PAGE TURNER: Thriller falls woefully short of promises

 You know, I was enjoying myself throughout Thanksgiving break, until this book came along. Before reading Becca Fitzpatrick’s Black Ice, I expected to feel the emotions of every chilling mystery novel I’ve read it cover to cover. Unfortunately, the only emotion I felt was the icy black rage of Fitzpatrick’s lack of inner logic when developing her characters and plot.

  Black Ice is about a young woman named Britt Pheiffer and her friend who are taken hostage while seeking shelter in a remote cabin after their car breaks down in a severe snowstorm. Their captors are two fugitives who are the run after committing a serious crime. After being forced into the mountains by the men, Britt finds evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there. Held against her will with a killer on the loose, Britt must do everything in her power to stay alive.

  The premise itself is enough to draw in most intrigued readers, but once you actually read the book, you can’t help but feel disgusted, especially with the protagonist. I usually love female heroines as much as anyone, but flirting with the very people who threatened to take your life away while refusing to fight back was a little aggravating–not just a little, I actually mean A LOT. Most fictional women I’ve seen or read about–Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series for example–never have to rely on a handsome, arrogant man to rescue them from peril. Britt Pheiffer unfortunately falls into that category. Nonetheless, I honestly should’ve seen this coming when the book was labeled as a “sexy thriller”.

  Now, I understand the choices Fitzpatrick made. You can’t have a “sexy thriller” without a “sexy” romance, even if the romance is horrifying and unrealistic to the modern society of common sense. However, I appreciate the effort she put into her project, despite the unsatisfying results.

  In bitter conclusion, Black Ice is nothing more than a crossover between Twilight and Murder She Wrote during winter. I will bet the followers of those books wouldn’t even get excited by Black Ice. 

  However, if you’re a die-hard fan of sexy mystery thrillers, Black Ice might be your cup of tea. If not, STAY FAR, FAR AWAY.        ♦♦◊◊◊