We all know someone who has trouble follow them wherever they go. When trouble is their bread and butter, though, they welcome it with open arms.
Sharon Kay’s heroine, Michelle Kilpatrick, has been a fictional version of this person who has now investigated three hometown murders, each distinct from one another but also linked together. Below is my review of her latest installment, Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies, followed by an interview with Kay about her novel.
Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies plot summary
It’s April 1975, and journalism student Michelle Kilpatrick and her writing partner, Craig, are writing a story about a figure skating team who is training for the Olympics in the local Petersburg rink. The story turns even juicier, though, when the coach’s team, Coach Wyatt, is murdered at his rental home after Michelle and Craig attend a dinner at the home.
The prime suspect is Craig’s cousin, Danny, the son of two convicted murders, as Coach Wyatt was found to be strangled to death with Danny’s scarf. However, Michelle is not convinced that he’s the culprit.
As Michelle gets to work attempting to expose the murderer, she and her family find themselves targeted by someone who doesn’t want the truth to get out. As the threats continue, Michelle feels pressured by her friends, family, and the police not to continue. But Michelle feels that not only will finding the murderer bring justice for Coach Wyatt, it will also make her family safe again.
The story
Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies is a very concentrated murder mystery that ties into the first two books in the series while standing on its own two legs as a solo entry into the Michell Kilpatrick series. At the beginning of the story, Michelle finds herself frustrated by her lack of job prospects, despite solving two previous murders in town and writing companion pieces in large newspapers. She’s anxious to move onto bigger and better things and to escape her family’s disappointment in her not helping out on the family farm.
In the meantime, Michelle passes the time hanging out with her friends who start an underground coffee business to combat the newly priced coffee in the commuter lounge. She also weighs her feelings for Craig and her best friend, T.J., two men who are dependable and protective of her, though she’s unsure of developing a romantic relationship with either of them for many different reasons.
The mystery aspect of the story is a very unique premise. Despite its spring setting, figure skating serves almost as its own character in the story. Michelle is no expert in the sport, though she quickly familiarizes herself with the sport and Coach Wyatt’s history with the sport.
The key players/suspects in the murder have ties to Michelle’s friends and other individuals she has investigated in the past. It also puts her back on the radar of Detective Douglas who has played a key role in Michelle’s prior investigations, mostly as a roadblock for Michelle to navigate around.
Despite the small town, Petersburg houses a lot of secrets, scandals, and conspiracies, and it’s interesting to watch Michelle pry them out into the open from book to book. Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies delivers as strongly as the other books in the series in terms of the murders, the high stakes, and the developing connections between Michelle and the mysterious individual in a Limousine who appears to be pulling the strings in these mysteries.
The characters
Michelle is back and just as headstrong, conflicted, and targeted as ever. Journalism is still her main focus and the obsession that drives her. As a career-driven woman in the 70s, she’s got a lot riding against her. Luckily, she has a strong support system in her friend’s group, and in true Lois Lane fashion, her intrepidness often requires her to be physically rescued from time to time.
This might seem a little dated for a modern audience, but to me, it feels real. Even with her self-defense skills, she’s not a ninja or superhero, just a college student who gets in over her head from time to time. But this doesn’t make her any less brave.
As crucial as it is for the story for Michelle to continue her investigations, not only is it dangerous for her but also for her family. As one threat in particular puts her mother’s life at risk, Michelle finds herself out investigating rather than by her mother’s side. It comes across as selfish in one way but also shows how much she values her investigative skills and uses them to be of use more so than taking care of the house or being with her family. This puts an added strain between her and her parents and siblings and even causes them to lash out at her in hurtful ways.
There’s also a collection of new characters to utilize as potential allies and suspects. The skating community is tight-knit, though there are fractures in the relationships that Michelle is able to expose and slip through in order to learn more about a motive for Coach Wyatt’s murder. And as she does, she begins to learn how intertwined the corruption in the skating world is with the corruption in Petersburg overall.
Two constants in Michelle’s life are Craig and T.J. While T.J. struggles in his relationship with his current girlfriend, he finds it hard to mask his jealousy towards Craig who uses any opportunity to spend his free time with Michelle. Michelle’ s tunnel vision puts all of this on the back burner, and I would have liked to have seen some forward movement in this ongoing subplot.
My recommendation
I recommend Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies to anyone who loves a cozy mystery and who has read the first two books in the Michelle Kilpatrick series. Book 3 relies heavily enough on the other two books that it feels necessary to have read the beginning of the series in order to truly understand and appreciate this installment.
