Book Review: Thin Ice by Irene Hannon

I’ve read other reviewers that say that Irene Hannon’s thrillers are a bit repetitive, and I have to say that I agree.  However, I really enjoy reading them, so it doesn’t bother me much.  They generally involve a woman who is being stalked by some unknown, crazy assailant, who turns to a man for help.  He may be a private detective, a police officer or an FBI agent.  They begin to fall in love and decide to wait until the case is solved to purse their feelings.  Then something happens where the woman is kidnapped or taken hostage, and the man must race against the clock to save her.  But Ms. Hannon does offer some variety that keeps each story interesting, and I keep going back for more!

Thin Ice is the story of Christy Reed, a former champion ice skater.  Within the last year she has lost her entire family in tragic accidents.  Her parents died in a car wreck, and her sister burned to death in a house fire.  She’s finally starting to feel normal again when she receives a letter claiming that her sister is alive and has been kidnapped.  She turns to FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor for help.  Lance is a new agent, having just joined the FBI from Delta Force.  At first he believes that Christy may be crazy, but when listens to her story, and reads the letter, he’s convinced something sinister is going on.  He and Christy begin to dig into her past, trying to learn who could be trying to hurt her.  Since Christy has no enemies that she knows about, their search seems fruitless.  But the danger is coming from a surprising source, and is closer than they know.  One little old woman holds the key to saving Christy’s life, but can she warn someone in time?  Can Lance figure out where Christy is before it’s too late?

Although many of Ms. Hannon’s story lines are similar, she keeps them interesting by varying the characters.  Obviously the title Thin Ice refers to Christy’s ice skating past, which holds the key to her current stalker.  And even though she ended up in a trunk like most of Ms. Hannon’s female characters, the final scenes in the woods are suspenseful as Lance races to save her.  Lance’s background story adds another interesting aspect to the story.  Even early in his relationship with Christy, he feels drawn to tell her about his past.  It’s obvious that he carries a heavy burden of guilt, and Christy helps him find the courage to face his fear.

Overall, I thought this book was great.  I loved the story, and I really liked Lance and Christy as the main characters.  One of my favorite things about Ms. Hannon’s novels is that she includes some characters from her past books.  If you are a long-time fan you will enjoy seeing a glimpse of some familiar faces as secondary characters in Thin Ice.  This book is the second in a series.  I have not read the first in the series, but I don’t feel like I missed any important information by missing it.  It is definitely a novel that I recommend by one of my favorite authors. 

Happy Reading!

Lyndsie

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.