âTis the season for mistletoe and holly, Santa . . . and suspense. And the gift that keeps on giving is Ice: premier thriller author Linda Howardâs breathless tale of a man, a woman, and a battle for survival against an unforgiving winterâand an unrelenting killer. Oh what fun it is to read.
Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders. A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbor whoâs fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned. So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere, and make sure Lolly Helton is safe and sound. Itâs a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make given the bitter winter weatherâand the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly.
But thereâs no talking back when your dad is the townâs top cop. And thereâ s no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrivesâand discovers that the weather outside isnât the only thing thatâs frightful. Spotting strangers in Lollyâ s homeâone of them packing a weaponâis all it takes to kick Gabriel into combat mode. And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors. But when the escape is discovered, the heatâand the huntâare on. And the winter woods are nowhere to be once the ice storm touches down, dropping trees, blocking roads, and trapping the fleeing pair in the freezing dark.