“A 2012 Global Ebook Awards finalist … Ice on the Grapevine: A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery is a tense murder mystery featuring tough-minded ex-homicide detective turned eighteen-wheel truck driver Hunter Rayne. … [It] is a riveting mystery that will keep the reader guessing to the very end.” – Midwest Book ReviewThis is a well spun yarn, full of plot detail and credible human response. … response. Whodunit addicts will not be disappointed. – The Kindle Book Review
On a warm July morning in L.A. County, a frozen corpse turns up at a highway brake check just south of the Grapevine Pass. Ex-homicide detective Hunter Rayne, who now drives an eighteen wheeler, is persuaded by his irascible dispatcher, Elspeth Watson, to help clear two fellow truck drivers who are arrested for the murder. His job is made more difficult by the fact that the suspects, a newlywed couple, won’t speak up in their own defense.
The circumstantial evidence is strong, and a rookie detective from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is eager to score a win. The investigation crosses the Canada-U.S. border when the victim is identified as a second rate musician from Vancouver, and it turns out there were more than a few desperate people happy to see him dead, including the accused couple. Hunter has to use all his investigative skills to uncover the truth.
Hunter’s ex-wife maintains that by taking to the highway Hunter is running away from his past, but he believes that the solitude of days on the road is helping him to heal from guilt over the failure of his marriage and the suicide of his best friend. Tangled relationships and multiple suspects emerge throughout the novel, as Hunter butts heads with more than one officer of the law to solve the crime.
What readers are saying:
“Those were the best mysteries I’ve read in a long time!! As soon as I finished the first one I bought the second and felt empty when I finished it! The characters were awesome and so there that I somehow think they are in my life!”
“… this book caught my attention from the very first pages and it only got better. …I recommend this book to anyone who has a love for a good mystery.”
“Great trucking detail, hardboiled characters, no-nonsense dialogue, and a surprise ending.”
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I really enjoy reading Hunter Rayne books, by RE Donald. Interesting take on the murder mystery theme. I really like this series and plan to read them all.
Very original way to commit a murder. Kept you guessing until the surprise ending. The murderer is caught and realizes what a foolish and evil thing murder was. Especially when trying to frame someone else.
So enjoyed the read. Great characters. Am looking forward to the others in this series.
R.E. Donald did not disappoint me with this book. She kept me wondering throughout the storyline who exactly did what. Not only that, the manner in which the characters themselves acted and reacted made me question my thoughts over and over again. Completely enjoyable book. Certainly has the potential to be made in to a movie. Hope other …
Interesting characters, plot line. Very readable and fun plit development in an unusual and interesting locale.
Hunter Rayne a former Canadian Mountie is called to consult on a frozen corpse found in semi truck. The corpse is a musician working in the L.A. area. A rookie detective is also given the case (hist first solo case) because the truck crosses the Canada/U S border. The unlucky trucker and his new wife found the corpse in their truck and become …
This is one of three books I have read about Truckers (actually, the same trucker) and really enjoyed it. I twas entertaining and I learned some things about driving a truck.
I enjoyed reading this book , the plot line, the characters and the setting. Books are more interesting when you are familiar with the area in which it takes place. Having traveled that route many times & understanding the trucker’s mind, I could relate . I also have Sea TO Sky waiting to be read next.
I enjoy Watson.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I read this quite some time ago and posted a review on Amazon.
The trucker detective theme is a fun twist. Learned a fair amount about the trucking industry while soaking up a pretty decent mystery.
Just could not get into this story and gave up after about 10% of the book.
An interesting story line. Fairly hard to guess the ending.
Hunter Rayne is a new mystery solver who is similar to a couple of other heros I enjoy reading about; yet, he is different. Being a trucker with a police background brings him some interesting cases.
You can see the world through Hunter Rayne.
Good story that began with irrefutable evidence of two guilty characters. Little by little small plot twists begin to show some other motives. Main character never gives up trying to find what really happened. Readers have several plausible murders to believe really caused the crime but need to wait to the end to see who it was.
A true page-turner after the first two chapters. Don’t put it down, keep reading. Excellent character development.
Interesting to see a police detective switch to driving a truck. He is called on to solve the mystery of who really killed someone found frozen in the back of a truck driven by two drivers who work for the same employer. Some interesting twists and turns and I was surprised by the identity of the killer.
Really enjoyed the trucking mysteries!! Kept you guessing until the end!! Liked the Canadian flavor