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Murder on Ice is the first of Alina Adams's figure-skating mysteries, with the heroine Bex Levy working as a researcher for the ABC sports broadcast of a high-profile competition where the women's gold medal is being contested between an American skater and a Russian one. When the Russian dies of an apparent accident, the international ramifications are immediate and ugly.
Adams herself worked in figure-skating broadcasting and the book is best when she is showing how that world actually operates: the politics of the judging panel, the choreography credits, the relationship between the federations and the broadcasters. The mystery itself is competent rather than ingenious. Bex is a serviceable narrator.
Three stars. Recommended primarily to skating fans, who will find the texture rewarding. A respectable debut in a niche subgenre.
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Axel of Evil by Alina Adams 2005 review. The third Figure Skating Mystery sends Bex Levy to Moscow for a competition where one of the favorites is murdered, again.
Death Drop
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Death Drop by Alina Adams 2007 review. The fourth Figure Skating Mystery takes Bex Levy backstage at a New York Stars on Ice tour where one of the skaters has been hospitalized after a sabotaged spin.
On Thin Ice
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On Thin Ice by Alina Adams 2004 review. The first Figure Skating Mystery sends Russian-American researcher Bex Levy to investigate a Sandra Bullock-style backstage skating murder.
Skate Crime
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A late Alina Adams figure-skating mystery. The formula running smoothly. Skating fans will be happy.
Annie's Wild Ride
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Annie's Wild Ride by Alina Adams 2002 review. A horse-racing romance from the figure-skating mystery author, transplanting her procedural eye from rinks to thoroughbreds.
When a Man Loves a Woman
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When a Man Loves a Woman by Alina Adams 1998 review. A Manhattan tabloid newspaper romance pre-dating the Figure Skating Mysteries, with the same working-day-job texture transferred to print journalism.
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