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A Figure Skating Mystery #1
Murder on Ice
When the judge who cast the deciding vote that gave the gold to a Russian skater instead of America's sweetheart is found brutally murdered, Rebecca "Bex" Levy, figure-skating researcher for the 24/7 network, must glide carefully as she investigates this baffling mystery. Original.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 4, 2003
25 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Alina Adams
28 books117 followersAlina 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!"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 19, 2011
Rebecca (Bex) Levy is the research person for 24/7 sports network for ice skating. Who would think that such a pretty sport could be so grueling. Between the exhausting schedule (apparently skaters are morning people), the bickering and the politics, Bex can bearly get any time to herself. But now they have made it to the World Championships, it is almost over. What could possibly go wrong now? Hmmm, how about a controversial judge' s decision followed by the death of said judge.? Now Bex's boss wants her to discover who the killer is before they air their last show. Great TV right. Yeah, but Bex has no idea how to investigate a murder, so drawing on her vast knowledge of mystery novels and cop tv shows, she stumbles and fumbles her way through the clues.
I really enjoyed this book. The third person narrative was nice for a change. Bex sees the skating world, well, the world in general with a jaundiced eye, but she has a refreshing faith in people that comes through despite her constantly being disappointed by those around her. I also learned a lot about the sport of skating and the way it is judged. There were also nice details about how a production like a skating competition is produced. The mystery is good and no clues are witheld. And there is a lot of humor. Lots of fun.
I really enjoyed this book. The third person narrative was nice for a change. Bex sees the skating world, well, the world in general with a jaundiced eye, but she has a refreshing faith in people that comes through despite her constantly being disappointed by those around her. I also learned a lot about the sport of skating and the way it is judged. There were also nice details about how a production like a skating competition is produced. The mystery is good and no clues are witheld. And there is a lot of humor. Lots of fun.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Murder on Ice (A Figure Skating Mystery #1) - Nevisande : Alina Adams - ISBN : 425193071 - ISBN13 : 9780425193075 - Dar 304 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2003
October 30, 2014
2.5 stars. Not a bad read, but not great either. I found Bex to be rather annoying.
September 10, 2011
Bex is a researcher for the 24/7 network. The network is covering the World Championship of figure skating. Things are pretty status quo until one of the judges causes an upset when her score gives the gold medal to the Russian skater and to the skater from America. The judge winding up dead the next day doesn't help. Gil, Bex's boss, tells her she needs to find out who killed the judge for the final show or she will be out of a job next season. So she puts her researcher skills to the test to find out what really happened.
This was a tough read for me. The main character Bex annoyed me and there were details that seemed unnecessary. Bex came across as someone who needed to desperately cut back on the caffeinated beverages. I got into it enough to want to know who did it, but not sure if I really liked it. I might try the next one in the series to see if it the same way, and then decide. Very frustrating!
This was a tough read for me. The main character Bex annoyed me and there were details that seemed unnecessary. Bex came across as someone who needed to desperately cut back on the caffeinated beverages. I got into it enough to want to know who did it, but not sure if I really liked it. I might try the next one in the series to see if it the same way, and then decide. Very frustrating!
July 6, 2024
I did enjoy this book but it went in too much detail about certain things (such why you call Russians by certain names etc) and it took me a while to get through it. The story or mystery it's self was good and very different set in the world of figure ice skating, here the author didn't go into too much detail but she did include links to YouTube videos for you to follow. I tried it once and it didn't work but it might have just been my internet. There were a number of suspects to keep you guessing but it was the one I thought it was going to be so no twists or surprise. I liked Bex as a main character despite her questioning every decision she made soon after making it. I would probably read another book in this series but not in a great rush.
When the American figure ice skating champion fail to win her gold medal, even the commentators are out raged. So when the judge who cost her the medal is found dead no body is surprised or questions it. Expect Bex, a researcher for the television station covering the competition. If she doesn't find a story by the end of the competition it could be her job and the biggest story around is proving the judge didn't commit suicide and finding the real killer. Can she use her press pass to find the answers and question the skaters and coaches or will she crash and burn?
When the American figure ice skating champion fail to win her gold medal, even the commentators are out raged. So when the judge who cost her the medal is found dead no body is surprised or questions it. Expect Bex, a researcher for the television station covering the competition. If she doesn't find a story by the end of the competition it could be her job and the biggest story around is proving the judge didn't commit suicide and finding the real killer. Can she use her press pass to find the answers and question the skaters and coaches or will she crash and burn?
September 6, 2025
I read this in paperback when it first came out, but didn't remember the story at all.
The author clearly knows what is going on in figure skating and I appreciated that. The book begins with how the TV commentators were medal winners before retiring from competition and how their on-camera interactions are different from off-camera. It made me wonder how Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski actually feel about each other.
Unfortunately the main character is obnoxious and often clueless. The plot meanders to give lots of red herrings, mostly focusing on whether there was a Russian plot.
The book was first published in 2003 when the scoring was based on how judges ranked each skater in relation to the others, with a maximum score of 6.0. This was a main plot point as to how the judge who was murdered had ranked the skaters.
In 2004 the scoring system was changed to award specific points for each element in a program. I don't remember whether the author changed to the new system in her subsequent books in the series.
The Kindle book says it is a Multimedia Edition. There are several places where there is a link to a video of a skating program, but that link didn't work. (Possibly because I have an older Kindle, but more likely because the content has been taken down.)
The author clearly knows what is going on in figure skating and I appreciated that. The book begins with how the TV commentators were medal winners before retiring from competition and how their on-camera interactions are different from off-camera. It made me wonder how Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski actually feel about each other.
Unfortunately the main character is obnoxious and often clueless. The plot meanders to give lots of red herrings, mostly focusing on whether there was a Russian plot.
The book was first published in 2003 when the scoring was based on how judges ranked each skater in relation to the others, with a maximum score of 6.0. This was a main plot point as to how the judge who was murdered had ranked the skaters.
In 2004 the scoring system was changed to award specific points for each element in a program. I don't remember whether the author changed to the new system in her subsequent books in the series.
The Kindle book says it is a Multimedia Edition. There are several places where there is a link to a video of a skating program, but that link didn't work. (Possibly because I have an older Kindle, but more likely because the content has been taken down.)
August 4, 2022
Bex Levy works for the 24/7 sports network as a figure skating researcher. Sometimes she feels that her biggest job is that of keeping the star commentators, a long-married retired pairs champion couple, from killing one another. During this years World Skating competition the unpopular Russian skater, Xenia Trubin, is awarded the gold medal instead of the much-loved perky blonde American, Erin Simpson. The skating world is aghast especially when the Italian judge, who was the tie-breaker among the nine judges, is murdered. There is not shortage of suspects and Bex has been charged by the 24/7 producer to solve the crime - in time for the next show, of course. Where is Bex supposed to start? A vital clue is discovered in the judge's purse: an e-mail supposedly from Xenia's coach instructing the judge how to rank the skaters. Can it be a simple case of coercion? Definitely not.
This was a fun little cozy mystery that leans heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. Bex is not so much a great sleuth as a lucky one.
This was a fun little cozy mystery that leans heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor. Bex is not so much a great sleuth as a lucky one.
March 6, 2018
This cozy gets mixed reviews. In the beginning it was very slow. Lots of talk about the figure skating world, which figure skating fans would already know, and non-fans wouldn't care about. And while there were many characters to discuss in the beginning, the character development wasn't exciting, so the book was sort of dull. But it got better. The mystery had all kinds of red herrings, twists and turns. Seemed like everyone was a suspect, and there were maybe a few too many plausible solutions that turned out to be incorrect. The end was quite good, as Bex, the sleuth, closes in on the killer, and the exposing of that killer was especially fun! So in the end it was pretty good, and I'll read the rest of the series.
April 21, 2024
The protagonist has a slightly charming sarcastic and wry sense of humor that almost saves the book, but not quite. The mystery itself is interesting with all its twists and turns but it is overshadowed by a politically incorrect smorgasbord of stereotypes and other inappropriate verbiage that definitely did not age well. I finished this book mostly because I did enjoyed the narrator’s dead-pan delivery and the whodunnit was interesting. Unfortunately for the me, the over use of inappropriate adjectives left me uncomfortable and wincing throughout the story. Wanted to like this book more, but as it is, I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
April 25, 2024
Started a little too technical
Ok, so I wasn't sure if I would like this book. A lot of skating jargon the first chapter and I was getting a little concerned as I am not an expert, but things got more interesting as Bex started looking into the murder. The fact that she blithely asked everyone questions, went into their rooms not knowing if they were the killer, and confronted everyone who lied, meant she was out of her depth. However, she prodded on. Round and round but she did get to the end of her search.
The one thing that was disappointing was not being able to watch the videos embedded in the story. Kept getting an error.
Ok, so I wasn't sure if I would like this book. A lot of skating jargon the first chapter and I was getting a little concerned as I am not an expert, but things got more interesting as Bex started looking into the murder. The fact that she blithely asked everyone questions, went into their rooms not knowing if they were the killer, and confronted everyone who lied, meant she was out of her depth. However, she prodded on. Round and round but she did get to the end of her search.
The one thing that was disappointing was not being able to watch the videos embedded in the story. Kept getting an error.
August 4, 2024
An enjoyable cozy myatery
An enjoyable cozy mystery with an interesting and inventive setting. The plot is good for the most part, and it is well written and I found The characters well described, but unlikable, everyone lies all The time..The interactive sections were a fun idea although I could not get the!m to play on my device. I would be interested in more of these.
An enjoyable cozy mystery with an interesting and inventive setting. The plot is good for the most part, and it is well written and I found The characters well described, but unlikable, everyone lies all The time..The interactive sections were a fun idea although I could not get the!m to play on my device. I would be interested in more of these.
January 16, 2022
Captivating and coming from the place of deep behind the scenes knowledge of the skating community. I liked the matter-of-fact way the protagonist approached sleuthing -- it was both relatable and felt like she was doing a very brave thing.
February 7, 2022
The original story was really interesting but the book does not do it justice.
July 23, 2022
Great plot and characters. The kindle version is poorly edited and formatted to the point of being difficult to read.
December 22, 2022
Meh. Very much meh.
Very predictable.
Very predictable.
June 3, 2024
Fun and full of snark
I enjoyed the main character's personality, snarky comments, self-deprication, and references to books and TV shows that I recognize. A fun read!
I enjoyed the main character's personality, snarky comments, self-deprication, and references to books and TV shows that I recognize. A fun read!
April 23, 2024
Who killed Silvana Potenza and why??? A box of tissues??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
March 21, 2012
Bex Levy is a figure skating researcher for the 24/7 television network in Alina Adam’s enhanced multimedia edition e-book Murder on Ice. This enhanced addition provides several videos of figure skating throughout the book in order for the reader to truly understand what is happening in the story and to give them a visual.
The World Figure Skating Championships have come to the United States and America’s sweetheart, Erin, is slated to win. Instead a Russian skater named Xenia takes the gold and leaves Erin in second plate. Former Olympic champions Diane and Francis Howarth, who are the announcers for 24/7 network, let the world know that they believe Erin should have won the gold. A controversy begins centering around the lone Italian judge, Silvana Potenza.
The next morning Silvana is found dead of a tragic accident. Only Gil, 24/7 network’s producer, doesn’t believe that is was an accident and he lets Bex know that she needs to find the killer if she expects to keep her job for the next season. With experience only in researching, Bex embarks on a journey to reveal who the killer might be. Is it Xenia’s Russian coach who wants Xenia to keep the gold medal? Is it Patty, Erin’s mother who also won a silver medal in the World Figure Skating Championships. Or is it the web designer who seems to have an obsession for Erin?
