Book Review by Pat Allchorne: The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

When an author I respect – Sophie Hannah – describes this book as “unbearably gripping and suspenseful”, and all the other reviewers write along the same lines, indicating that there is a twist at the end, I couldn’t wait to order this one from the library.

The book begins with Angus and Sarah, the twins’ parents, sitting in a solicitor’s office discussing Angus’s inheritance of a Scottish island, complete with the lighthouse keeper’s dilapidated cottage. It is a big undertaking to move from London to a Scottish island, to a house which will need much renovation, but the two of them need a fresh start and, together with their daughter and the dog Beanie, they move from London to their new home.

Sarah gave birth to identical twins seven years ago. They were christened “The Ice Twins” by Sarah’s dad, because they were born on the coldest day of the year, with ice-blue eyes and blonde hair. Fourteen months ago, one of them, Lydia, died in a tragic accident, and the remaining twin, Kirstie, suddenly claims to be Lydia, that her parents had identified the wrong twin at the scene of the accident.

The twins were so alike that it was really difficult to tell them apart, so from birth, Sarah would paint one nail of each with a different colour of varnish. As they grew older, she would dress them in different colours. Kirstie was always the outgoing one, with Lydia being quieter and more reserved. They also had different favourite toys, and now Kirstie is taking on more and more of Lydia’s characteristics. When Sarah takes her to her new school after they have moved to the island, Kirstie throws a tantrum and refuses to stay there unless her teacher calls her Lydia. In order to keep the peace Sarah re-registers her under her twin’s name. When Kirstie’s teacher says that she has noticed a change in personality, and traits in Kirstie which belonged to Lydia, Sarah’s worries become more real.

Angus and Sarah have had difficulties in their marriage since Lydia died; both of them have had affairs which didn’t last, and find it hard to move on. Hints are given that Angus knows something about the death that he isn’t telling, and Kirstie/Lydia becomes stranger and stranger, claiming that Lydia/Kirstie appears to her and they play together. She refers to herself as “we”, and Sarah goes along with her to keep her calm, but after seeing a psychologist begins to have suspicions about Angus, coming to the conclusion that he abused Kirstie. He is always cuddling her rather than Lydia, and things come to a head when Sarah accuses him. 

Throughout the book we are uncertain as to which twin survived, our opinion vacillating from one to the other. Intertwined with the drama of the characters is the drama of the uncertain weather on the island. The twist at the end caught me by surprise. S K Tremayne – real name Sean Thomas – has written several psychological thrillers, and I for one can’t wait to order another one from my local library.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives.

But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity—that she, in fact, is Lydia—their world comes crashing down once again.

As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, Sarah finds herself tortured by the past—what really happened on that fateful day one of her daughters died?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

You know those books that transport you to a place so vividly that you can almost feel the chill in the air or hear the whispers in the dark? That’s what S.K. Tremayne does best. But here’s something you might not know—S.K. Tremayne is actually the pen name of Sean Thomas.

Born in Devon and now based in London, he’s not just a bestselling author but also a journalist, traveling the world and drawing inspiration from real places that find their way into his stories—places that start out ordinary but soon become deeply unsettling.

His first psychological thriller, The Ice Twins, became a Sunday Times #1 bestseller, and his books have since been translated into thirty languages, topping charts across the globe. If you haven’t yet stepped into one of his hauntingly atmospheric worlds, now’s the perfect time.

FOLLOW US ON GOODREADS