ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS'

Alina Adams Page

Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN: 0-425-19307-1
November 2003
A Figure Skating Mystery
www.alinaadams.com

By Tracy Farnsworth

Meet Rebecca “Bex” Levy, figure skating researcher for the 24/7 network.  Between keeping the married announcers from killing each other and doing her job, Bex has her hands full.  However, one event at the World Figure Skating Championships is about to spiral out of control.

When a Russian skater gives a poor performance, people are shocked to watch the judges choose the Russian girl over America’s sweetheart, Erin Simpson, for the gold.  Everyone is convinced the Italian judge was coerced.

When that very same judge turns up dead, her death is determined to be an accident.  Bex isn’t convinced.  When her boss twists her arm to get her to investigate, Bex tackles the case.  With a long list of potential suspects, none of whom want to open up, Bex finds this is her toughest assignment yet.
MURDER ON ICE mirrors events from the last Winter Olympics.  Corrupt judging, cutthroat battles between the skaters, and the behind the scenes viewpoint all help to add depth to this unique mystery.  I’ve seen plenty of sports mysteries in my life, but not many focus on figure skating.  Alina Adams has worked as a figure-skating researcher, so her knowledge of the job is impeccable.  You come away from the book thinking, “Wow.  I had no idea it was that rough a sport.”

This marks the first book in the new Figure Skating Mystery series.  It is shaping up to be an addicting collection of books.  I look forward to the next offering, MISSING ON ICE, due out in fall 2004.

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Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN: 0-425-19884-7
November 2004
A Figure Skating Mystery
Reviewed By Tracy Farnsworth

Rebecca “Lex” Levy is a researcher for the 24/7 Sports Network.  Since taking this job, Lex has learned more than she’d ever imagined.  When a prominent skating coach appeals to Lex for help, Lex becomes very interested in the story.

Jeremy Hunt is a typical thirteen-year-old boy, but he skates better than anyone Lex has ever seen before.  Jeremy flies through quadruple jumps with ease.  The problem is Jeremy’s father seems to be overly protective, and he refuses to allow Jeremy to compete in the nationals.  Jeremy wants to do this more than anything, and he’s hoping that a little network exposure might help his dad to see things differently.  However, their plan backfires.  Jeremy’s dad is more determined than ever to keep his son away from the sport.  To keep Lex out of their hair, Jeremy’s dad takes his son away.  Instead, Lex focuses on a story that she knows will impress viewers – Where Are They Now?

Lex’s story brings her deep into the world of figure skating.  But when one of the former skaters is murdered, Lex wonders if she has anything to do with it.  Could her snooping have gotten the skater killed?  Lex’s troubles are only beginning.  As she starts to unravel years of secrets, Jeremy disappears.  His father is desperate and turns to Lex for help.  With little to go on, Lex has no idea if the boy is in danger, nor does she have the slightest clue as to where he could have been taken.  One thing is for sure, Lex is not going to rest until she has cracked this case.

Alina Adams uses her experience in the world of figure skating to bring life to her stories.  Details of the skating industry, and even the secrets behind closed doors, never fail to impress this reader.  I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put the book down until Jeremy’s fate was decided.

The only issue I had with this book was the fact that police are usually very generous with the information they hand over to Lex.  After the skater is murdered, Alina is given details that I don’t believe police would normally give out – where she was found, what she was wearing, where the injuries were.  However, this really is a trivial matter as ON THIN ICE is a fictional tale.  It may seem realistic and straight out of the news, but to me creating a fictional story that seems incredibly real is the mark of a very talented author.

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