World Famous Comics: Ice Run: An Alex McKnight Novel (Alex McKnight Novels)
Ice Run: An Alex McKnight Novel (Alex McKnight Novels)
By: Steve Hamilton Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: St. Martin's Minotaur Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: June 13, 2005 Release Date: May 31, 2005
It may be one of the worst winters in recent memory in Paradise, Michigan, but Alex McKnight is looking forward to spending some quality time with his new girlfriend, Natalie Reynaud, an officer from the Ontario Provincial Police. But a chance encounter with a mysterious old man, Simon Grant, turns chilling when he seems to know a lot about Natalie and her family.
When Natalie and Alex return to their room later that evening, they discover the same hat the old man was wearing lying outside their room filled with ice and snow and containing a cryptic note: I know who you are! A day later, Simon Grant is found frozen to death in a snowdrift.
Natalie and Alex are stunned. The mystery is just too much of a coincidence for Alex to ignore. His trail leads him to a blood feud buried decades ago in Natalie's family's past-an event that can still drive men to kill each other...
Ice Run This book was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. But I did enjoy reading it anyway.
Very Slow! I got this book based on the high reviews it got on Amazon. I don't know how it can be termed "thriller" as virtually nothing happens until the last 50 pages of the book and then the action is minimal.
Alex, a "retired" investigator tries to solve a mystery as to why an old man left his girlfriend and old hat with snow and a message before walking out into the snow and dying. Most of the book takes place with Alex going back and forth from his house to the Michigan town that the incident took place and to Canada where his girlfriend is from. Sometimes it is difficult to remember where Alex is without going back a few pages to re-read where he is.
When the mystery was solved, I felt myself cheated to have read 300 pages for virtually nothing.
Extremely entertaining -- great book to curl up with by a fire! Another great installment in Hamilton's mystery series featuring ex-private detective Alex McKnight. In this one, Alex has just fallen hard for an Ontario police officer named Natalie Reynaud. A big snowstorm is on its way (these novels are all set in snowy Missouri), so their plan to meet up in Ontario for the weekend is out. But the two decide to meet each other halfway at a hotel in Soo, Michigan, instead. When they get there, they encounter a strange elderly man in the lobby of the hotel. He keeps staring at them, then smiling and tipping his hat. After a drink or two, Alex and Natalie head up to their room where, outside the door, they find an old-fashioned hat full of snow with a note that says, "I know who you are." It's clearly from the old man, so Alex goes back down to try to find him. Only, instead, he finds the old man is gone. The next morning, they get the news -- the old man was found frozen to death a few blocks from the hotel, and the doorman has been telling everyone it was Alex's doing.
The next thing Alex knows, he's caught in the middle of a century-old family feud. As it turns out, the old man's father was killed eighty years ago and his family has blamed Natalie's family for the murder ever since. The old man's sons find out who Natalie is, and soon she disappears, leaving Alex to assume the only thing that makes sense -- that she's been kidnapped by the old man's family, who are hell-bent on taking her life in revenge. The snowstorm has made it virtually impossible to get anywhere safely, but Alex has to find Natalie. Before he does, though, he'll come across three more dead bodies and almost lose his own life in the process.
I know I've read at least one more novel in this series and enjoyed it, so I have no idea why it took me so long to get to another one of these. I won't make that mistake again, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more! This is the perfect book to cozy up with on your couch by the fire on a snow day (which is what I was doing with it two days ago myself). Definitely recommended!
Michigan thrillers. Wow! Ijust loved this novel. Hamilton captures the feel of northern Michigan perfectly. What is it with these Michigan authors?, my two favourite books of the season so far both by Michiganders, 'Ice Run' and Bradlet T Platts 'Deadstream. Both unputdownable and must reads.
A good read without a lot of fluff or filler Hamilton does a fairly good representation of Upper Michigan and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario and area. Clearly he has spent enough time there to cite specific locations and directions, and he captures the atmosphere pretty good, if somewhat cliche. The location lends a different backdrop to basic plotlines, and he works that backdrop into the stories in this series. A refreshing approach to a well used genre.
This is a good weekend read and very enjoyable -perfect for an afternoon by the pool or a rainy weekend at the cottage. It is a little on the 'easy reading' side of things, and not as involved plotwise as something by Ludlum or Clancy, but it is very easy to fall into the story very quickly, or pick it up again after a break. A good style for a tired mind after a busy week. I have recommended this series to others and will continue to do so as I look forward to the next book. -Start at the beginning, as parts of the stories build on each other.
A Cold Day In Paradise 2000 Winter of the Wolf Moon 2001 The Hunting Wind 2002 North of Nowhere 2003 Blood is the Sky 2004 Ice Run 2005
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