Book Review: Thin Ice

Thin Ice – Irene Hannon – Men of Valor #2 – Revell – Published 5 January 2016

♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

After losing her parents in a car accident and her sister to a house fire, Christy Reed has been mired in grief. Life is finally starting to feel normal again when an envelope arrives in the mail–addressed in her sister’s handwriting. And the note inside claims she is still alive.

FBI Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force operator, is assigned to reopen the case, but he’s coming up with more questions than answers. If Ginny Reed is still alive–who is the woman buried in her grave? Where is Ginny? And is Christy a pawn in a twisted cat-and-mouse game–or the target of a sinister plot? As he digs deeper, one thing becomes clear: whoever is behind the bizarre ruse has a deadly agenda.

My thoughts

I absolutely loved the first book in this Men of Valor series and so I was super excited to get my hands on the second book, Thin Ice. It had very high standards to live up to and it easily met them. There is something so familiar about falling into an Irene Hannon romantic suspense. You know you can count on high-action sequences, tension-filled endings, and sweet, authentic romance with loveable characters, all tied together with the underpinning of faith.

Thin Ice starts with the night Christy Reed’s heart is torn apart. Again. Losing her sister in a fire only months after losing her parents in a car crash is a hard thing to cope with. But two months later she receives a note addressed in her sister’s handwriting suggesting her sister did not die in her house fire but was instead kidnapped. Christy reaches out to the FBI and is connected with Lance McGregor, FBI newbie and ex-Delta Force operator. The first time Christy and Lance meet there is an instant, low level hum of attraction. I loved the way they connect and interact, but while their slowly growing feelings can’t be denied, the case must remain their focus.  

The chapters from the perp’s point of view start a few chapters into the book. Initially, these sections give readers a taste of the danger Christy is in but the who, why and other details of crimes both past and future remain sparse. As Christy and Lance work together to uncover what really happened to Christy’s sister the danger Christy is in mounts, and both the reader and Lance start to uncover the truth behind Ginny’s apparent death.

The books in this series can be read as standalones, as each have their own storyline, though there is of course character crossover, including Mac and Lisa from Buried Secrets. Readers of Irene’s other books might also remember Mark Sanders from An Eye For An Eye (Heroes of Quantico #2). Again, it’s not necessary to have read this book before Thin Ice as they are different series but it’s fun to reconnect with past characters.

Finn McGregor is going to be our hero for book three in the Men of Valor series. We get a glimpse of his troubles in this book and I have a feeling he is going to be my favourite McGregor yet. From the short excerpt included at the end of this story (wow, what a beginning, might I have the rest of the book now, please?) the next book is going to be just as fantastic as the two that precede it. I can’t wait.

Thin Ice is a fantastic romantic suspense with plenty of action, tension and high stakes, both in the crime solving and romance departments. As always a Irene delivers a book that is simply unputdownable.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

More information

Category: Fiction

Genre: Christian suspense.

Themes:  Crime. Suspense. Grief. Romance. Faith.

Published: 5 January 2016 by Revell.

Format: Paperback,  hardcover, ebook. 400 pages.

ISBN: 9780800724535

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