I was furiously flipping pages the entire time I read On The Ice.
Leo is a climate scientist who is spending a year in Antarctica. His sister Ellie arrives to write a screenplay about this research station. The odd thing is that when Ellie arrives, Leo is nowhere to be found. We follow Ellie’s desperate search for her brother. We also see what happened to Leo before she arrived.
Every person seemed like they either knew something or had a reason to potentially harm Leo. As the days progressed, and Ellie becomes increasingly concerned, I did too. I just wanted her to find her brother. The isolated setting and the extreme cold made everything seem more like I always had a clock ticking in my head. How long could Leo last outside? Or is he somewhere safe? You will need to read this page turner to find out.

On the Ice by Keaton McGruder

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Antarctica, a missing scientist, a screenwriter who arrives at a remote research station only to discover her brother has disappeared, and a whole lot of secrets? Yes, please.

Ellie Best is a screenwriter who has been given the incredible opportunity to spend a month at McMurdo Station in Antarctica researching for her murder mystery. Her brother Leo is already there, working as a climate scientist studying the shrinking ice caps. But when Ellie arrives, Leo is nowhere to be found. And with only a couple hundred people at the station, the question becomes: How does someone simply disappear?

As Ellie starts asking questions, it becomes increasingly clear that people are hiding things. Strange things begin happening around the station, and suddenly Ellie isn't just trying to figure out what happened to her brother—she may have to figure out who she can actually trust.

I absolutely loved the dual POV structure, which alternates between Ellie and Leo and gives us two very different perspectives of life on the Antarctic ice. Seeing Leo experience the months of darkness and isolation while Ellie arrives during the endless daylight was fascinating. The descriptions of Antarctica really stood out to me, and the extreme environment becomes almost a character itself. The cold, isolation, darkness, and sheer impossibility of surviving outside the station create an incredibly effective backdrop for a mystery.

I also really loved Ellie. She is dealing with her own trauma while trying to piece together what happened to her brother, and I found myself rooting for her on both fronts. I wanted her to solve the mystery, but I also wanted her to find some healing along the way. Her investigation slowly exposes the complicated relationships and secrets within the station, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what everyone was hiding.

This book manages to blend mystery, suspense, a little romance, and plenty of interpersonal drama into a setting you don't see every day. There were definitely moments when I thought I had figured everything out, only to question myself again. While the pacing is more of a slow burn than an all-out thriller, I found the atmosphere and the mystery compelling enough to keep me reading.

And honestly, reading about months of darkness, isolation, and extreme cold makes you appreciate something as simple as sunlight. 😂 I may never complain about a cloudy day again.

On the Ice is an atmospheric, unique, and thoroughly entertaining debut. I loved getting lost in the frozen isolation of Antarctica, and I will absolutely be watching to see what Keaton McGruder writes next. If you enjoy mysteries with unusual settings, complicated characters, secrets, and a touch of romance, this is definitely one to add to your list.

4.5–5 stars!

What an awesome book to debut her writing talents. This book has it all. Mystery, suspense, a little bit of romantic feelings and a whole lot of wow! This is definitely a real page turner and I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

Antarctica is my dream destination, so I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw it! On the Ice definitely didn't disappoint! There are two POVs and two timelines and I thought that worked really well for this book. I loved seeing what led up to Leo's disappearance as well as Ellie's search for him. Though I enjoyed both POVs, Leo's was my favorite. Ellie could be a smidge annoying at times. The setting is great and though the pace was a little slow, I was still able to read this book in less than 48 hours. There is a lot of suspense and mystery, and I did not know how it was going to end. Overall, On the Ice is a great debut and I look forward to seeing what Keaton McGruder comes up with next! 4.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

On the Ice is atmospheric, haunting, and beautifully written. There were so many lines I wanted to highlight to go back to later that I had to stop myself from highlighting the entire book! The emotions are so deeply woven and the observations on characters had me pausing to consider each interaction carefully. I absolutely loved it! Perfect for fans of The Sanatorium, Charlotte McConaghy, Ruth Ware, and anyone who loves a mystery set in an isolated environment.

This was a great debut novel by Keaton McGruder.

Ellie Best's brother Leo is a climate scientist leading a research group in Antarctica. Ellie is a writer and she has won a grant to write a screenplay and is allowed to be a guest at the station where her brother is. She has been writing this screenplay and Leo has helped her with some of it as it is set at an Antarctica research station.

Leo is set to be at the station for a year. He goes and the six months of winter is taking place while Ellie goes for the summer and when she gets there, Leo is missing. She thinks he may be hiding as that would follow her screenplay. He had sent her a text two days before telling her not to come. She lets him know she is on the way.

There is a small cast of characters out of about 100 people who are at the research station. The endless night is brutal and the story is told through the eyes of Leo during that time and also through Ellie's eyes as she arrives and starts an investigation into Leo's absence. She does not know who she can trust.

This was a totally captivating story and I could not put it down. The information about the Antarctic was fascinating and a little scary, but the life there made me more than a little claustrophobic just reading about it. There is a strong mystery here and the tension really builds. The ending was not what I was expecting and that is a sign of a well written story.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am most grateful for this opportunity.

I find stories in the snow to be terribly frightning! Keaton McGruder had me by setting the novel in Antarctica. At an isolated research station there is a missing scientist during the months of darkness amongst a group of people who have been trapped together long enough for everyone to be annoyed to the point of anger.

Ellie Best arrives at McMurdo Station after winning a grant to work on a screenplay. Her brother Leo is there too, leading a climate research expedition, but by the time Ellie arrives, he has disappeared into thin air. No one believes her at first, but soon the base is alarmed. In Antarctica, that is not the kind of disappearance you can survive.

Ellie starts asking questions, and the station quickly begins to feel like a locked-room mystery at the end of the world. Leo had friends, enemies, lovers, and secrets, and months of isolation have pushed everyone into relationships that are like kindling waiting for a spark. Then there is a fire on the base that echoes something Ellie has written into her play, and suddenly the question is not just what happened to Leo. Someone may be watching Ellie too.


The book moves between Leo’s winter, when the station is surrounded by darkness, and Ellie’s summer, when the sun never really sets. I liked that contrast a lot because it makes the same place feel completely different depending on whose part of the story you are in.

On the Ice is a tense, atmospheric mystery with a setting that does a lot of the work. The isolation, the strange rhythms of light and darkness, and the pressure of living in such an extreme environment make the station feel like its own little world.

#OntheIce #KeatonMcGruder #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

Publication date: February 2, 2027

I loved the dual POVs and how differently Ellie and Leo experience Antarctica—one through months of darkness, the other under endless daylight. The setting is incredible, and the cold, isolation, and danger make the station feel like a character itself. Ellie was especially easy to root for as she searched for answers about her brother while dealing with her own trauma. The mystery unfolds slowly through secrets, strained relationships, and plenty of suspicion. It’s more slow-burn than high-speed thriller, but the atmosphere, suspense, and unusual setting kept me hooked.

How does someone simply disappear? That is the question that drives this novel and had me hooked from the beginning. The dual pov was a nice touch because we really get some good insight into two completely different perspectives and thoughts. Leo is all darkness, and Ellie is all sunshine. It was just fascinating to dive into. I think this is going to be a bestseller for sure, and I think this plot twist will have people running back to McGrunder for more.

The story is reminiscent of a classic golden age crime story, and you can tell that the author is a fan of them and their plots.A superb read.

Ellie Best is thrilled when she wins a grant to travel to Antarctica and complete the screenplay for her new TV series, set at the remote McMurdo Station. Her brother Leo, a research scientist, is already there, and their friend Hugo is due to arrive. But when Ellie gets to McMurdo, Leo is missing and no one seems concerned or able to explain where he has gone. Determined to find her brother, Ellie begins investigating his disappearance. Then she realizes that scenes from her screenplay are coming to life.

On the Ice is narrated by Leo in the winter of constant night and Ellie in the summer of daylight. Claustrophobia and suspicion dominate both seasons, and both brother and sister must decide who, if anyone, can be trusted. Deliberately slow paced, the plot moves to an inevitable conclusion. On the Ice is a dark, disturbing mystery set in an atmospheric location. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Keaton McGruder for this ARC.

If you are looking for a page turning thriller, then look no further! Ellie Best is a screenwriter who wins a grant to spend a month at a research station in Antarctica. Her brother Leo is a lead scientist there on a year long research project,. They email frequently and he was excited she was coming but then as she was about to get on the plane he sent her a cryptic message. When she arrives he is no where to be found. Desperate to find her brother she begins to investigate. Everyone is a suspect, and she isn't sure who she can trust, but she is determined to find out the truth.

A fantastic debut novel that brings the importance of climate change to the forefront amidst a heart pounding mystery. I literally had trouble putting this down and read into the wee hours of the night. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes mystery thrillers, I look forward to her next novel. Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this novel.