Jorge Sanchez Lopez is an articulate and intelligent bilingual author. He writes primarily in his native Spanish and does all of his own translations. Dry Ice is surprisingly good, and he writes in English better than most Brits.
What I liked most about this novel was the descriptions of place. The book is set between a plush resort and the victim’s hometown—both in Spain. The description was like being taken on holiday—without the cocktail. It’s the closest I’m going to get to beautiful Spain or anywhere else this year.
There are so many undercurrents and possibilities in this book, from real estate deals to organised crime. However, most of it centres around telling the family’s personal life as the story and their intimacy unravels. Everybody has an account, some want to tell their version, and some are more reticent—but every story is different. Everybody has something to hide. Secrets are revealed, and the detectives on the case are left to pick out the truth from the lies.
The book itself, the science and the police procedures are all well researched. The author writes about his people well and understands them.
A definite read for this coming summer—well into our second year of COVID19 and travel restrictions—let’s all go to the Del Mar in the pages of this book.
Oh, my dear, I’m off to sunny Spain. Y viva Espana.
Katherine Black / Susan (Sooz) Simpson
Founder of Best Book Editors
Katherine has held almost every single job imaginable, from painting gnomes to zookeeper. She spent most of her life in the caring profession and has managed both a nursing home and a care agency. But her passion for the written language always brings her home to novel writing.
Born in Tyne-and-Wear, North-East England, she has settled in the beautiful Lake District, Cumbria, with her partner, two dogs, a cat, an iguana and a python (just don’t ask her which of those six things is her favourite!).
She specialises in content creation and social media outreach, and has been a developmental editor for hundreds of clients. She owns and operates bestbookeditors.com where she helps foundling authors polish their skills. However, after being diagnosed with a dramatic brain condition in 2022, she has had to let 23 staff go, and scale back the business. BBE is still very much open, we are just fewer and can’t take as much work on.
Katherine Black is the author of psychological thriller/detective/fantasy adventure novels.
