Halloween is my favorite holiday. Perhaps because I missed so many as a kid. Because it’s my favorite holiday I’ve decided to celebrate the whole month with spooky or chilling stories. The Ice Queen is a truly chilling mystery.

The Ice Queen
Nele Neuhaus

There are three things important to know about The Ice Queen. It’s the third in a series, but can be enjoyed all on it’s own. While I read the english translation, my Austrian family say it’s an absolutely exquisite translation. Germans do eerie, as well as, Austrians. The Ice Queen is marvelously eerie! I know eerie, every Christmas I spent the month of December with a Krampus Doll peering at me.

The Ice Queen begins with a murder, then weaves, back through the decades to the end of WWII, from Frankfurt, to what used to be East Prussia. Filled with menace, lies, secrets, and vengeance. It’s a mystery, but The Ice Queen is also the story of love, the loss of it, and how long it can last even when every physical trace seems to have drifted into the ether.

Nele Neuhaus is a master of both characterization, world building, and suspense. She kept me guessing. She also gutted me. But isn’t that the sign of a great book? I cried, but I still think everyone, including you, should read The Ice Queen.

Are you up for The Ice Queen a truly chilling mystery?

A chilling tale needs something to temper it. Boston Brunch Blend always does it for me.