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Mystery author Sandra Nikolai weaves ordinary characters into extraordinary, life-threatening situations, using the premise that evil often lurks in familiar places.
In Icy Silence, an ice storm plunges an elite boarding school into darkness with no access to the outside world and dwindling supplies of water and food. What would be considered one of the safest places around -- a private high school in a rural area -- turns into a nightmare for staff and students as they learn a killer is in their midst.
Sandra's inspiration for this story came from a true-life experience during an ice storm -- minus the killer part, of course. Join her sleuths in Icy Silence for a thrilling ride!
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Icy Silence (A Megan Scott/Michael Elliot Mystery) by Sandra Nikolai is the thrilling third book in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series. All Megan wanted was a romantic weekend with Michael, but Michael, an investigative reporter, had other plans. Michael's friend had called him and requested that he and Megan give a presentation on career day at an elite private boarding school. Michael was going there anyway because one of Michael's sources had informed him that an escaped killer was in the same vicinity. So much for Megan's secret plans.
After driving through freezing rain, they arrive at the school as the ice storm increases in strength. Dave, Michael's friend, greets them and tells them that a couple of students had died a few days before and that he was in trouble. Someone had set him up to take the fall for their deaths. He asks Michael to help him. A little while later, as Dave predicted, the police escort him from the school. Michael and Megan begin investigating the circumstances of the students' deaths and discover that the escaped killer is staying at the school. Meanwhile, the storm continues to intensify, covering the world in a sheet of ice and knocking out the power. Iced in, they have no way to communicate with the outside world, nor any way to escape.
Icy Silence was a thrilling murder mystery. I was captured at the first page and held enthralled until the last. As I had not read the first book in the series, I was pleased to find this was a standalone book. There are a few references to prior circumstances, but it didn't detract from the story, as a matter of fact, it enhanced the read. I liked Megan's character and could relate to her need for work privacy. Megan's more reticent character is a good counterpart for Michael's outgoing personality and they work well together. This is an intense, well-written suspenseful murder thriller mystery that I recommend for young adults or older, as it does have some references to drugs.
