Carol O’Connell, Winter House

Winter House

Carol O'Connell

Putnam, Oct 2004, $24.95, 320 pp.

ISBN: 03999152113

When a man enters Netta Winter's Central Park West mansion, she uses a pair of sewing scissors to kill the invader in self defense. Detectives Kathy Mallory and Riker are assigned the case. They interview Netta and her niece Bitty. Mallory's business partner Charles Butler is called to the crime scene because Bitty has pictures of him plastered all over her walls. Charles does not recall ever meeting Bitty, but also refuses to press charges of stalking against her mostly because he finds her seventy years old aunt charming.

Mallory believes that Netta killed in self-defense since the deceased had been previously charged with killing women, but how he met bail and hired a high-price lawyer disturbs the cop. Also bothering Mallory is two murder weapons were used; one being an ice pick. Just under six decades ago, someone killed nine people in this house using an ice pick. Mallory believes Netta is not telling everything she knows especially where she has been for the past fifty-eight years and that the septuagenarian is in danger. Every time she pressures Netta to tell her the whole truth, Charles intervenes, a Good Samaritan action that could perhaps lead to another death.

WINTER HOUSE is a fantastic police procedural filled with plenty of action and a support cast that adds much needed humor when the tension threatens to overwhelm the audience. Mallory is a terrific lead character struggling with feelings because she believes that the delightful Netta is hiding a dark secret that could kill her. WINTER HOUSE is a fabulous New York mystery.

Harriet Klausner