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Ice Hunters
In the blink of an eye, a fisherman's idyllic vacation turns into a terrifying struggle for survival. One moment he is fly fishing a remote river in the icy mountains of New Zealand and the next, he finds himself on the wrong end of a manhunt.
As he tries to contend with starvation and the harsh and uncompromising wilderness, the fisherman must also deal with killers on his trail and the turmoil within his malnourished and frightened mind.
Meanwhile, Auckland detectives are hunting a shadowy criminal syndicate suspecting it is behind a rash of deaths related to the manufacture and distribution of crystal meth (ice), including that of an innocent teenage schoolgirl. The detectives' investigation and the fisherman's ordeal collide in the rocky, forested wilderness, where a brazen Maori police officer must salvage justice from lawlessness.
Ice Hunters is a fast-paced, chilling thriller that pits one man against nature and his fellow humans, and simultaneously weaves a powerful warning about illicit drugs into a gripping survival story. Set against a backdrop of the beautiful but unforgiving Southern Alps, the novel delivers danger and suspense from all sides.
If you like your crime fiction thrillers to be fast-paced and action-packed, your detectives rugged yet compassionate, and your story told in a ruthless no-holds-barred manner, then Ice Hunters is a must read.
As he tries to contend with starvation and the harsh and uncompromising wilderness, the fisherman must also deal with killers on his trail and the turmoil within his malnourished and frightened mind.
Meanwhile, Auckland detectives are hunting a shadowy criminal syndicate suspecting it is behind a rash of deaths related to the manufacture and distribution of crystal meth (ice), including that of an innocent teenage schoolgirl. The detectives' investigation and the fisherman's ordeal collide in the rocky, forested wilderness, where a brazen Maori police officer must salvage justice from lawlessness.
Ice Hunters is a fast-paced, chilling thriller that pits one man against nature and his fellow humans, and simultaneously weaves a powerful warning about illicit drugs into a gripping survival story. Set against a backdrop of the beautiful but unforgiving Southern Alps, the novel delivers danger and suspense from all sides.
If you like your crime fiction thrillers to be fast-paced and action-packed, your detectives rugged yet compassionate, and your story told in a ruthless no-holds-barred manner, then Ice Hunters is a must read.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2017
57 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Neil Roberts
1 book4 followersG’day there.
Hopefully you’ve read, or you’re considering reading my debut crime / fiction / thriller novel ‘Ice Hunters’... either way, your visit here is much appreciated!
I’ll touch on a little of my background first up, then talk more about my initial effort at scribing a suspense novel... I won’t go into too much detail, but I figure if you’ve gone to the trouble of reaching this page, the least I can do for you is paint a picture of how it all came about.
I grew up in a working class suburb of Melbourne, Australia. In high school (for the odd times I was in attendance and not truant on a fishing or camping expedition) my favourite subject was English, only marginally ahead of Geography. After leaving school and completing a trade in the building industry I guess Geography eventually won out, for I succumbed to the lure of the ocean and travel - which saw the next twenty years spent with the Royal Australian Navy.
It was an interesting twenty years which included many years at sea on numerous classes of ship (Tankers, Destroyers, Frigates, Patrol Boats and Landing Craft to name a few, plus one job on two classes of submarine), serving with the Multi-National Force and Observers peace keeping force in the Middle East, and a stint on the Royal Yacht Britannia (including meeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II).
The latter part of my naval career included research, analysis and the inevitable report writing - these skills were transferred to my next career with an Australian Law Enforcement Agency, where I was fortunate enough to again travel extensively and where I was provided the opportunity to analyse many different crime types and their associated risks both in Australia and overseas - much of which included liaison with Foreign Law Enforcement Agencies. I maintained a keen interest in illicit drug operations, their modus operandi, types of drugs being manufactured or imported, the broad spectrum of people involved, and of course the social and human toll of drug addiction.
Fast forward to retirement, and a key question was “what do I do when I’m not fishing, camping or four wheel drive touring?” The answer was to combine my experience in a law enforcement environment, and my research, analysis and report writing skills, with my interest in the drug trade and its impact on individuals and society as a whole.
In my first novel I wanted to incorporate not only some of the places I’ve been, a few life experiences and my passion for fishing and the outdoors, but also a powerful anti-drug message. Seeing so much harm and despair in my travels caused by illicit drugs, my first novel had to include a theme on drug abuse plus a powerful message to anyone using or considering using drugs... and hence ‘Ice Hunters’ was born... a mix of the outdoors, survival, fishing, good and evil, with a bit of drug education on the side.
If you’ve managed to read it, I not only hope you enjoyed the read, but I also hope the anti-drug message was apparent. At times the wording may seem excessively blunt, but to be honest, I think it needed to be. I’d dearly like the novel (or at least Chapter 11) to be required reading in Secondary Schools or Colleges to spread drug education/awareness and as a research topic (maybe even in an English class!) but if reading Ice Hunters makes just one person shy away from drug use, then I’ll be happy with the outcome, regardless of whether or not it makes a best seller list...
I’m in the process of a sequel, so would very much appreciate feedback from readers to ensure my next attempt is even better.
My beautiful wife of thirty years still (surprisingly) puts up with me and my continual quest to find remote camping and fishing locations. I think she is happy when I write... primarily because it keeps me at home for a while... and out of her hair. And while my adult sons don’t fish with me anywhere near enough, they are still amazing.
Thanks again for visiting.
Hopefully you’ve read, or you’re considering reading my debut crime / fiction / thriller novel ‘Ice Hunters’... either way, your visit here is much appreciated!
I’ll touch on a little of my background first up, then talk more about my initial effort at scribing a suspense novel... I won’t go into too much detail, but I figure if you’ve gone to the trouble of reaching this page, the least I can do for you is paint a picture of how it all came about.
I grew up in a working class suburb of Melbourne, Australia. In high school (for the odd times I was in attendance and not truant on a fishing or camping expedition) my favourite subject was English, only marginally ahead of Geography. After leaving school and completing a trade in the building industry I guess Geography eventually won out, for I succumbed to the lure of the ocean and travel - which saw the next twenty years spent with the Royal Australian Navy.
It was an interesting twenty years which included many years at sea on numerous classes of ship (Tankers, Destroyers, Frigates, Patrol Boats and Landing Craft to name a few, plus one job on two classes of submarine), serving with the Multi-National Force and Observers peace keeping force in the Middle East, and a stint on the Royal Yacht Britannia (including meeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II).
The latter part of my naval career included research, analysis and the inevitable report writing - these skills were transferred to my next career with an Australian Law Enforcement Agency, where I was fortunate enough to again travel extensively and where I was provided the opportunity to analyse many different crime types and their associated risks both in Australia and overseas - much of which included liaison with Foreign Law Enforcement Agencies. I maintained a keen interest in illicit drug operations, their modus operandi, types of drugs being manufactured or imported, the broad spectrum of people involved, and of course the social and human toll of drug addiction.
Fast forward to retirement, and a key question was “what do I do when I’m not fishing, camping or four wheel drive touring?” The answer was to combine my experience in a law enforcement environment, and my research, analysis and report writing skills, with my interest in the drug trade and its impact on individuals and society as a whole.
In my first novel I wanted to incorporate not only some of the places I’ve been, a few life experiences and my passion for fishing and the outdoors, but also a powerful anti-drug message. Seeing so much harm and despair in my travels caused by illicit drugs, my first novel had to include a theme on drug abuse plus a powerful message to anyone using or considering using drugs... and hence ‘Ice Hunters’ was born... a mix of the outdoors, survival, fishing, good and evil, with a bit of drug education on the side.
If you’ve managed to read it, I not only hope you enjoyed the read, but I also hope the anti-drug message was apparent. At times the wording may seem excessively blunt, but to be honest, I think it needed to be. I’d dearly like the novel (or at least Chapter 11) to be required reading in Secondary Schools or Colleges to spread drug education/awareness and as a research topic (maybe even in an English class!) but if reading Ice Hunters makes just one person shy away from drug use, then I’ll be happy with the outcome, regardless of whether or not it makes a best seller list...
I’m in the process of a sequel, so would very much appreciate feedback from readers to ensure my next attempt is even better.
My beautiful wife of thirty years still (surprisingly) puts up with me and my continual quest to find remote camping and fishing locations. I think she is happy when I write... primarily because it keeps me at home for a while... and out of her hair. And while my adult sons don’t fish with me anywhere near enough, they are still amazing.
Thanks again for visiting.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 3, 2018
4.5★s
Deep concentration was needed with fly fishing and the fisherman was ready. The beginning of a two-week holiday where it was just him and the wilderness – bliss. But the sound he heard distracted him. On the other side of the huge boulder he could hear men’s voices, raised and angry. Suddenly he needed to escape the situation – but could he? There were more of them; he knew if he didn’t get away he wouldn’t be leaving the wilderness of New Zealand alive…
Detective Sean Ford of the Auckland crime squad was in charge of the Orion task force who were determined to take down the syndicate manufacturing the drug ice in New Zealand. Already there had been eleven drug related deaths, the latest being a young teenage girl – it had to stop. One of Sean’s top detectives was Patuki, a tough, dedicated Maori cop just as determined as the rest of the team. Sean’s faith in him was high.
Would the hunters become the hunted?
Ice Hunters by Aussie author Neil Roberts is an adrenalin filled, fast paced thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Plenty of action, a fight for survival and the horrors of illegal drugs all made Ice Hunters an excellent read which I highly recommend.
Deep concentration was needed with fly fishing and the fisherman was ready. The beginning of a two-week holiday where it was just him and the wilderness – bliss. But the sound he heard distracted him. On the other side of the huge boulder he could hear men’s voices, raised and angry. Suddenly he needed to escape the situation – but could he? There were more of them; he knew if he didn’t get away he wouldn’t be leaving the wilderness of New Zealand alive…
Detective Sean Ford of the Auckland crime squad was in charge of the Orion task force who were determined to take down the syndicate manufacturing the drug ice in New Zealand. Already there had been eleven drug related deaths, the latest being a young teenage girl – it had to stop. One of Sean’s top detectives was Patuki, a tough, dedicated Maori cop just as determined as the rest of the team. Sean’s faith in him was high.
Would the hunters become the hunted?
Ice Hunters by Aussie author Neil Roberts is an adrenalin filled, fast paced thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Plenty of action, a fight for survival and the horrors of illegal drugs all made Ice Hunters an excellent read which I highly recommend.
January 15, 2018
The story flows well. The writing is clear, and concise. I had a few questions which were clarified after reading Neil Roberts' About the Author in the GR profile box. Herein he explains his mission to get the message out there about illicit drug use and distribution. And Ice Hunters does a good job of getting that message out, paired with a decent plot pitting 'good' against 'evil'.
October 25, 2018
Ice Hunters excellent
This book was full of twists and turns. It displays the cruelty of some and the steadfast positives of others. A very good read that was difficult to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed.
This book was full of twists and turns. It displays the cruelty of some and the steadfast positives of others. A very good read that was difficult to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed.
March 21, 2018
I did enjoy this book but it did drag at times.
March 6, 2021
Ouch
Chapter 11 may be one of the worst chapters I have ever read in my life. If there was an editor... Must have died in Chapter one...
Chapter 11 may be one of the worst chapters I have ever read in my life. If there was an editor... Must have died in Chapter one...
August 15, 2022
A fishing vacation turns into something decidedly worse.
January 23, 2018
Riviting. Reads like a true crime thriller. A real page-turner. As the plot unfolds, you meet unique characters and become invested in how they think and what they do. Then the action starts to heat things up. The author wove an all-encompassing tale of cops and bad guys, children and parents, and an innocent bystander battling the elements into a nail-biting suspenseful story. The gritty scenes are intermingled with a marvelous communing with nature. Excellent presentation of headline-grabbing subject matter. This book was a great read.
February 19, 2021
Great plot twist!
This was interesting book on several levels. The geography and the language was interesting and made it easier to stay engaged with the story. A few sections were a bit “preachy” but I understand why after reading the author’s bio. Still really good. Maybe not a full 5 stars. But, closer to 5 than to 4.
This was interesting book on several levels. The geography and the language was interesting and made it easier to stay engaged with the story. A few sections were a bit “preachy” but I understand why after reading the author’s bio. Still really good. Maybe not a full 5 stars. But, closer to 5 than to 4.
June 11, 2018
Good Story
Clever plot, kept me reading, but exposition too didactic in places, and needs better editing. Spelling okay though word choice improper occasionally.
Clever plot, kept me reading, but exposition too didactic in places, and needs better editing. Spelling okay though word choice improper occasionally.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews