becomes the solitary person of interest). The investigation into the disappearance is led by small town sheriff Emily Kenyon. Sheriff Kenyon is dealing with several personal issues, including a recently college graduated daughter who is traveling the country as a national representative of a sorority, an ex-boyfriend who happens to be a local defense attorney and all-around cad, and a new love interest that despite his obvious perfection, she just can't commit to.
The second story is a serial killer tale regarding a young man with a seemingly perfect life (wife, kids, steady job, etc...) who preys on sorority girls. A lot of this story is told in flashbacks of the killer's tumultuous childhood in foster homes where he suffered countless acts of cruelty and abuse. The motive for the killings (which don't seem to make much sense throughout the book) is not revealed until very late. The modus operandi of the killer is described in graphic and gory detail.
The book does have its strengths. The settings are the Pacific Northwest, areas in and around San Diego, California and a few chapters in Tennessee. The author aptly uses descriptions of locales to create mood and (often) a sense of dread. He has done his research regarding the effects on adults of childhood abuse. The sections dealing with the killer's and his sister's abandonment by their mother at Disney Land are particularly heart breaking.
The weakness are several. First, I found the characters fairly stereotypical and in the case of the many minor characters, very quickly and inadequately developed. Second, the two disparate plots are disconnected throughout most of the book creating a disjointed story line. Just as the reader gets drawn in to one story line, the next few chapters will jump back to the other. I found that distracting and frustrating to say the least. Finally, the love entanglements of Sheriff Kenyon made this seem like a romance novel in spots, which is not my cup of tea.
In summary, this book had its high points but all in all was disappointing to me.
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