Published 15th January 2026 by Penguin.
From the cover of the book:
Ten years ago, in the depths of the Finnish winter, Detective Elea Baker’s daughter was taken―and never found.Now, in the quiet streets of Lincoln, girls are disappearing again. When one is found on the cathedral steps, clutching a chilling clue linked to the decade-old abduction, there’s only one person who can solve the case: Elea.
Dragged back into her nightmare, she’s determined to bring her daughter home this time―no matter the cost.
But is she chasing a ghost, or on the verge of uncovering a truth that will shatter everything?
***********
Ten years ago, Detective Elea Baker's twelve-year-old daughter disappeared on her way home from school, leaving her bag lying in the snow. Elea has searched tirelessly for Liisa, and the two other Finnish children taken, determined that the Ice Angels case remain open, despite no trace having been found of any of them.
Now, there is a new lead. Miles away in quiet Lincoln, England, girls are going missing. When one reappears, huddled on the steps of Lincoln Cathedral, she is found in possession of a clue that connects her to the unsolved Ice Angels disappearances. Elea's estranged husband, DCI Swann, is heading up the UK investigation, and invites Elea to join them as a consultant - even though he is aware it might mean disruption for him both personally and professionally. Can Elea conjure up the break they need?
In a delicious clash of two of my favourite things - an ice cold Nordic noir thriller, and home-grown police procedural with a team you can whole-heartedly pin your colours to - this first instalment in a brand new crime series was everything I hoped it would be, and more!
Elea, trailing havoc in her wake, blows into the incident room like the force of nature she is. Stirring up trouble almost as soon as she steps off the plane, her ball-busting, unconventional methods soon provide impetus to the investigation - and bring new hope that Liisa's fate might finally be revealed.
As the story unfurls, following the narratives of Elea and Swann in the present, and Lissa in the past, Mitchell spins her emotionally charged threads with accomplished skill, and uses the slow-burn terror of Liisa's predicament, the authentic feel of an investigation mired in politics and paperwork, and the sparks that fly between Elea and Swann, to drive the plot in equal measure. She introduces the different characters in Swann's team in a way that makes their individual personalities stand out, and ensures you know exactly what Elea's arrival means for Swann's new relationship - cue lots of drama, given the palpable unresolved feelings that still lie between Elea and Swann.
Lovely themes run through the whole novel around the weight of things unsaid, mothers and daughters, the complex dynamics between captive and abductor, and the first-class twists come like a sucker-punch to the midriff!
I absorbed this gem from cover to cover, totally invested in the characters, and cannot wait to get to know more about them as the series develops. I need more Caroline Mitchell in my life!
The Ice Angels is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
Caroline Mitchell is a New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and international #No. 1 bestselling author who has sold over 2 million books . She originates from Ireland and now lives in a woodland village outside the city of Lincoln. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.
Her books have won first place as ‘Best Psychological Thriller’ in the US Reader’s’ Favourite Award Contest, been shortlisted for the International Thriller Writer Awards in New York and been shortlisted for ‘Best Procedural’ in the Killer Nashville awards and the Audie awards. Her crime thriller, Truth And Lies is a No.1 New York Times bestseller and has been optioned for TV.
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