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As the book opens, Ouray, Colorado, is about to be invaded by a slew of ice climbers who will be participating in an event at the town's Ice Climbing Park. David Dean and his wife Cynthia and stepfather Fred O'Connor run a bed and breakfast called Bird Song, and various visitors are trickling in, soon to be a full house. Generally speaking, the guests are a bit on the strange side. There's a woman who is hiding from her husband, a writer who is inspired in writing otherworldly space fantasies, as well as the ice climbers. For a book that is more cozy or softboiled, the plot is quite complex. The first mystery is around the notebook that is found in a pile of old stuff that Fred has purchased which is from the late 1800s and appears to involve a former inhabitant of the B&B by the name of Annie Quincy. The book is written in a kind of code, and the Deans and Fred try to break the secret. Once that is done, Cynthia translates the code, and the results are most interesting to read about and see how they relate to the present day. Fred is selling the remaining artifacts to a pair of sisters who are in some way related to Annie and who decide to fly in from Boston to do some genealogical research while picking up the stash. The second mystery has to do with another one of the B&B's new occupants, a strange woman by the name of Edith Ryland. It appears that she is a victim of spousal abuse who is trying to run away from her husband who is stalking her. Strangely enough, she feels a strong connection to Annie Quincy and often wears one of the dresses from Fred's box. Edith has a son by the name of Donnie, who appears to be very intelligent but who does not speak, supposedly as a result of some trauma in his past. When her husband shows up, the crime rate soars in the community, leaving no one, including the Deans, untouched. He is a thoroughly despicable person, arrogant and sexist. But Edith is no virginal sweet angel either, so the truth around this relationship is rather elusive. Although David Dean is nominally the protagonist of the book, almost as much page time is given to his wife, Cynthia, and his stepfather, Fred. Fred is an avid mystery reader who finds suspicious happenings every turn. He is my favorite character. Seventy-six years old, he is a charmer and a spry young oldster who takes advantage of senior citizen discounts for skiing. There are two aspects to the setting of the David Dean mystery series which bode well for the future of these books. The first is the Bed and Breakfast, which allows Derouin to introduce a varied cast of characters in each book without the necessity of having them return in future sequels. The second is the place, Ouray, Colorado, which Derouin describes in a way that makes it sound breathtakingly beautiful. It is clear that Derouin is very familiar with this area and loves it-he could easily serve as the Director of Tourism for the town. There were a few things that did not quite work for me in this book. The first had to do with the pacing. Although there was a lot going on, I felt like the last fourth of the book dragged. I think the book would have had more tension if it had been shortened somewhat. Secondly, as much as I like the lead characters and can relate to them, I find the secondary characters, particularly the "bad" ones, to be more like caricatures than real people. There is something artificial about the way they are presented. Although Mountain Ice is lighter than my usual fare, I found it to be a very enjoyable read. The main characters are well sketched and feel comfortably familiar. The plot has several interesting threads which are all well resolved, and the setting is perfectly drawn. The book concludes with David possibly looking at some new directions for his life. Book Four should be very interesting!
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, June 2002
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