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The Ice Line
It’s a pretty average day when Emily Spinks hitches a ride with her sister Charlotte to their parents for Thanksgiving. But her life – and her relationship with her sister – will never be the same again.
The Ice Line is a desolate stretch of road to the north-west of Denver, Colorado, protected by woodland in parts, infamous for Winter snow blockages in its unshielded stretches, weather changeable to say the least.
It’s also where Emily and Charlotte, along with three other vehicles, become stranded. Eleven people, all with their own personal loves and loathes, regrets of the past, and dreams for a favorable future. But all their thoughts of joy and bitterness – not to mention a few dark secrets – are about to converge in the bloodiest of ways.
On the Ice Line.
The Ice Line is a desolate stretch of road to the north-west of Denver, Colorado, protected by woodland in parts, infamous for Winter snow blockages in its unshielded stretches, weather changeable to say the least.
It’s also where Emily and Charlotte, along with three other vehicles, become stranded. Eleven people, all with their own personal loves and loathes, regrets of the past, and dreams for a favorable future. But all their thoughts of joy and bitterness – not to mention a few dark secrets – are about to converge in the bloodiest of ways.
On the Ice Line.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2023
86 people are currently reading
1733 people want to read
About the author
Ray Backley
5 books30 followersRay has written some very serious and emotionally charged Historical novels under the pen names Ray Kingfisher and Rachel Quinn, but his Ray Backley titles listed here possess a little more grit and address the seamier side of life.
His latest release is The Salamanca Sheiks, an original blend of Horror, Mystery, Historical, and Coming-of-Age.
He can be contacted at raybackley@gmail.com or via a Goodreads message.
His latest release is The Salamanca Sheiks, an original blend of Horror, Mystery, Historical, and Coming-of-Age.
He can be contacted at raybackley@gmail.com or via a Goodreads message.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Eleven characters in four vehicles are trapped overnight on the highway between a huge snowbank and a felled tree. Murder and mayhem start soon after. It held my interest until the end.
December 27, 2023
all of these characters are so weird 😂 I love an ice road story but I was surprised by this story. I want a chapter to know if they got away with it too 😅 easy read, a few gory details near the end. love a who-dun-it always tho
August 17, 2023
The Ice Line
A completely engrossing read. It had me guessing until the end. I had to finish the rest in one sitting. One fantastic book.
A completely engrossing read. It had me guessing until the end. I had to finish the rest in one sitting. One fantastic book.
August 4, 2023
Cool Ending
I like the format of this story. It starts with the prologue showing the results of the preview night. The rest of the book lays out how all the characters came to be in that small section of the 'ice line " and their backstory. The reader and neighborhood buzzard get a front row seat of what happens. It is brutal at times.
Although there are many characters, six stand out. Among them are the sisters, the two co-workers and the couple in the motor home. Caleb is a character that you are supposed to dislike, but there is something about him that makes that a little difficult. Perhaps, it is his backstory and the things he does over the course of the night. The older couple keeps you wondering.
Along with everything else, there is some humor in this book.
I received this ARC from the publisher for my honest opinion of the book, through Goodreads.
I like the format of this story. It starts with the prologue showing the results of the preview night. The rest of the book lays out how all the characters came to be in that small section of the 'ice line " and their backstory. The reader and neighborhood buzzard get a front row seat of what happens. It is brutal at times.
Although there are many characters, six stand out. Among them are the sisters, the two co-workers and the couple in the motor home. Caleb is a character that you are supposed to dislike, but there is something about him that makes that a little difficult. Perhaps, it is his backstory and the things he does over the course of the night. The older couple keeps you wondering.
Along with everything else, there is some humor in this book.
I received this ARC from the publisher for my honest opinion of the book, through Goodreads.
September 30, 2023
Excellent
A plan that has gone wrong. And then goes more and.more wrong. Turns into who did it. Non stop excitement and surprises.
A plan that has gone wrong. And then goes more and.more wrong. Turns into who did it. Non stop excitement and surprises.
November 17, 2023
Urgh! Alllll that, for such a stinker of a conclusion…?!?
(No spoilers ….)
This is a long, long tale for sure.
Absolutely full of promise for some phenomenal type of ending, based on all that leads up to it.
But, sadly (& extremely frustratingly) — after reading the entire book, the conclusion is a gigantic let down.
The beginning, middle, & last few chapters of this story are actually pretty entertaining/tension-filled.
But by the time I reached the second to last chapter or so, I seriously thought about not even finishing.
I was suddenly totally bored by the whole thing.
And wanting to throw in the towel immediately prior to a conclusion is definitely a first for me!
I was just over it. Up until that point the story had been interesting, thrilling, & intriguing …. until it just wasn’t anymore. Just eventually too drawn out.
And the end???
Urgh. Totally not worth the time it took to get me there.
I recommend this title for …. pretty much no one.
The only reason it’s getting 3 Stars instead of less is the value The Ice Line offers readers in the first 98% (94%, specifically) of the book.
Based on the conclusion alone — 1 Star. Or less.
Give it a miss, unless frustration is an enjoyable emotion for you to feel.
0 Stars for the sudden loss of solid writing, creativity, & cleverness in the end. After an otherwise great story up until then.
(No spoilers ….)
This is a long, long tale for sure.
Absolutely full of promise for some phenomenal type of ending, based on all that leads up to it.
But, sadly (& extremely frustratingly) — after reading the entire book, the conclusion is a gigantic let down.
The beginning, middle, & last few chapters of this story are actually pretty entertaining/tension-filled.
But by the time I reached the second to last chapter or so, I seriously thought about not even finishing.
