Cherry Adair Hot Ice

Hot Ice

Cherry Adair

Ballantine, Jul 2005, $19.95, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0345476425

T-FLAC operative Huntington St. John blows out a wall of San Cristobel prison and rescues jewel thief Taylor Kincaid, who is blind probably from guards slamming her head on the rock hard floor. He takes her to a safe place and demands she provide him with the codes that along with diamonds she stole from Morales. She denies taking any codes and wonders if Hunt works for Theresa Smallwood whose deal she earlier rejected.

Though attracted to Taylor or whatever her name is as she has used a lot of aliases over the years, Hunt knows the codes are critical if he is to stop Morales and the Mano del Dios terrorists from causing a nasty incident in sixty days. Smallwood wants her too, but unlike Hunt who tries to avoid collateral damage, she and her top spy group do not care who dies as long as their cause is further served. Then there is Morales who wants Taylor back because no one escapes his wrath of God mentality.

HOT ICE is an action packed thriller that contains a strong cast who meet at Taylor, the focus of frenzied activity. Taylor is the key to the tale and she holds up well though her shadowy successful cat burglary profession seems to have failed her with Morales, Smallwood, and St. John. The attraction between Hunt and Taylor enhances the overall suspense as that is just one more thing out of control for the heroine. Cherry Adair writes a strong thriller that grips the reader from start to finish wondering who will come on top in an exciting anti-terrorist espionage encounter.

Harriet Klausner