Thin Ice: A Mystery

Written by Paige Shelton

Narrated by Suzie Althens

Beth travels to Alaska to escape the man who kidnapped her, but when a suspicious death in town occurs, she can't seem to shake off the feeling that she's being watched.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781666557473

Paige Shelton

PAIGE SHELTON had a nomadic childhood, as her father's job as a football coach took her family to seven different towns before she was even twelve years old. After college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Salt Lake City. She thought she'd only stay a couple years, but instead she fell in love with the mountains and a great guy who became her husband. After many decades in Utah, she and her family moved to Arizona. She writes the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series and the Alaska Wild series. Her other series include the Farmers’ Market, Cooking School, and Dangerous Type mystery series.

Reviews for Thin Ice

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beth, successful author, is kidnapped and terrorized in a van for three days by an unknown man. She escapes, but suffers a brain injury. Recovering, she secretly runs away to Alaska to hide and to try to regain her memories of her abduction. Locating to a tiny community, she tries to fit in without revealing any of her past life. She gets caught up in helping to solve a recent crime there, drawing on her background in working in her grandfather’s law office. This thrilling tale is the first book in what promises to be an exciting new series by Paige Shelton. The setting is captivating, the story is suspenseful, and the diversity of characters is intriguing. This well written story will keep you turning pages until the end but don’t expect everything to be wrapped up neatly: It is a continuing series.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author Beth Rivers who writes as Elizabeth Fairchild escaped from a van after being kidnapped by a crazed fan. Although her doctor wishes she would stay in St. Louis, Beth gets out of town, heading for rural Alaska. She finds the boutique hotel she booked actually serves as a halfway house for petty thieves. She poses as someone who fell off a horse in Denver although the local law enforcement knows the truth. Just before her arrival, a local woman's suspicious death sends Donner, a park ranger, to meet her plane while the police chief investigates the crime scene. Beth's experience working in her grandfather's police station becomes valuable to Gril, who needs someone with mathematical calculations concerning the forensic evidence. Gril also asks her to revive the local newspaper which ceased print when its previous owner died. This town that attracts people running from their pasts provides a pleasant setting for this standalone set up in a manner it might lead to a pleasant series.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great start to what looks like a new series. Popular author Beth Rivers heads to a very remote Alaskan town while her stalker eludes police back home. Lucky for her, most these days know her by her pseudonym and hiding under her real name seems realistic. Her background as an author and the work she did before hitting it big for her grandfather's police department makes her useful as a newbie in this town. Benedict has just seen the death of a resident--suicide or murder remains the question. I liked getting to know the small town folks and the secrets that are still waiting to be revealed about some of them. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[terran_9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I began this series because I like reading books set in Alaska, but it doesn't appeal to me as much as some others, so I won't be reading more.

[Megan Sarah Pike · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wasn’t sure if I was going to like this at first as I’ve never read anything by Paige before but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The writing and the characters kept me reading and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the story.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good story with an unusual location but I thought that in the end there were still more questions than answers. Since this was the first book in the series hopefully the next one will provide more answers.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thin Ice by Paige Shelton is an intriguing new mystery. Beth Rivers is her real name, but most people know her as Elizabeth Fairchild, a best selling author. After escaping from a passionate fan, Beth decides to disappear into the Alaskan wilderness. After a search online, Beth picks Benedict, Alaska. Beth soon discovers that she is not the first person to have selected this remote town as a hiding place. Beth arrives to find one of the residents has died and Sheriff Grilson Samuels suspects foul play. Beth is given the unpaid job of running the local “newspaper” as well as being a consultant to Gril. As Beth delves into the victim’s life, memories of the three days held captive surface. As you can tell, there are multiple storylines in Thin Ice. I like the unique characters that live in Benedict. Each one of them has their own reason for being in this isolated town which means there is a lot of fodder for future books. It will be interesting learning about each of these individuals. I am especially curious about Donner Montgomery’s story (the park ranger). Viola runs Benedict House (sounds like an elegant hotel) which Beth discovers is a halfway house for parolees. Viola reminds me of a female Indiana Jones with her hat and ever present gun. I am not a fan of Beth’s mother. She is a woman with issues of her own and the last thing Beth needs in her life. The mystery surrounding the death of Linda Rafferty was complex along with kidnapping of Beth. Only one of them is solved by the end of the book. Beth was on edge throughout the story which is understandable. The poor woman has been through a terrible ordeal and the man who caused it is still on the loose. Beth is also in a new town where a murder just took place and the residents tend to be secretive. I like how Donner takes the time to make sure Beth is equipped for the harsh weather and gives her rules to follow (she needs them). I enjoyed Paige’s descriptions of the Alaskan landscape which she brought alive with her vivid word imagery. I would also envision the characters especially Beth with her vivid scar. The only disappointment is not knowing how long we must wait for the next book in the Alaska Wild Mysteries. Thin Ice is a suspenseful mystery novel with the cruel climate, a mysterious murder, a crazed captor, close mouthed citizens, and missing memories.

[jjbooklvr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the author's Scottish Bookshop mysteries so when I heard she was starting a new series I had to give it a try. I love the setting of a small town in Alaska and also all the quirky local characters. There were plenty of twists and red herrings to keep me guessing the answer to this mystery plus we get a backstory that is being slowly told in bits and pieces. The local mystery wraps up nicely but wow on setting up book two with that ending! I definitely will be checking out the next book! I just hope the author keeps writing the Scottish series too!

[kaida46_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thin Ice by Paige SheltonShelton is another author of several cozy mystery series, Country Cooking School, Scottish Book Shop, Dangerous Type, Farmer’s Market series, etc. This is the first volume in a new series by the author, dubbed the Alaska Wild Mysteries. It features a successful female author who was stalked and eventually kidnapped by an obsessed fan, and after she escapes him, she goes away to a remote town in Alaska to heal from her ordeal and where no one will know who she really is. She can hide there from the deranged guy who stole her because he has not been apprehended yet by law enforcement. She can also be safe from any other obsessed fans who might have similar designs. Of course, being a cozy there has to be a murder mystery along the way and some amateur detective work to solve it, but there is no ubiquitous clever cat as a side kick here, just the sweeping landscape of Alaska, some assorted wildlife; bears, moose, and the unique people who live in this rugged environment. A good start but you could tell it was the beginning of a series because the story of the author and the capturing of the kidnapper is not resolved by the end of the book. Breadcrumbs are dropped along the way during the story, but you will have to keep reading the series to find out more. (4 stars)

[yonitdm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This mystery sucked me in. There's so many layers, the main character has her own mystery. Mystery she's unraveling as she's plunged into a mystery in her supposed safe haven. I'm excited to dive into this series more and figure out what's going on.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beth Rivers has run to a small town in Alaska after escaping from the stalker who kidnapped her. Her escape caused an injury which required brain surgery and has left her with amnesia, killer headaches, and flashbacks which bring back all the terror of her kidnapping. The kidnapper wasn't found and she fears that he will find her again. She finds herself resident in a halfway house for non-violent offenders sent in from Juneau. She also finds that there was a suspicious death just before she arrived.It is a town where everyone has secrets and many are fleeing from their pasts. Beth's secret is the she is a best-selling author of thrillers who got her start working for her grandfather who was Chief of Police in the small town where she grew up. Her father disappeared when she was seven and her mother had been obsessively looking for him until Beth's kidnapping which added finding her kidnapper to her obsession. She was left to her grandfather to raise while her mother searched for her missing father. Beth begins to get to know the various residents of the town as she tries to find out if the suspicious death was suicide or murder. The town is filled with interesting characters from the pot-smoking librarian to park ranger with secrets to the police chief who reminds her of her grandfather. I liked the descriptions of Alaska and the wildlife that was all around. I liked that Beth was resilient and struggling to get over a very traumatic experience. The one thing that I didn't like about the story was it ending which left Beth's story unresolved even though the crime Beth learns about on her arrival is solved. The ending which leads to her next case makes a real "cliffhanger" ending.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This first book in a new series for author Paige Shelton is quite a departure from the cozies she's written, and for me, it's a roaring success. (For you fans of her Farmer's Market, Country Cooking School, Dangerous Type, and Scottish Bookshop mysteries, Thin Ice may not be a cozy, but it's still a mystery that you should be able to enjoy.) Shelton's descriptions of Alaska drew me right in, and I particularly loved a scene that involves a bear and a moose.Benedict House-- the hotel that's actually a halfway house for women-- will be a rich source of characters for future books, and speaking of tales, the woman who runs the place is full of them all by herself. We aren't given Beth's story all at once, and when pieces are doled out, that heightens both the suspense and the readers' worry for Beth's health. Beth isn't a complete stranger to small-town living. When she's asked to work on the town's "newspaper," she realizes that the building will be a good location for her own writing as well as a source of information, and if gossip is what she wants, the local knitting classes should be a rich vein to tap. However, I think she's forgotten how nosy villagers can be. Just how long will it be before everyone knows what really happened to her?I'm looking forward to finding out as this series progresses. The story, the setting, and the characters all have me waiting impatiently for the next book. Hurry up, book two!