In Bitter Chill: A Mystery (Inspector Francis Sadler)

This debut novel, set in England's Peak District, has many good qualities: the characters were well written and interesting and the premise, of two girls kidnapped and the repurcussions even after thirty years, was immediately intriguing. I found myself thinking about the book when I was busy elsewhere and anxious to get back to it. HOWEVER there were several weaknesses that detracted from fully enjoying it. For instance, while the characters were interesting, their actions were often unmotivated or not followed up. The lead detective is described many times as handsome but also as having a number of personal proclivities that would put women off, yet everyone who meets him thinks about him romantically -- it was immature. There was very little tension and at one point, where someone actually was being attacked, like the best (worst) epistolary novels of the 19th century, the person begins a nice little multiple paragraph think-in before we go back to the physical attack! Bizarre. The case was not exciting but it was confusing. There are many people and families and sometimes people in the same family have different surnames etc etc. It was difficult to follow at times but tangling it out wasn't that rewarding anyway, and by the time we got the big revelation it was already pretty obvious -- and I'm not usually that great at figuring out whodunnit. The book shows promise, especially in the characterizations and dialogue, but there were too many flaws to give it five stars. I would probably read the sequel -- but I would wait until the price came down a fair bit. (I've just looked it up and the aggregate rating for the sequel (A Deadly Thaw) is a full star lower, so I guess things didn't improve?)

In Bitter Chill Sarah Ward’s second book is very different than the The Birthday Girl, which is a “cozy” set on an island off the coast of Wales, in a hotel, during a blizzard—a strong, stylish mystery reminiscent of those by Agatha Christie. In Bitter Chill follows the trend of contemporary crime fiction, with a male detective, DI Francis Sadler, and a female partner, DC Connie Childs. They are investigating a suicide and a homicide, but when they begin pulling strings, the case leads to a 1978 abduction of two girls: one who still missing, and Rachel, who was returned but with an impaired memory of the events. Ever since, Rachel has suffered unwanted notoriety and been plagued with anxiety. Who was responsible and what happened to her childhood friend, Sophie? While Rachel’s career as a genealogist is a way to explore the nooks and crannies of other people’s families, her interest stemmed from the desire to discover clues about her own background, especially as it related to the unsolved case. Because of the revived attention due to the recent suicide and murder, Rachel—who is connected to both—finds herself dead center in the current police inquiry and is renewed in her obsession to learn what happened in 1978, why she and Sophia were kidnapped and by whom. Her investigation runs parallel to and intersects with the activities of Sadler and Childs. Sarah Ward has definitely upped her game with this outing. The characters are well-drawn—especially Rachel—and the plot is complex, incorporating a fresh premise using genealogy as the structure around which the novel is wrapped. Ward has created a devious puzzle that will intrigue readers as Rachel’s “family tree” is shaken to its roots.

I had a bit of trouble keeping the families straight in the police procedural. A suicide followed by a murder connect back to a kidnapping/possible murder that took place many years before. Rachel is an eight-year-old kidnapping victim -- the one who got away -- is now grown. She is a genealogist by profession. From there, the plot line evolves into a series of illegitimate births, adoptions, long held family secrets, and unsuspected incest. The police personal are interesting, particularly Connie and Sadler, but the plot was unconvincing, unnecessarily convoluted, and depended far too much on coincidence.

The setting for this mystery is the town of Derbyshire, north of London and close to Manchester. The prologue is brief and features a nameless man and woman engaged in the burial of a small human. We later learn that this happened in 1978. The story begins in chapter one when Detective Inspector Francis Sadler and Detective Constable Connie Childs are summoned to the Wilton Hotel where an elderly woman’s body has been found, an apparent suicide. As the book progresses, the detectives believe the suicide might be connected to the events of 1978 when two girls were abducted and one, Sophie, was never found. Rachel, now in her early forties, is the girl who survived the abduction but doesn’t remember anything about that traumatic event; she’s blocked it from her mind. DI Sadler and DC Childs reluctantly open the cold case of thirty-five years ago. They pursue all the possible leads documented in the original investigation, conduct many interviews, and slowly start piecing things together. Rachel has a hobby that contributes to the unraveling of the mystery; she draws up diagrams that trace the maternal lines in her own family. The harsh winter weather also plays a minor role, a detail mirrored by the book’s title. The mystery proceeds at a rather slow pace but in thorough British fashion. Author Sarah Ward liberally sprinkles the book with words that most Americans would not understand but the context should enable easy understanding. There are frequent chapter shifts from the present time back to 1978, something that I ordinarily don’t care for, but it does add some necessary back story. I could easily imagine this novel on PBS as a Masterpiece Mystery presentation.

The story unfolds in Bampton, an imaginary place in Derbyshire Peak District. It begins when the body of an elderly lady, Yvonne Jenkins, is found in a room at the Wilton Hotel. DC Connie Childs informs her boss, DI Francis Sadler that, in all likelihood, it’s a suicide, but the question is why has she taken so long to make this decision? Thirty years ago, on the same date, two eight-year-old girls, Rachel Jones and Sophie Jenkins, were abducted on the way to school. Rachel appeared unharmed shortly afterwards but unable to remember anything except that her abductor was a woman. Sophie, Yvonne’s daughter, was not seen ever again. However, given that the case was not closed despite the time elapsed, DI Sadler and DC Childs begin to reconsider the kidnapping under a different perspective to see if they can find an explanation that can explain Yvonne’s suicide. Meanwhile, Rachel Jones seems to have fully recovered from such a traumatic episode and currently works as a genealogist, but still she doesn’t remember what happened after her abduction. The story gets more complicated when the body of Penny Lander, with clear signs of having been strangled, appears on the same spot where Rachel Jones turned up after her abduction thirty years ago. Mrs. Lander had been a teacher in the same school where the two girls were going. I should begin by saying that even if I have not had the pleasure, so far, of meeting Sarah Ward in person, I know her since about five years ago thanks to the Internet. I follow with interest her reviews regularly, and I have in high regard her opinions. Having said that I believe that In Bitter Chill is a stunning debut novel with a virtually perfect structure. The narrative elapses between past and present events, following the point of view of the different characters involved in the plot and thus providing a certain sense of depth to the story. The main characters are beautifully drawn and turn out to be extremely convincing. The story also has a great sense of place that permeates throughout the novel and the conclusion is credible. In essence, I’ve very much enjoyed reading In Bitter Chill and I’m looking forward to reading her next book when available. A novel that I have no hesitation in recommending.

At times I felt like closing as I couldn't follow the story. Glad I didn't. Talk about mysterious! Concentration needed.

Well written but a very abrupt ending. Suddenly all the pieces cam together. I think th author ran out of patience at the end

I'm happy to have bought this debut novel. I love a good suspense and got it with "in Bitter Chill". Very interesting characters. Will buy next novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Well written, with an engrossing story and believable characters it was very easy to read. I liked the fact that although there was some interesting interaction between the detectives handling the case, this didn't overpower the main story (as it so often does). Their characters were, however, well set up for a further novel. My only slight criticism is that I couldn't quite accept the apparent reason for the original kidnapping. Without spoiling the story I can't say more than that. Otherwise, a really excellent novel.