Deep Freeze

Deep Freeze is an easy, enjoyable read. Set in a wintry Minnesota town, the story begins with the murder of a woman in her home shortly after the conclusion of a meeting of the eight-person committee planning a class reunion. The mystery lies not in whodunnit–the reader knows the killer from the start–but in who moved the body afterward and why. Virgil Flowers, an agent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and already known to the town’s close-knit community from a previous case, works his way through the alibis and motives of the seven obvious suspects. While the plot unfolds straightforwardly toward a rather tame solution, the story is packed with incident: a gang of parka-clad women beats up Virgil; two of the suspects share a liking for whips and restraints; both genders freely participate in brawls; the town’s unemployed are illegally engaged in modifying a well-known children’s product; and, this being freezing cold Minnesota, powered ice sledding and ice fishing feature in the investigation. Amusing dialogue, ranging from the sharp and biting to the ironic and sarcastic, adds to the story’s spice. Although not a memorable mystery, Deep Freeze still offers good entertainment value.