Despite the book being somewhere in a series - and once again not marked at being part of one or which number it is! - , the characters were easy to follow and understand without any background of other books and is a very nicely done crime book!

Loved the dramatic start and enjoyed the two elements of the plot working side by side. Looks like this is the second in a series and though there are references to events that led to Judith Krieger being on sick leave, and Mannie Korzilius being demoted, this title works well as a standalone novel. A seemingly happy teenage boy goes missing with his dog while on a camping weekend. The dog is found dead and when Korzilius investigates he finds everyone has secrets, including the missing boy’s best friend. Meanwhile Krieger is asked to find an old school friend who has gone missing, ending up travelling to Canada following in a bird lover’s footsteps. There were parts I really enjoyed - mostly Mannie’s story - and the book got better when the two detectives were reunited, and eventually track down the missing boy. I’m not sure I felt a sense of place with this novel. It’s set in a sweltering Cologne but it could really have been anywhere.

An effortless read, translated brilliantly and full to the brim with intrigue and suspense. a great crime thriller with proper twists and turns that really do leave you guessing.

Set in Germany and Canada I felt that Gisa Klönne captured the essence of both perfectly.

Despite the book being somewhere in a series, the characters were easy to follow and reading Under the Ice had just made me want to read the prequels to it!

Highly recommended!

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this book. The book has been translated for English readers to enjoy and I'm glad that I was privileged enough to have done that. Worth the effort.

Under the Ice by Gisa Klonne features Judith Krieger and Manni Korzillius, both of whom were involved in a previous case that did not end happily.

Judith has taken a leave of absence and has only a short time before returning to work, when she is contacted by an old school mate about the disappearance of another school friend, Charlotte Simonis. Judith reluctantly agrees to look into Charlotte's disappearance during the short time remaining on her leave. As Judith becomes more invested in the case, she finds herself agreeing to a trip to Canada.

Manni is assigned to the case of a missing fourteen-year-old school boy. Jonny Robel's disappearance from a camp doesn't provide much to go on, but Manni thinks the father is hiding something. The case becomes more twisted as it proceeds, and Manni desperately hopes to find the boy alive.

Some themes are tackled indirectly--aging, loneliness, and isolation--while school bullying enters into both investigations.

This is the third in a series, and I don't know if they have all been translated from the German, but the characters and plots in this novel kept my interest and the themes are universal and pertinent.

NetGalley/Bonnier Zaffre

Mystery/Police Procedural. 2006. 2017. Print length: 302 pages.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Detective Judith Krieger is on vacation and takes on the task of trying to locate a missing woman and her old friend Charlotte Simonis while Manfred “Manni” Korzilius is called to the frantic parents of a missing fourteen-year old boy named Jonny Robel.

This book takes on some difficult subjects such as school bullying. It is a study in the grief of those left behind whether it is due to someone missing or someone has died. It takes an interesting psychological point of view of the detectives, the parents, the friends and so on. It seems everyone has secrets and has something to hide.

This book seems a little unconnected in places. Perhaps it would have helped if I had read the previous book in this series. It has differing points of view which generally I like, but it seems to switch without warning and I’m left going “huh?” It is well written and plotted however, so the transition issue is not too big a problem. This is my first Gisa Klonne novel and I believe I’ll look into her other book in this series. I enjoyed the novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre/Manilla for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a review copy of Under The Ice, the second novel to feature Cologne based Detective Superintendent Judith Krieger.

The novel essentially has two strands, Judith's private investigation while on leave into the disappearance of her old school friend, Charlotte Simonis and Detective Inspector Manfred "Manni" Korzilius's investigation into missing teenager Jonny Röbel.

Initially I wasn't too keen on this and found it a bit of drag. The novel constantly changes point of view, not just between Manni and Judith but other characters as well, often in the middle of chapters so it is confusing and disruptive to the flow of the novel. It also seems chock full of unimportant details which take some wading through. All this changes about half way through when the detectives start to make headway and it becomes a tense, lean read well worth the wait.

The novel works as a standalone with a clearly defined plot and a linear narrative. I think, however, in terms of the characterisation it would have been better if I'd read the previous novel, Silent is the Forest" before embarking on this one as its events would have cast more light on why Manni was transferred from Homicide to Missing Persons and why Judith requested a long leave of absence.

When the plot got going I enjoyed it. It is well thought out and has a few surprises along the way. I also liked the characterisation where no one is a paragon and everyone has faults. Ms Klönne does a good job on her characters' thought processes which seem natural and easy to understand in that you could see your own mind working the same way.

There is a subplot about playground bullying. Ms Klönne does not pull her punches at its viciousness and its victim's feeling of helplessness. I notice that the novel was originally published in 2006 when social media was in its infancy so fortunately we are spared the trolling which happens nowadays but it is still nasty. It's not easy to be different in modern society.

Under the Ice is an interesting read which I'm glad I persevered with. 3.5*.

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