I was suddenly totally bored by the whole thing.
And wanting to throw in the towel immediately prior to a conclusion is definitely a first for me!
I was just over it. Up until that point the story had been interesting, thrilling, & intriguing …. until it just wasn’t anymore. Just eventually too drawn out.
And the end???
Urgh. Totally not worth the time it took to get me there.
I recommend this title for …. pretty much no one.
The only reason it’s getting 3 Stars instead of less is the value The Ice Line offers readers in the first 98% (94%, specifically) of the book.
Based on the conclusion alone — 1 Star. Or less.
Give it a miss, unless frustration is an enjoyable emotion for you to feel.
0 Stars for the sudden loss of solid writing, creativity, & cleverness in the end. After an otherwise great story up until then.
October 7, 2023
A book is supposed to hold your interest, and this one certainly did that. We have an unusual collection of characters who become trapped by a downed tree and excessive snow on a desolate stretch of road. There are four groups of characters, none of whom know each other---or do they?
Cell service is nil in this location. To complicate matters, each group has something to hide. We get a squabbling couple trying to hold their marriage together, along with their two teen kids, three construction co-workers, two sisters on their way to visit their parents for Thanksgiving, and another older couple in a motorhome.
The author takes this unusual group, feeds us bits and pieces of their individual lives, layers in plenty of questions, and then has one after another fall victim to a killer. Given they're surrounded by woods, could a bear be at fault, someone stalking them, or even one of them?
This was almost like watching a slasher movie where one after another dies. I waffled back and forth about what was going on, and found myself surprised by the ending. Sometimes the characters reacted in ways I found hard to believe, but for sheer entertainment and guesswork right up to the end, this was an engrossing read.
Cell service is nil in this location. To complicate matters, each group has something to hide. We get a squabbling couple trying to hold their marriage together, along with their two teen kids, three construction co-workers, two sisters on their way to visit their parents for Thanksgiving, and another older couple in a motorhome.
The author takes this unusual group, feeds us bits and pieces of their individual lives, layers in plenty of questions, and then has one after another fall victim to a killer. Given they're surrounded by woods, could a bear be at fault, someone stalking them, or even one of them?
This was almost like watching a slasher movie where one after another dies. I waffled back and forth about what was going on, and found myself surprised by the ending. Sometimes the characters reacted in ways I found hard to believe, but for sheer entertainment and guesswork right up to the end, this was an engrossing read.
March 9, 2025
A pretty good story derailed
This book was pretty good up to the point where the killer(s) was/were revealed then it went completely off the rails. In fact, the plot went so far South, I actually started hoping the "good" guys would get knocked off by the end. I don't believe I've read too many stories with less satisfying endings. In fact, I just thought of a great, if tired ending, that would have been an improvement. This book had the most unlikable cast of characters I think I've ever seen in one story. I kind of hoped none of these creeps would survive. The supernatural explanation that seemed obvious wasn't. I gave it two stars because I finished in and for being a good read until the final forty pages or so. The ending, the explanation and even the epilogue were let downs. Getting over the snow drift? Laughable. The bottom line is I finished it but was totally unsatisfied with the turn of events.
This book was pretty good up to the point where the killer(s) was/were revealed then it went completely off the rails. In fact, the plot went so far South, I actually started hoping the "good" guys would get knocked off by the end. I don't believe I've read too many stories with less satisfying endings. In fact, I just thought of a great, if tired ending, that would have been an improvement. This book had the most unlikable cast of characters I think I've ever seen in one story. I kind of hoped none of these creeps would survive. The supernatural explanation that seemed obvious wasn't. I gave it two stars because I finished in and for being a good read until the final forty pages or so. The ending, the explanation and even the epilogue were let downs. Getting over the snow drift? Laughable. The bottom line is I finished it but was totally unsatisfied with the turn of events.
November 24, 2023
Interesting Read
This was a very interesting read. It started off pretty slow in my opinion and there were many characters involved. It took me awhile to read this book as I got bored a few times. But I was determined to finish reading it to find out what happened.
Two sisters are on their way home for Thanksgiving when they find themselves stuck on a bad part of the road with three other cars. People start to be killed left and right as the rest of them try to figure out who is doing the killing.
I was a little surprised by the end. This is not a horrible read but not as exciting as I thought it was going to be.
This was a very interesting read. It started off pretty slow in my opinion and there were many characters involved. It took me awhile to read this book as I got bored a few times. But I was determined to finish reading it to find out what happened.
Two sisters are on their way home for Thanksgiving when they find themselves stuck on a bad part of the road with three other cars. People start to be killed left and right as the rest of them try to figure out who is doing the killing.
I was a little surprised by the end. This is not a horrible read but not as exciting as I thought it was going to be.
August 4, 2023
I like the way this is written. It held my interest trying to figure out what was going on, who to believe or who to trust. There is a surprising number of incidents, but it isn't gory! The characters are certainly flawed, but not all evil or unlikeable. It was hard to put down because I wanted to know the answers! I like this author and this book!
July 28, 2023
This story starts off with police discovering a massacre on a quiet road. The story then unfolds as to how the victims died and whodunnit.
I was engrossed with this story and couldn't work out who the killer was. As you think it might be someone, they died.
I really liked this book.
I was engrossed with this story and couldn't work out who the killer was. As you think it might be someone, they died.
I really liked this book.
January 18, 2024
An okay read.
February 11, 2024
Not a psychological thriller so much as a slasher with offscreen violence and clunky dialogue. Pretty good twists & action at the end, would be a B movie on Tubi.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews