Skating on the Edge by Joelle Charbonneau, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Toe Stop Roller Rink owner Rebecca Robbins volunteers to participate in the Native American Summer Days festival by being "dunked", but is saved from being fatally electrocuted when she steps away to help her grandfather with his Elvis costume in Skating on the Edge, the third mystery in this series by Joelle Charbonneau.

Unfortunately, the person who took Rebecca's turn wasn't so lucky. Sherlene Patsy — better know by her roller derby team name of Sherlene-n-Mean — steps up and after a second pitched ball is dunked … into a pool of freezing, electrified water. The police, investigating her death, determine that it was no accident: someone wanted to kill Sherlene. Or did they intend to kill Rebecca, who was supposed to be sitting in the tank? Shaken by her near fatal encounter — and sure no one would want to kill her — Rebecca starts looking in to who might have wanted Sherlene dead. But not long thereafter the rink's overhead disco ball comes crashing down just as Rebecca is walking under it. Maybe someone was targeting Rebecca. Or maybe someone was simply trying to stop Rebecca from looking any further into Sherlene's murder.

Skating on the Edge is an entertaining mystery, set in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else … and their secrets, too. The storyline unfolds in a comfortable manner, easy to follow without being overly complicated. There is a lot of humor here, too, both in character and in setting, as well as a touch of romance for Rebecca, who inherited the rink but wants to sell it. She sees herself as a big city (Chicago) kind of girl, drawn to the community that she once called home, and though she proclaims that she's moving on as soon as the rink is sold, truth be told, she doesn't seem to be any hurry to do so. Readers both new to the series and its existing fans will be glad she stayed.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Skating on the Edge.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Skating on the Edge for this review.

Skating Over the Line
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), September 2011
ISBN-13: 9780312606626; ISBN-10: 0312606621

Skating Under the Wire
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), October 2013
ISBN-13: 9781250019592; ISBN-10: 1250019591

Skating on the Edge

A Rebecca Robbins Mystery by Joelle Charbonneau