Review: A Good Mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2012
"Ice on the Grapevine," by R. E. Donald, is the evocative title the second book in a series featuring Hunter Rayne.  He's a retired homicide detective who's become a long haul truck driver to escape the failures of his past. But while Hunter may have changed occupations, his vocation of crime solving remains in tact, as he happens upon murders that require his expertise. His truck, The Blue Knight, is almost like another character in the story.  We also spend a fair amount of time with the Nillsons, the appealing young couple accused of murder, and Alora Magee, a defense lawyer who attracts Hunter's attention.This is a well spun yarn, full of plot detail and credible human response.  Whodunit addicts will not be disappointed. However, I was expecting Hunter to be moodier somehow--a Clint Eastwood or Humphrey Bogart driving alone in the night rain. In fact, I'd say that if the author needs to up the volume on anything it would be atmosphere. If you'll forgive me, it's a mystery that could use more mist. The secrecy here is not erotic or hypnotic, as it often is in the best of the genre.Still, page by page, the book is believable, and you'll be surprised along the way.Jon P. Bloch(The Kindle Book Review)