One morning during practice, the blade breaks off of Debbie’s skate, causing a serious fall. After the fall, Leo begins to think there may be more to the threats than an overprotective mother’s paranoia. Finding rink manager Jack Dumas with a bullet in his head also helps to convince Leo that ice skating may be much more cutthroat, literally, than he ever imagined.

Looking at who may be interested in ending Debbie’s career, Leo finds a former partner, but even more interesting, he finds secrets in Irene’s past that someone may be trying to keep hidden.

Leo is a very laid-back, come as you are type of guy (which may explain his financial situation), but during two dinners, one with his sister Susan and her new boyfriend, and one with Debbie’s coach Jane, a lot about Leo and his past are revealed in a subtle way, making him a much more interesting, human character.

Leo chases down several leads in both Debbie’s accident and Jack’s murder, gleaning little bits of information and putting it all together to create the bigger picture. Some footwork he commissions with a PI in Rochester, NY seems a bit out of character, as Leo appears to be a very independent type of guy, both privately and professionally.

Leo lines up several theories of the crimes and several suspects leaving plenty of clues along the way to help armchair detectives unravel the puzzles first. Part private eye novel, part cozy mystery, there is something for everyone from a good mystery to a setting based in the popular ice-skating world to an enjoyable main character.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry