Season of Ice by Diane Les Becquets

Genesis remembers everything about that day. Everything is clear. What she wishes she remembered is saying that she loved her dad before he walked out the door. She wishes she had even just said goodbye. Instead she was so focused on beginning work on her car she let him walk out the door without saying anything. Then he never came back and her life changed forever.

Genesis and her family life in Maine on a large lake. Storms rise up quickly, people get lost in the woods, it isn't uncommon. However she never thought her father would be one of those people. She never thought he'd take the boat out on the lake and never come back. She never thought that they'd have to call off the search for his body because conditions are too bad. She never thought she'd start to second guess the character of her dad and whether or not he actually died that day.

While this isn't a mystery or a thriller there are definitely elements of those in this book. It is written with tension and feels a bit noir. The mystery elements drew me into the story. The author reveals things slowly, a comment here, a thought there, until you are sure the story is building to a certain point (which it may or may not do. It definitely wasn't a cliched ending). Add that to the cruel winter conditions that pepper the story and you have a good idea of the tone of the book. There were also some neat surprises. Genesis races cars on the ice and she's pretty good. I thought that was sort of cool parallel to life since that woman, Danica Patrick, just won some major car race.

She also added an author note explaining how she developed the idea for the novel. It was fascinating. I wish more authors did the same.