After losing her parents in a car accident and her sister to a house fire, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Life is finally starting to feel normal again when an envelope arrives in the mail–addressed in her sister’s handwriting. And the note inside claims she is still alive.
FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case, but he’s coming up with more questions than answers. If Ginny Reed is still alive–who is the woman buried in her grave? Where is Ginny? And is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game–or the target of a sinister plot? As he digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: whoever is behind the bizarre ruse has a deadly agenda.
(From the author’s website.) Irene Hannon is a bestselling, award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of 10 with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.
Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut!
Since then, she has written more than 45 romance and romantic suspense novels. Her books have been honored with two RITA awards—the “Oscar” of romantic fiction—and she is a six-time finalist. Her books have also won a Daphne du Maurier award, a Carol award, two HOLT Medallions, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Retailers Choice Award and two Reviewers’ Choice awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. One of her novels was also named by Booklist as a top 10 inspirational fiction books of 2011. In addition, she is a Christy award finalist.
Irene, who holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full-time. She is happy to say she has no regrets!
In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening and singing. A trained vocalist, she has sung the leading role in numerous musicals, including “South Pacific,” “Brigadoon,” “Oklahoma” “The King and I” and “Anything Goes.” She is also a soloist at her church.
When not otherwise occupied, Irene and her husband enjoy traveling, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri.
My Impressions:
If you are looking for a novel with non-stop action, a bad guy with a case of serious creepiness and two main characters that make the sparks fly, then you need to get Irene Hannon’s latest romantic suspense, Thin Ice, book 2 in her Men of Valor series. Returning to St. Louis and the exploits of the hunky McGregor brothers, Hannon has written an outstanding novel that keep the pages turning. Make sure you have enough time and energy when you start this book, because it is one you just can’t put down.
Christy Reed is a former Olympic caliber ice skater who has faced more than her own share of tragedy in the last six months. Her parents’ death in a car accident and then the house fire that took her sister’s life were almost unbearable. But her faith in a loving God kept her moving, until a letter arrives turning her world upside down once again. FBI Rookie Lance McGregor may be new on the job, but his career as a Delta Force operator has prepared him for tough situations. But whoever is stalking Christy has prepared well and it’s a race against a pre-set agenda to find him before it’s too late.
Thin Ice combines great plotting and characterization to create a novel that has few, if any flaws. Even though the crimes unfold with the reader having more information than the characters, Hannon’s villain will still keep you guessing and cringing with his desire for power through fear and intimidation. The main characters have definite chemistry or electricity as they note, so there is a great balance between the suspenseful and romantic aspects of the story. As always, Hannon weaves a strong faith message throughout the novel. Christy’s faith is strong, but is stretched in the story. Lance returns to his childhood faith after realizing God’s hand is in all circumstances. Lance is a good example of the struggle between being independent and strong in life and allowing God to control our will. And while we don’t all have the super-egos, swagger, or expertise of a Navy SEAL or Delta Force operator, we all have to depend on God instead of ourselves.
Thin Ice is the second book of a series, but is easily read as a standalone. Characters from the previous book make appearances, but the story is all Christy and Lance. Another McGregor brother is introduced, and I look forward to more from him in book 3. So grab a hot beverage, turn up the fire and settle in for an engrossing read.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
To purchase this book, click HERE.
(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I just now read your review and you’re right, Beckie, we do think a lot alike. While I’ve enjoyed Irene’s other suspense novels, this villain got to me. I’m not sure why, but there’s two things I cannot tolerate reading about, and that’s serial killers and cruelty to animals. I used to enjoy books by a popular cozy mystery writer, but once I came upon a scene where the murderer poisoned the protagonist’s cat, I stopped and never read another of her books. In Irene’s book, I just couldn’t get the mouse scenes off my mind. But I like her writing so much that I’ll try again. Got to find out what happens to the other McGregor brother!
While I found those scenes hard to read, I think Hannon did a good job of not being too graphic. I appreciate that she didn’t go into detail with the human victims and the trauma they underwent. That could have been nightmare-inducing. I’m with you on finding out more about Finn McGregor. His story should be really good.