Death Drop

A Figure Skating Mystery #4

by Alina Adams

When a young ice-dancing champion is murdered and her baby is abandoned, Bex, a reporter for the 24/7 television network, finds herself skating on thin ice when she calls into the question the paternity of the child. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 3, 2006

About the author

Alina Adams is Jewish, lives on the East Coast, married with two kids and is the author of Berkley Prime Crime's "Figure Skating Mysteries," including "Murder on Ice," "On Thin Ice," and coming in January 2006 "Axel of Evil!"

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery. I like Bex and the inside look at the skating world is a nice change. Just an FYI, there is some language in here that’s not usually in a cozy.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Bex and Craig are becoming and item. And I loved the use of a Killian hold as an important clue!!

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a nod to the 2018 Winter Olympics, I had to pick up this skating mystery. 24/7 researcher Bex is back in the skating world at Nationals, excited to have her piece unveiling the story of Jeremy and his mother's death air during the competition, is caught up in another mystery when a former ice dance skater is discovered dead, an apparent suicide, and a small baby abandoned at the rink. Two men step forward to claim paternity, and it turns out that it wasn't a suicide.

[Lindsey Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, outrageous, scandalous and chaotic, Adams' books are a guilty pleasure - a glimpse into the crazy side of figure-skating rendered with cutting wit and ever more bizarre soap opera turns. The characters are vividly rendered and often larger than life.

This book is breathless: in fact, after the prologue, the next eighty-some pages are part of the same extended scene, as one section of action rolls naturally into the next.

There's a good sense of continuity from previous episodes: Lian Reilly returns, Gary Gold and Lucian Pryce have cameos, and I was particularly pleased to see a bit of sexual tension that wouldn't have been appropriate in an earlier book return to torment Bex. (Though I did think that the off-handed mention of Jordan as promiscuous didn't jive with my previous memories of that character.)

The book isn't without flaws. While Bex has matured, it's taken some of the fun out of her, and I found her unusually passive throughout portions of the story, playing observer to the dramas around her. I also found that part of the conclusion wasn't properly foreshadowed and it kind of seemed like a nonsequitor when it was revealed ... but it wasn't the main thrust of the mystery, so not a big deal.

Overall, a satisfying - and very swift - read. It's amazing to me that Adams can turn out multiple books with this energy. It must be exhausting to write.

[Katt Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series the main character is witty and fun. Throughout the series I would catch myself laughing and smiling throughout the books I would highly recommend these books to anyone who is looking for good mystery that's not too dark.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to complete a task in one of my reading groups. I would classify it as a light read. Interesting story that was dependent on ice skating as setting. It was a light, quick read.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fluffy little mystery for die-hard skating fans!