Murder on Ice

This is the first in the series of figure skating mysteries about TV researcher and sleuth Bex Levy. I'd already read the 3rd and 4th books. It's the World Figure Skating Championship, and surprisingly, the Russian skater wins over the American favorite, with the Italian judge casting the deciding vote. Amid a huge controversy over bloc voting and accusations of bribery or coercion, the Italian judge is found dead. The police seem inclined to view it as an accident, but it seems too coincidental to ignore. Bex has just gotten her job as figure skating researcher. Not only does she have to keep the on-air talent from screwing up (they're a former pairs skating team, who delight in goading each other), she's under the constant threat of losing her job (her boss's idea of motivation). So in desperation, Bex promises to deliver the real story in two days. The Good: The very realistic-feeling look inside the world of figure skating competitions, and our introduction to the slightly larger-than-life ongoing characters of Bex's boss Gil and the on-air commentators, the Howarths. The Bad: The slow accumulation of clues and following false leads was mildly frustrating, but it was also refreshingly realistic. I'd much rather read about a sleuth, particularly an amateur one, who makes mistakes than one who gets it all right from the beginning. And the reader's frustration evokes Bex's, which is good, too. The Verdict: Murder on Ice had been in my TBR pile for about a year. I'm hoping to unearth the 2nd book in the series before the 5th comes out.

This book should please every fan of figure skating. Bex Levy, skating reasercher for TV broadcaster 24/7 uncovers a tricky murder mystery using her powers of conversational crime fighting and meeting everyone from skating mothers to perky teenagers to eccentric coaches and skating-struck middle aged men along the way. I definitely recommend this hilarious book.

Murder on Ice by Alina Adams is a fabnlous book! It offers an accurate and humorous account of the figure skating world, with a storyline being a twist of the 2002 Olympics. Bex Levy is a figure skating researcher. She works 20 hour days, and knows all the ins and outs of the figure skating world. When the Russian beats the American at the world championships, the blame is pinned on the Italian judge for not voting with the western block. When the Italian judge is found dead the next day, Bex is ordered by her boss the find the killer. Murder on ice is a humerous, unique book that is recommended for figure skating fans of all ages, or for someone who just wants to read a great mystery.

This is a great cozy mystery. It is the first mystery I've read that combines murder and figure skating and is very well written. Rebecca "Bex" Levy is a figure-skating researcher for the 24/7 network. It is the World Figure Skating Championships in San Francisco -- the end of her first season. The Russian skater, Xenia Trubin, is awarded the Gold medal and the U. S. skater, Erin Simpson, is awarded the Silver medal. The 24/7 broadcasters, Diana and Francis Howarth, state on the air that they believe Erin skated better and should have been awarded the Gold. They go on to imply that the Italian judge was bribed to vote with the ex-Soviet bloc of judges. Bex is appalled. Then Silvana Potenza, the Italian judge, is found dead. The police believe it was an accident. Bex finds a printout of an email sent to Silvana the morning before the ladies' long program. It lists the ladies' finish order as Xenia first and Erin second. The email was signed Sergei Alemazov, Xenia's coach. Bex finds there are so many suspects and so little time -- she has promised her boss Gil that she'd figure out who killed Silvana before their big show in two days. I am a fan of figure skating, so merging it and murder together truly interested me. I like Bex, she's a very likable character. Her job as a researcher helps her have access to and information about the people involved that most people couldn't find. Ms. Adams has done a great job in creating this character. Bex' boss Gil is a bit over the top, but that's what makes him so great. The Howarth's are very believable and are utilized at the right times in this book. This was a great book in what I hope will be a long series. I can't wait to read the next one. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.

Since starting her research job at Network 24/7, Bex Levy has had to learn everything there was to know about figure skating. That way when TV commentators Francis and Diana Howarth are commenting on a live show they have all the needed material at their fingertips. At the World Figure Skating Championship's in San Francisco, everyone expects cute Erin Simpson to take the gold.When the final results are tabulated, the Russian girl Xenia Trubin wins the top prize. The fans, the TV commentators and Erin's mother all say that Erin was cheated out of the gold. The four Russian judges voted for Xenia and the four western judges voted for Erin. The tie breaker vote was cast by Italian Judge Silvana Potenza who later was found murdered in the refrigerator room of the ice skating rink. The director of 24/7 tells Bex that if she wants a job next year she has to figure out who the killer is, which leaves her skating on thin ice.Alina Adams gives a glimpse into the rivalries, the animosities and the bickering that goes on in the world of amateur figure skating. However, as interesting as that is, the protagonist scores a 10 as one of better leads to come along in years. She is perky, has a delightful sense of humor and leaves no stone unturned in her quest to find a murderer though one must wonder why her employer forced Bex to play detective. MURDER ON ICE is a winning amateur sleuth tale starring a delightful self-deprecating heroine.