Book Review – Ice on the Grapevine, by R.E. Donald (3 coffee beans)
It’s kind of a stretch to review this as a road trip book, but the routes of the long-distance truckers was key to the plot, so we’ll “fudge factor” it in.
It’s difficult to review this book. It has big positives and, what to me, was a big negative. The author constructed a good plot, and the protagonist, Hunter Rayne, a former cop turned long-distance trucker, is a very likable guy. Was it a good story and well-written? Yes.
My problem? The first third of the book held my interest strongly. By the middle of the book, I was getting restless for some action. The book seemed stalled. I got impatient. When I finally finished reading this one, I was relieved. Two of the side plots held more of my interest and engaged more of my emotions. It had me wondering if these side stories were red herrings attached to the murder, or if they were just pieces of a more global picture of the players, or perhaps these are characters who recur in the series.
If another of Ms. Donald’s books fell into my lap, I would probably read it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to chase it down. As my coffee bean rating indicates, this book is “a passable, serviceable brew.”
