Shortlisted for the CWA's New Blood Dagger Award, this compulsively readable debut novel by Kitty Sewell is dark and intriguing.

Ice Trap* is set in Moose Creek, a tiny outpost in Canada's Northwest Territories where Dr. Dafydd Woodruff returns after an absence of 14 years to investigate a paternity claim against him. He was sure he never had sex with Sheila Hailey, a head nurse who is beautiful, cruel and manipulative but the positive DNA test clearly points to Sheila’s twin being his.

Sewell’s skillful mixing of long buried secrets and past shame, depiction of Dafydd’s crumbling marriage, and the puzzle surrounding his newfound family make for a compelling read.

For other mysteries set in the Canadian arctic, try The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney and Consumption by Kevin Patterson.

* = Starred Review