Ice Run by Steve Hamilton Reviewed by Steve Rudd

This is Steve's sixth action-thriller novel, and it is arguably his most exciting and accomplished so far.

Michigan-born Steve sets all his work in such a perpetually snowbound state (or so it would seem from reading his work), with all six of his novels revolving around the trials and tribulations of a Michigan man named McKnight.. Alex McKnight. Alex is the principal character, and he is a man who lives alone in a log cabin in a relatively desolate part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in an area that feels the chill of the mighty Lake Superior which is found nearby.

A retired private investigator, Alex is always keen to help his friends - but this isn't always such a good idea, as readers of Steve Hamilton's remarkable novels will know, because Alex forever seems to get into trouble as a direct result.

Unlike so many thriller novels around, Hamilton's are outstanding because they bristle with a perfect balance of searing drama and white-knuckle action set-pieces. Even back in his debut novel, A Cold Day In Paradise, Hamilton vividly paints the outline of a number of fascinating characters, and the majority of those characters are still around to grace the chilling plot of Ice Run. As well as having created some brilliant characters, Steve also really ensures that the readers of his novels get a fantastic feel for the chilly Northern reaches of Michigan. Indeed, the presence of snow features heavily at all times..

In Ice Run, Alex is forced to delve into the intriguing past of his new girlfriend Natalie.. whom he met in the novel that preceded this one: the magnificent Blood Is The Sky. Unlucky for Alex, he doesn't like what he finds - and so begins yet another exhilarating story that will leave you gripped until the very last page. With every subsequent Alex McKnight-based novel, Steve Hamilton genuinely is proving that his writing talents know no bounds, and I - for one - truly do wait with baited breath for the next instalment in this highly addictive series, assuming that is that Steve intends to follow up Ice Run. He'd honestly be a fool not to, hint-hint..

(ISBN 0-75285-994-3; first published in 2004) www.orionbooks.co.uk Check out Steve's website at www.authorstevehamilton.com

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