On Thin Ice (Figure Skating Mystery) [Paperback]

Alina Adams (Author)

Book Description

Series: Figure Skating Mystery | Publication Date: October 5, 2004

Bex Levy has seen her share of skating stars. But thirteen-year-old Jeremy Hunt may be the best of the best, with his winning smile, flawless technique, and more talent than most skaters twice his age. So, when his strangely protective father refuses to allow him to go to Nationals, and the two vanish, Bex knows there's a better story off the ice than on.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adams . . . has the wacky, incestuous world of skating down cold . . ."
-- Chicago Tribune (Chicago Tribune ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425198847
• ISBN-13: 978-0425198841
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,174,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adam's Ice Skating Series worth checking out, November 2, 2004

By 

avidbookreader "Keishon" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Thin Ice (Figure Skating Mystery) (Paperback)

If you like cozies then this series is for you. The mystery isn't very challenging but the characters are fun. Bex is a great amatuer sleuth, a 24/7 researcher who tries to uncover a ten-year old scandal of a past champion skating couple that results in a brutal murder. No hint of a romance as yet but I didn't miss it. Recommend. Looking forward to DEATH DROP.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great ice skating mystery, December 16, 2004

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Thin Ice (Figure Skating Mystery) (Paperback)

Bex Levy is a figure-skating researcher for the 24/7 network. Toni calls and asks her to come do a segment on thirteen-year-old Jeremy Hunt. He may be the future of skating. Unfortunately his father is refusing to allow him to compete at Nationals.

First Bex has to convice her boss that this story is worth covering. To do so, Bex has to make some agreements and put her job on the line. Once Bex arrives, she agrees with Toni that he is great on the ice. Before she can do much filming or ask any questions, his father stops her. Then he and Jeremy disappear.

Bex thinks there is more to this story than just a father not wanting his son to compete. Then she decides to do a story on other skaters that appeared to be up and coming and then disappeared from skating.

She begins searching down these past skaters and interviewing them. Some are willing to be interviewed and others would rather not. When one of the skaters she recently interviewed is found brutally murdered, Bex realizes not all competition stops on the ice. She is afraid someone is willing to kill to get their hands on Jeremy for themselves.

Can she uncover the truth before anyone else becomes a victim?

Alina was once herself a figure-skating researcher and it shows in her story that she knows the business. It is very well written. I enjoy the characters and their interactions as well as the skating intertwined with the mystery.

The story is well crafted. There are plenty of suspects so that it is difficult to determine who is guilty before it is uncovered.

I also enjoyed her first book, but it isn't necessary to read it before this one. It is a series, but they can be read independently. I highly recommend this book, as well as Murder on Ice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some additional info, February 8, 2005

By 

La Bruja del Hielo, HOI (Ret.) (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Thin Ice (Figure Skating Mystery) (Paperback)

The Antonia Wright character is based on a Real Woman, who was finally, belatedly, inducted into the Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997. Her name was Mabel Fairbanks, and she DID break the "color barrier" in ice skating, not for herself, but for her many students. Anyone who wants to know more about her can start with this article:
[...]

I love Alina Adams's Figure Skating mysteries...I was lucky enough to avoid the weird world of amateur competition by becoming a professional skater the minute I graduated from high school in 1957. But the worlds do have their similarities, and I felt like I'd come "home" while reading this novel. Ms. Adams has the personalities and politics down pat. The touches of humor ring true, too.

Mostly, though,I love the fact that Ms. Adams cares enough about Mabel's life story to create a fictional character based on her. IMO, everyone should know more about this remarkable woman.