Alina Adams - On Thin Ice (2004)
Reviewed by Yvette Banek
Hot blood runs rampant in the ice cold world of figure skating. No one knows this better than Rebecca "Bex" Levy, junior researcher for a 24/7 Sports New York cable network. The plucky, self-deprecating heroine of On Thin Ice, the second installment in Alina Adams' unique new series, knows that the cutthroat road to gold medal glory is long and arduous and filled with the drama of bitter rivalries, overbearing moms and dads and contentious coaches who will stop at nothing to get their latest skating prodigy one triple Axel closer to the top of the heap.
"Bex was in charge of finding out everything there was to know about every single skater, Man, Woman, Pairs, and Dance, that had even the remotest chance of showing up on the air, and then digesting and summarizing that information into easy-to-read sound-bytes the announcers could pithily read on camera while sounding as if this was stuff they just happened to know off the tops of their heads. It was the most horrible kind of drudge-work."
But, armed with a quirky nose for news (and for self-promotion) and an eye towards making the eventual grade as a producer, despite her boss, Executive Producer Gill Cahill's less than enthusiastic response, Bex's reporter's instinct jumps into the fray after an odd phone call from coach Antonia Wright. Wright is a former medal-winning skater, now in her sixties, living in Hartford, Connecticut and currently handling an 8 year old skating prodigy. The boy, Jeremy Hunt, seems burdened with an anomaly, a publicity-shy father strangely reluctant to allow his gifted son to skate at the next levels of competition.
After viewing a tape of the brilliant young skater, (sent surreptitiously by the coach) Bex is positive that a compelling story lurks somewhere beneath the surface -- this could even be her chance for a promotion. She is soon chasing off to Connecticut, (despite her boss's misgivings) hot on the trail of the truth about Jeremy Hunt and his shy father, Craig.
When boy and father disappear, Bex isn't sure where to turn. But since when has that ever stopped an intrepid reporter? Especially one who is career-hungry and eager to prove her boss wrong. Oddly likeable in spite of her sharp nose for news, Bex's wise little cracks dropped usually at her own expense add to the fun of reading this fast paced tale. No great brain-stretch here, just an enjoyable couple of hours, arm in arm with a spunky heroine set loose in a quirky, often unfamiliar world. A world where ugliness is often camouflaged by a dazzling, glitzy facade.
Eventually the trail leads Bex to Pennsylvania and shortly thereafter, murder ensues when old friends and enemies come out of the woods (in this case, the Poconos) to spoil the present. Though the story could've done with a bit more depth and most of the characters, except for Bex and her boss Gil, lack real definition, there are enough plot twists in On Thin Ice to keep the reader intrigued. Though the killer isn't difficult to identify, that hardly matters. Hanging out with Bex Levy, girl reporter, was easily the most fun I've had in a while. As for Gil Cahil, one gets the feeling he's supposed to be a bit of a heavy, but this reviewer was quite taken with his deliciously nasty attitude. Hopefully, he'll have more to do in the future.
Knowing next to nothing about skating, (except for what I see during the Olympics) didn't stop me from enjoying On Thin Ice and wondering why no one's ever thought of this before? I suppose this book is a kind of eye-opener. Who knew the world of ice skating was fraught with this kind of soap opera? Author Alina Adams obviously does and her next Bex Levy, titled Death Drop, is already -- dare I say it? -- waiting on ice.
Posted by Yvette Banek in Book Reviews | Permalink
