Review by Sharon Marchisello
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
How Deep is the Body? is the third book in the Jake and Mallory thriller series by Ivanka Fear, but it’s the first one I’ve read. Although I probably would have appreciated the character arcs more if I’d read the other books first, the author provided enough backstory for me to follow the plot and enjoy the mystery.
The setting is a small, close-knit Ontario community, where bitter weather is common during the late December holiday season. The author does a great job of making the reader feel the arctic chill from the frozen landscape. Jake and Mallory, a newly married couple with their first baby on the way, reside outside of town in a renovated farmhouse that once belonged to Jake’s grandfather. The couple has had some trust issues in the past, but they are basically in a good place now. They love each other and are committed to making a good life for themselves, despite whatever curveballs are thrown their way.
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| Image Source Level Best Books |
The story is told in first person, alternating POV between Mallory and Jake (interspersed with a few short chapters from the POV of an unknown antagonist). When it opens, Jake is working the night shift at an auto supply warehouse, and Mallory is at home waiting for him, fretting about the impending blizzard.
Even though Jake decides to shut down early due to the storm, he gets stuck in it. In the meantime, Mallory frets about the noise from a group of snowmobilers trespassing on their property, knowing the cops have better things to do than come out and run them off. When there is a knock on the door, she assumes it’s Jake returning home, but it turns out to be a stranded motorist who identifies himself only as Dave. Warily, she lets him in.
After Jake abandons his car, he treks onto his property, where he stumbles over an unconscious snowmobiler. He calls 9-1-1.
Taking advantage of the clearing storm, Jake and two friends go tobogganing behind the barn. While tobogganing, the group finds a dead body buried in the snow. A body had been found on Jake’s property the previous year, and that time, Jake was a murder suspect. Again, suspicion falls on him.
There are lots of moving parts in this novel to keep the pages turning, and the superb character development added complexity to the story. Highly recommended!
To enter to win an ebook copy of How Deep is the Body?, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "how deep,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 24, 2026. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors!
You can click here to purchase this book.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer cat rescue mysteries published by Level Best Books, starting with Trap, Neuter, Die (2024). Her other mysteries were published by Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014), Secrets of the Galapagos (2019), and Murder at Leisure Dreams – Galapagos (2025). She has also written a nonfiction book (Live Well, Grow Wealth - 2018), travel articles, and short stories. She earned Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is active in Sisters in Crime. Sharon lives in Peachtree City, GA, where she does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library..
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