A lot has happened to Michelle within a few short months. Yet, the timeline feels very appropriate and keeps Michelle both interested and interesting. I can’t wait to see what comes next for our college sleuth.
My rating
An interview with Sharon Kay
In the past, you’ve spoken about how you’ve plotted out your novels, creating lists and diagrams to help you navigate the story. How did you go about plotting out this book in the series?
As the storylines in the Michelle Kilpatrick Mysteries become more intricate, I’ve modified my approach to plotting the key elements, such as Michelle’s relationships with T.J., Craig, and her family, as well as the investigation into Sarah’s death and the whereabouts of Rossini. Using an Excel spreadsheet helps me make sure I don’t leave any plot holes or neglect details, such as the top songs or movies of the day and any current events. To give you an idea of what I am now doing, here is a screenshot for part of Book Four:
This novel takes place in April 1975. Were there any cultural details or events that you wanted to work into the book from that time period?
I wanted to remind readers about Lawrence’s connection to the Vietnam War, as this conflict influenced a generation’s perspective on the US government.
Also, despite the Beatles having gone their separate ways by the time Michelle was in college, a hope lingered during the mid-1970s that they would reunite. Since the Beatles continued to be such a force in 1975, I felt it important to mention Lennon’s appearance on The Tomorrow Show, which marked his final television interview (John Lennon was gunned down in 1980).
Another detail I wanted to include was the Cold War and the pervasive mistrust in the US toward individuals from Communist countries.
Your first two books have a companion playlist. Did you create one for this book? If so, do you have a link to share? Any favorite songs that ended up in the text?
Part of the fun in writing a series set in the 70s is enjoying the music. The playlist for all three books is here.
My favorites? Miracles and Ride the Tiger by Jefferson Starship, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll by the Rolling Stones, and Sister Golden Hair by America.
As her creator, how has it been developing Michelle as a character over multiple books now? Has she surprised you in any way? What aspects of her are your favorite?
When we first meet Michelle, she’s a sophomore in college, overcome with self-doubt. She has dreams of becoming a freelance reporter and traveling the world, but with little support from her family, she views every challenge as a barrier to her dreams. However, through a series of events—her friendship with Craig Miller, the success of her murder investigations, and the publication of her articles—her confidence begins to grow. Despite old doubts resurfacing, she keeps moving ahead. Sometimes, two steps forward, one step back —but at the end of the day, she’s making progress.
What surprises me about Michelle is that she never lets self-doubt or the need to please others stop her quest for justice. She keeps plowing ahead, even when she has to do it alone.
What inspired you to make figure skating the focus of this mystery? Are you a fan of figure skating as a sport?
At one time, all three of my kids were competitive figure skaters, training alongside National and Olympic medalists and working with top coaches. Throughout those years, I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes world of elite competitive figure skating.
Even though I still can’t tell the difference between a Toe Loop and a Lutz, I enjoy watching figure skating—the costumes and the artistry. And from time to time, a familiar face glides across the screen.
Was it a challenge to find ways to tie this book into the previous books, or did you find it easy? Are there any tricks to developing a mystery series over multiple books?
Connecting Book Three to the previous two was pretty easy, as the cast of characters was already well-developed, and many had their own storylines. However, the real challenge was—and continues to be—in making sure I address all the loose threads I’ve created within the overarching story.
What helped was the creation of an outline for all the story arcs across multiple books. Having a written outline provides me with clear direction for each book and a timetable for concluding various story arcs.
What do you think causes someone to commit a murder, whether premeditated or spontaneously? Do you think it’s something anyone could do under the right circumstances, or does it take a special kind of person to pull it off?
I suppose the reasons behind committing a murder run the gamut from self-defense to greed, jealousy, and rage. I like to think that for most people, killing someone is far outside their realm of possibilities and would never happen. Yet, I could see even the most morally conscious person taking a life to protect someone they love.
Michelle’s mood ring is used as a way to help unveil her underlying reactions to certain moments in the story. How did you come up with this plot device, and will we see it come up again in future books?
I worked at my parents’ gift shop in the 70s and always try to remember what some of our big “trendy” sellers were, such as mood rings, pet rocks, and the 1928 Jewelry Company. Mood rings were everywhere in the mid-70s, so I thought it would be fun to use them as a way of conveying Michelle’s emotions.
Michelle’s mood ring will be around for a bit longer—definitely in Book Four and possibly in Book Five. An interesting fact is that the crystals in the mood rings only lasted 1-2 years. When they faded, the rings were thrown away, and the trend came to an end until it was revived in the 1990s.
Spoiler: The pet rock will make an appearance in Book Five.
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Read my reviews of Book 1 and Book 2 here!
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