“I knew I was keeping it together by only the thinnest of threads, but that was better than not keeping it together at all.”

Paige Shelton, Thin Ice

Goodreads Synopsis:

Beth Rivers is on the run – she’s doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic’s obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she’s got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout.

Beth’s new home in Alaska is sparsely populated with people who all seem to be running or hiding from something, and though she accidentally booked a room at a halfway house, she feels safer than she’s felt since Levi took her. That is, until she’s told about a local death that’s a suspected murder. Could the death of Linda Rafferty have anything to do with her horror at the hands of Levi Brooks?

As Beth navigates her way through the wilds of her new home, her memories of her time in the van are coming back, replaying the terror and the fear–and threatening to keep her from healing, from reclaiming her old life again. Can she get back to norma, will she ever truly feel safe, and can she help solve the local mystery, if only so she doesn’t have to think about her own?

My Thoughts:

This book was a great kick off for a mystery series. The Alaskan setting is perfect for a murder mystery. The isolation and harsh weather conditions add an element of danger. Normally, I find it improbable when series are set in small communities that have murders take place every couple of months. It works here for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a place people in trouble go to as an escape. Second, there’s a halfway house bringing in a criminal element. So, the danger makes sense. I also like that there are two mysteries: the main mystery which is solved within the book, and the bigger mystery of Paige’s stalker which I assume will progress in each book.

Reasons I liked Thin Ice:

• Alaskan setting
• Cast of interesting characters
• Interesting subplots
• Main character is a writer