"Entertaining skating mystery"

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 refuses 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 Adams was once herself a figure-skating researcher and it shows in her story that she knows the business. It is a very well written book. 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 both books.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Posted November 21, 2004

Summary

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.