Bex is in a race against time to find the killer before the skating exhibitions end and the killer is gone forever.
The story is realistic and has some great details about figure skating. The characters are believable and the video clips really enhance the story. However, the book moved slowly and every time Bex found a clue it contradicted what she had already found out. This end of the book was very abrupt and the book was just okay for me.
I give this book 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.
The World Figure Skating Championships have come to the United States and America’s sweetheart, Erin, is slated to win. Instead a Russian skater named Xenia takes the gold and leaves Erin in second plate. Former Olympic champions Diane and Francis Howarth, who are the announcers for 24/7 network, let the world know that they believe Erin should have won the gold. A controversy begins centering around the lone Italian judge, Silvana Potenza.
The next morning Silvana is found dead of a tragic accident. Only Gil, 24/7 network’s producer, doesn’t believe that is was an accident and he lets Bex know that she needs to find the killer if she expects to keep her job for the next season. With experience only in researching, Bex embarks on a journey to reveal who the killer might be. Is it Xenia’s Russian coach who wants Xenia to keep the gold medal? Is it Patty, Erin’s mother who also won a silver medal in the World Figure Skating Championships. Or is it the web designer who seems to have an obsession for Erin?
Bex is in a race against time to find the killer before the skating exhibitions end and the killer is gone forever.
The story is realistic and has some great details about figure skating. The characters are believable and the video clips really enhance the story. However, the book moved slowly and every time Bex found a clue it contradicted what she had already found out. This end of the book was very abrupt and the book was just okay for me.
I give this book 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.
April 10, 2015
*2.5 stars, really* I really wanted to love this book. I love cozy mysteries, and this series gets away from the knitting-shop-cafe-psychic-pet cliches. As a charecter I love Bex, and the fact that she's a researcher for a ice-skating federation). I did not love her stream of conciousness commentary that runs on and on without stoping for a period (meaning punctuation). I've never read a book where two sentences were a whole paragraph, but filled up half a page (of a regular sized book, not a paperback). Just made for really awkward reading - I think the author couldn't decide if she wanted to write from first person or from third-person omniscient POV and tried to do both.
I was also disappointed that, at the end, the solution to the admittedly intriguing murder was... rather anticlimactic, frankly. I won't say who the killer is, but if you read this book it will become screamingly obvious before long before the final confession. Also, I figured out almost immediately that Another thing I was hoping to be wrong about because it was just so freaking obvious!
Overall, great concept but poor execution.
I was also disappointed that, at the end, the solution to the admittedly intriguing murder was... rather anticlimactic, frankly. I won't say who the killer is, but if you read this book it will become screamingly obvious before long before the final confession. Also, I figured out almost immediately that Another thing I was hoping to be wrong about because it was just so freaking obvious!
Overall, great concept but poor execution.
January 5, 2012
Murder on Ice is a very entertaining mystery. The author definitely kept me guessing as to who the killer was, which is something I have always liked in a book. Bex is a great character. She is smart and has lots of courage to try and figure out who the killer is. The other characters in the book definitely enhance the story. I loved the scenes with Frances and Diana as they were very amusing! Recently re-issued with enhanced multimedia content, I did have problems connecting to the videos of the skating through my Kindle, but that could have just been my connection at the time. When I switched to reading on the computer, I had no issues. I like the videos because it added a nice visual to the story. If you missed this first in the series, pick it up. Old or new version, I know you will be entertained by a great mystery
May 10, 2014
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Read
August 13, 2011This one jumped (sorry) over the other books in Mt. TBR because it seemed like the perfect read over the weekend because we had an ice storm and I was watching the figure skating in the Olympics on TV.
I hated the name of the main character (Bex - who has a name like that?) and in my mind renamed her "Beth" (lol). I thought her detecting approach was haphazard at best and I came close to losing interest at a couple of points as she pounded the same subjects with the same questions again. I felt like the story needed more of a hook or twist to keep the mystery more interesting. So, not the best cozy mystery I've ever read but light, fluffy & entertaining. :)
I hated the name of the main character (Bex - who has a name like that?) and in my mind renamed her "Beth" (lol). I thought her detecting approach was haphazard at best and I came close to losing interest at a couple of points as she pounded the same subjects with the same questions again. I felt like the story needed more of a hook or twist to keep the mystery more interesting. So, not the best cozy mystery I've ever read but light, fluffy & entertaining. :)
April 19, 2015
#1 in the Figure Skating Mystery series. I'd rate it 2.5 stars if I could. I actually liked the subject matter, apparently written about through the author's own experiences as a figure skating researcher. (I had no idea there was such a job, but it makes sense.) Actually the mystery was good, and the reveal at the end was quite interesting and unique. But getting to that point was painful, mostly because Bex is just so cutesy and clever that she becomes totally obnoxious. Adams overwhelms the reader with one-liners and puns, usually several in the same sentence, so the whole book feels hyperactive. It was exhausting.
April 26, 2014
The first book in the skating mystery series.
I liked the way the heroine was portrayed in this cozy. She is smart, funny, and tenacious.
Bex is a researcher for 24/7, who broadcasts the Ice skating championships. Controversy ensues when the Italian judge is the deciding factor in giving the gold medal to the unlikable Russian, Xenia Trubin, rather than the USA darling, Erin Simpson. It is widely felt that this judge cheated, and when an email with the final results is found in her purse, next to her dead body, Bex must find out who killed her in order to keep her job (that was the only part that I found totally hokie).
I liked the way the heroine was portrayed in this cozy. She is smart, funny, and tenacious.
Bex is a researcher for 24/7, who broadcasts the Ice skating championships. Controversy ensues when the Italian judge is the deciding factor in giving the gold medal to the unlikable Russian, Xenia Trubin, rather than the USA darling, Erin Simpson. It is widely felt that this judge cheated, and when an email with the final results is found in her purse, next to her dead body, Bex must find out who killed her in order to keep her job (that was the only part that I found totally hokie).
February 4, 2016
Bex is a figure skating researcher with the 24/7 network. She's been helping cover the world championship in San Francisco when the Italian judge ends up electrocuted in the refrigeration room of the rink after a controversial win of the Russian skater over the beloved American. Bex's boss, Type-A producer Gil Cahill assigns her to find out who killed the judge. Bex's self-deprecating humor makes her a very human character, not some super sleuth. The author's inside view on the figure skating world adds an extra dimension to this mystery series.
August 18, 2008
This is the first in a series about Bex, a figure skating researcher for 24/7 news. She is a year out of college and does research for Frank and Diane who are past skating champs and now commentators.
After the world competition a judge is found dead and there is suspicion surrounding her death, was it suicide or a murder? And why did she vote for one skater over another for the gold medal?
This was an ok book.....didn't really move me like others but not bad.
After the world competition a judge is found dead and there is suspicion surrounding her death, was it suicide or a murder? And why did she vote for one skater over another for the gold medal?
This was an ok book.....didn't really move me like others but not bad.
January 18, 2009
The first in the Figure Skating Mystery series.
I was inspired to read this as the winter olympics was going on. It was pretty shakey for a mystery and I wasn't overly impressed with it. If I hadn't bought the 2nd one in the series at the same time as the first - I probably wouldn't have read on in the series.
I was inspired to read this as the winter olympics was going on. It was pretty shakey for a mystery and I wasn't overly impressed with it. If I hadn't bought the 2nd one in the series at the same time as the first - I probably wouldn't have read on in the series.
February 20, 2013
This is a cozie mystery set at a skating match in San Francisco. Although I liked the writing style I felt that the main character bumbled around trying to solve the mystery with absolutely no idea what she was doing.
February 13, 2014
This book was at times boring, at times silly, and often not very credible, but I enjoyed it anyway. The characters were likeable (at least the ones who were supposed to be), and it was fun reading about a murder at a figure skating competition while watching the Olympics.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews