What do you think?
Rate this book
Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery #1
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla
When a well respected truck driver, the owner of a family trucking business, is found dead in his truck down a steep embankment along the Coquihalla highway that winds through the mountains in British Columbia, his distraught daughter wants to know how and why his truck left the highway on an easy uphill curve. This compels Hunter Rayne, a fellow trucker and retired RCMP detective with daughters of his own, to help her find answers.
As he uncovers signs of illegal cross border activity originating in a Seattle warehouse, Hunter recruits an old friend, an outlaw biker, to infiltrate what appears to be an international smuggling ring. But while Hunter follows up clues and waits for critical information from his old friend, the wily biker starts to play his own angles. Finally, putting all the pieces together, there in the dark on the same uphill curve on the Coquihalla highway, Hunter risks it all to confront the murderer.
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla is the first in a traditional mystery series featuring “semi-” professional sleuth, Hunter Rayne. After serving over 20 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and becoming a skilled detective, Hunter resigned from the force and took to the road as a long haul trucker. His ex-wife is convinced he is running away from the personal tragedy that made him leave a job he loved. Hunter himself doesn’t know why, he only knows he has to keep following the white lines.
As he uncovers signs of illegal cross border activity originating in a Seattle warehouse, Hunter recruits an old friend, an outlaw biker, to infiltrate what appears to be an international smuggling ring. But while Hunter follows up clues and waits for critical information from his old friend, the wily biker starts to play his own angles. Finally, putting all the pieces together, there in the dark on the same uphill curve on the Coquihalla highway, Hunter risks it all to confront the murderer.
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla is the first in a traditional mystery series featuring “semi-” professional sleuth, Hunter Rayne. After serving over 20 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and becoming a skilled detective, Hunter resigned from the force and took to the road as a long haul trucker. His ex-wife is convinced he is running away from the personal tragedy that made him leave a job he loved. Hunter himself doesn’t know why, he only knows he has to keep following the white lines.
348 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
208 people are currently reading
1207 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
November 21, 2019
Interesting and Exciting Start to a new series!
3.75 Rounded up to 4★'s
Setting The Scene:
Elevation 1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Traversed by Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway)
Location: Kamloops South to Hope, British Columbia, Canada
Range Canadian Cascades
Length 543.3 km[1] (337.6 mi)
The Coquihalla climbed out of the Thompson valley and the temperature dropped. Kamloops' sandy brown hills, lightly furred with spring green, gave way to mountain slopes covered with endless ranks of dark evergreens, white spruce, fir and lodgepole pine. Here and there brown and white Hereford cattle grazed in ragged clearings, and high on the left side bank, where the hill had been sliced away to build the road, he saw a young moose, standing behind the wire fence and gazing at the greener pastures on the other side of the highway. The Suburban sprinted up the long hills and coasted down the short slopes until it reached the long smooth decline into the Nicola Valley. The view, one of Hunter's favorites, unfolded below like a giant map. Beyond his left elbow, the Nicola River twisted north and east between brilliant green borders, past Quilchena and back towards Kamloops, and southward, over the steering wheel, the town of Merritt sprawled in a trough between dark swollen mountains.
Hunter found himself in the Suburban heading south on the Coquihalla again with unanswerable questions running through his mind. Why wasn't Randy Danyluk wearing a seat-belt? A few hundred yards in either direction, and the truck would have run into the soft slope of the hill. Damaging, for sure, but much less likely to be fatal. Why had the accident occurred precisely at that deep, hidden ravine? Why was the truck in second gear? Could the driver have intentionally steered off the road, travelling slowly enough to ensure that the truck left the road at that particular spot? Could Randy have had reasons, known only to himself, for engineering the accident and his own death?
Hunter shook his head. He kept telling himself that he wasn't a cop anymore. His cop's instincts had to be rusty and chances were, this was just his imagination running wild. Whatever Suzanne wanted him to find out, chances were her father just fell asleep at the wheel.
He drove past the site of the accident and turned around a few miles south at the next exit. Then he tried to recreate the last few miles of Randy Danyluk's final trip as he approached the accident site. It was easy to see the approach during daylight, but Randy was driving up here at night. He would have had to keep the speed down in order to find the ravine and leave the highway without hitting either the side of the hill or the concrete barrier. That took planning.
Hunter pulled over and parked on the shoulder a dozen yards from the overpass, then walked over and looked down into the ravine. Wind blew across the highway, but deep in the ravine the air was still. There was no movement except for the flicker of sunlight reflecting off the water as it trickled across the rocky creek bed. A glint of light caught his eye. Twenty feet down the slope a raven was pulling at something shiny in the long grass. On impulse, Hunter started leaping down the hill, hollering and waving his arms. The raven squawked and took to the air. *The shiny object it had been pulling at, tangled in the matted grass, was a thin metal strip, the kind used by Canadian customs to seal a trailer loaded with freight that was being bonded on to an inland customs warehouse. The seal had been broken.
Broken or cut. (** See Form A8A described in my review below.)
********
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla by R.E. Donald is the first book in the Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery series.
First, the reason for the lower rating of this book is mostly due to some gaps in explanations of certain parts of the story that had me a bit lost until I used good old Google for help. For this reason, I'm including a basic piece of information that will help other readers enjoy this book without getting lost in the trucking jargon.
**The form A8A has to due with an option to seal to cargo and to bypass customs, requesting that the cargo be inspected more thoroughly at another facility.
It's definitely more complicated than that but the gist is that Randy, the driver of the truck that had the accident, used this option to file an A8A form when he left the shipping facility from a specific company. Due to a suspicion of wrong doing perhaps?
After that, the unexplained piece of the puzzle that was being referred to made perfect sense.
Also, there were one or two places where the story took an abrupt change of between time, place, or person where I had to be sharp on my toes to keep up with the flow of the story.
These two things are the only reason for my 3.75 vs a solid 4 star rating. As this is the first in a series, my hope is that it's likely that the next book will be done more refined than this one.
There were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this novel and I learned quite a lot about the trucking industry and the geological location of where the story takes place. I was somewhat familiar with the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia from a television series call Ice Road Truckers. But I learned more about the actual location of the highway as it's only a short section of road roughly located within a triangle between Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary in the British Columbia province of Canada. I included the map above as it will give the reader a definitive visual reference for where this series takes place. see from the very basic map above.
I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters in this series. The mysterious storyline as to how a fatal accident became a question of "accidental" or "murder" kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the novel and I read it in one sitting. I did have a small guess as to how the conclusion would play out but not until it was very nearly revealed. I enjoyed the entire book overall and will likely read the next book in the series.
3.75 Rounded up to 4★'s
Setting The Scene:
Elevation 1,244 m (4,081 ft)
Traversed by Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway)
Location: Kamloops South to Hope, British Columbia, Canada
Range Canadian Cascades
Length 543.3 km[1] (337.6 mi)
The Coquihalla climbed out of the Thompson valley and the temperature dropped. Kamloops' sandy brown hills, lightly furred with spring green, gave way to mountain slopes covered with endless ranks of dark evergreens, white spruce, fir and lodgepole pine. Here and there brown and white Hereford cattle grazed in ragged clearings, and high on the left side bank, where the hill had been sliced away to build the road, he saw a young moose, standing behind the wire fence and gazing at the greener pastures on the other side of the highway. The Suburban sprinted up the long hills and coasted down the short slopes until it reached the long smooth decline into the Nicola Valley. The view, one of Hunter's favorites, unfolded below like a giant map. Beyond his left elbow, the Nicola River twisted north and east between brilliant green borders, past Quilchena and back towards Kamloops, and southward, over the steering wheel, the town of Merritt sprawled in a trough between dark swollen mountains.
Hunter found himself in the Suburban heading south on the Coquihalla again with unanswerable questions running through his mind. Why wasn't Randy Danyluk wearing a seat-belt? A few hundred yards in either direction, and the truck would have run into the soft slope of the hill. Damaging, for sure, but much less likely to be fatal. Why had the accident occurred precisely at that deep, hidden ravine? Why was the truck in second gear? Could the driver have intentionally steered off the road, travelling slowly enough to ensure that the truck left the road at that particular spot? Could Randy have had reasons, known only to himself, for engineering the accident and his own death?
Hunter shook his head. He kept telling himself that he wasn't a cop anymore. His cop's instincts had to be rusty and chances were, this was just his imagination running wild. Whatever Suzanne wanted him to find out, chances were her father just fell asleep at the wheel.
He drove past the site of the accident and turned around a few miles south at the next exit. Then he tried to recreate the last few miles of Randy Danyluk's final trip as he approached the accident site. It was easy to see the approach during daylight, but Randy was driving up here at night. He would have had to keep the speed down in order to find the ravine and leave the highway without hitting either the side of the hill or the concrete barrier. That took planning.
Hunter pulled over and parked on the shoulder a dozen yards from the overpass, then walked over and looked down into the ravine. Wind blew across the highway, but deep in the ravine the air was still. There was no movement except for the flicker of sunlight reflecting off the water as it trickled across the rocky creek bed. A glint of light caught his eye. Twenty feet down the slope a raven was pulling at something shiny in the long grass. On impulse, Hunter started leaping down the hill, hollering and waving his arms. The raven squawked and took to the air. *The shiny object it had been pulling at, tangled in the matted grass, was a thin metal strip, the kind used by Canadian customs to seal a trailer loaded with freight that was being bonded on to an inland customs warehouse. The seal had been broken.
Broken or cut. (** See Form A8A described in my review below.)
********
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla by R.E. Donald is the first book in the Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery series.
First, the reason for the lower rating of this book is mostly due to some gaps in explanations of certain parts of the story that had me a bit lost until I used good old Google for help. For this reason, I'm including a basic piece of information that will help other readers enjoy this book without getting lost in the trucking jargon.
**The form A8A has to due with an option to seal to cargo and to bypass customs, requesting that the cargo be inspected more thoroughly at another facility.
It's definitely more complicated than that but the gist is that Randy, the driver of the truck that had the accident, used this option to file an A8A form when he left the shipping facility from a specific company. Due to a suspicion of wrong doing perhaps?
After that, the unexplained piece of the puzzle that was being referred to made perfect sense.
Also, there were one or two places where the story took an abrupt change of between time, place, or person where I had to be sharp on my toes to keep up with the flow of the story.
These two things are the only reason for my 3.75 vs a solid 4 star rating. As this is the first in a series, my hope is that it's likely that the next book will be done more refined than this one.
There were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this novel and I learned quite a lot about the trucking industry and the geological location of where the story takes place. I was somewhat familiar with the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia from a television series call Ice Road Truckers. But I learned more about the actual location of the highway as it's only a short section of road roughly located within a triangle between Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary in the British Columbia province of Canada. I included the map above as it will give the reader a definitive visual reference for where this series takes place. see from the very basic map above.
I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters in this series. The mysterious storyline as to how a fatal accident became a question of "accidental" or "murder" kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the novel and I read it in one sitting. I did have a small guess as to how the conclusion would play out but not until it was very nearly revealed. I enjoyed the entire book overall and will likely read the next book in the series.
January 24, 2021
Follow Hunter Rayne as he solves a mystery back in 1995 when a lorry crashes off a road in Canada, killing the driver.
I found Slow Curve on the Coquihalla to be a soft, cosy mystery even though it involved a fatality. Hunter Rayne is a fellow trucker who was asked by the dead driver’s daughter to look into her dad’s death. But Hunter is no average trucker because he used to be a mountie with the RCMP.
R. E. Donald writes a lot of detail into her mystery - loads of paragraphs describing the colours of the landscape, the roads and locations alongside plus the workings of a haulage company. I was not bothered by her lengthy descriptions of landscapes and vegetation but loved that her locations were real and not fictional or generic.
Of great interest to me were all the details about the workings of the transport industry. Readers must remember that the technical side of trucking has moved on a tremendous amount since 1995. With modern telematics, every damn thing is monitored and recorded, there would be no mystery at all about this road traffic accident.
R. E. Donald used to work in the haulage industry and her understanding of the work and the drivers really shines through. I have never driven a lorry but many of my Facebook friends have moved over from coaches to lorries and the attitudes and issues they raise are the same as she describes. For all that bus, coach and lorry drivers enjoy their job and working on their own, whenever they compare notes, they are always moaning about similar things, year in, year out. Honest, all professional drivers are content and happy but we can have a good old moan.
Solving the mystery of the lorry crash was a steady plod with lots of finger pointing. I found the parts about Hunter’s family life tedious to read through and were an unwelcome distraction from the core of this mystery. The solving of the mystery was not mind blowing and was something to roll along with. Because the quality of her writing about trucking culture held my interest throughout this book, I consider this novel to be an Okay 3 star read.
Kitty Dunn had a small part to play in this story but she had the best line of dialogue when she said “Yes, it suited me well. Over the years, I’d gotten used to being alone, and I like having my own home without the clutter of a full-time husband”.
I found Slow Curve on the Coquihalla to be a soft, cosy mystery even though it involved a fatality. Hunter Rayne is a fellow trucker who was asked by the dead driver’s daughter to look into her dad’s death. But Hunter is no average trucker because he used to be a mountie with the RCMP.
R. E. Donald writes a lot of detail into her mystery - loads of paragraphs describing the colours of the landscape, the roads and locations alongside plus the workings of a haulage company. I was not bothered by her lengthy descriptions of landscapes and vegetation but loved that her locations were real and not fictional or generic.
Of great interest to me were all the details about the workings of the transport industry. Readers must remember that the technical side of trucking has moved on a tremendous amount since 1995. With modern telematics, every damn thing is monitored and recorded, there would be no mystery at all about this road traffic accident.
R. E. Donald used to work in the haulage industry and her understanding of the work and the drivers really shines through. I have never driven a lorry but many of my Facebook friends have moved over from coaches to lorries and the attitudes and issues they raise are the same as she describes. For all that bus, coach and lorry drivers enjoy their job and working on their own, whenever they compare notes, they are always moaning about similar things, year in, year out. Honest, all professional drivers are content and happy but we can have a good old moan.
Solving the mystery of the lorry crash was a steady plod with lots of finger pointing. I found the parts about Hunter’s family life tedious to read through and were an unwelcome distraction from the core of this mystery. The solving of the mystery was not mind blowing and was something to roll along with. Because the quality of her writing about trucking culture held my interest throughout this book, I consider this novel to be an Okay 3 star read.
Kitty Dunn had a small part to play in this story but she had the best line of dialogue when she said “Yes, it suited me well. Over the years, I’d gotten used to being alone, and I like having my own home without the clutter of a full-time husband”.
November 17, 2016
Disclaimer (I'll start this review by saying that the author sent me a copy because she thought it might suit my taste and asked for my comments when I read it). Having said that, let's get into the book. Basically Slow Curve on the Coquihalla by R.E. Donald follows an ex-RCMP officer, Hunter Rayne, who has quit the force and now works as a long haul truck driver. A friend who owns a trucking company is found dead at the bottom of a ravine, possibly due to a driving accident or maybe due to murder? His daughter, Suzanne, asks for Hunter's help in finding out the cause of his death. That is the gist of the story. What did I like about the story. Firstly, I liked the setting, the interior of British Columbia. While I live on Vancouver Island, it was still nicely close to home and I enjoyed the descriptions of the area and just the overall setting. I liked many of the characters. Hunter is interesting, trying to deal with his past, maintain contact with his teenage daughters (he's divorced) and not sure how to go about it. His boss, El, is a strong woman who works in the trucking industry; has her soft spots but also her tough side. Suzanne and her two girls, trying to cope with the death of her father and also to keep his trucking business working, is lovely and like Hunter, I wanted to protect her. Sorry, the ex biker and wild child, is fun and loud. Hunter likes him, uses him to help in his investigation but still doesn't quite trust him. The dialogue was natural and the writing intelligent. Unlike many mysteries, we don't have to follow a trail of bodies, which is nice. We can get to know Hunter, his friends and the story in a well-crafted, interesting story. Even the ending was satisfying. There are other books in this series and I will check them out as well. (4 stars)
May 23, 2012
I received a free download of Slow Curve on the Coquihalla (A Hunter Rayne highway mystery,#1) by R.E. Donald in exchange for a honest review.
I enjoy reading mystery suspense thrillers and I was not disappointed with this novel.It was well written and the pace was steady and involving.
Randy Danyluk,a well respected truck driver, the owner of a family trucking business, is found dead in his truck down a steep embankment along the Coquihalla highway that winds through the mountains in British Columbia. His daughter Suzanne wants to know how and why he died. Not long afterwards, while driving the same highway, her husband’s brakes are tampered with, almost creating another fatal accident.Hunter Rayne, a fellow trucker and retired RCMP detective, and friend of Randy takes it upon himself to investigate and find answers to this unfortunate accident.
When Hunter uncovers signs of illegal cross border activity originating in a Seattle warehouse, Hunter recruits an old friend, Dan Sorenson (Sorry) an outlaw biker, to infiltrate what appears to be an international smuggling ring. But while Hunter follows up clues and waits for critical information from his old friend, Sorry does his own thing.
Hunter finally risks it all to confront the murderer.
I enjoyed reading all the details regarding the Trucking industry as my husband is in this field.This is a well written who-dun-it mystery novel, and I was guessing until the end.Well done.A very enjoyable read.
I enjoy reading mystery suspense thrillers and I was not disappointed with this novel.It was well written and the pace was steady and involving.
Randy Danyluk,a well respected truck driver, the owner of a family trucking business, is found dead in his truck down a steep embankment along the Coquihalla highway that winds through the mountains in British Columbia. His daughter Suzanne wants to know how and why he died. Not long afterwards, while driving the same highway, her husband’s brakes are tampered with, almost creating another fatal accident.Hunter Rayne, a fellow trucker and retired RCMP detective, and friend of Randy takes it upon himself to investigate and find answers to this unfortunate accident.
When Hunter uncovers signs of illegal cross border activity originating in a Seattle warehouse, Hunter recruits an old friend, Dan Sorenson (Sorry) an outlaw biker, to infiltrate what appears to be an international smuggling ring. But while Hunter follows up clues and waits for critical information from his old friend, Sorry does his own thing.
Hunter finally risks it all to confront the murderer.
I enjoyed reading all the details regarding the Trucking industry as my husband is in this field.This is a well written who-dun-it mystery novel, and I was guessing until the end.Well done.A very enjoyable read.
December 27, 2015
Book 1, in the Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
This who-done-it is a well-crafted mystery that brings us into the life of a long distance trucker Hunter Rayne, an ex- Mountie officer, who took the open road with his semi “The Blue Knight”. Rayne hauls north and south between Canada and the US and travels most of the time on one of the most scenic and dangerous route in Canada known as the Coquihalla.
As the wheels spin on the highway we have fascinating information about the trucking industry. To set the stage the author has taken quite a bit of time and has provided a lot of picky details about the business and the routine of the drivers. Some may find this tedious I found it interesting. As the story unravels we come to the exciting part: a crash…. was it an accident or perhaps a murder on the mountain…. Of course kicks in is the old detective habit of poking your nose into it and it is exactly what Rayne did. Up a gear and the unofficial investigation is on with the help of friends Rayne will get to the bottom and will get his man…
I enjoyed reading this book. It is quite a different style of mystery, one that is not too complicated to follow, is easy to figure out the denouement and has a cast of colourful characters to entertain us and a steady suspense throughout.
I admit, the experience is a bit of a soap opera but “hey” it’s a good read and quite entertaining.
This who-done-it is a well-crafted mystery that brings us into the life of a long distance trucker Hunter Rayne, an ex- Mountie officer, who took the open road with his semi “The Blue Knight”. Rayne hauls north and south between Canada and the US and travels most of the time on one of the most scenic and dangerous route in Canada known as the Coquihalla.
As the wheels spin on the highway we have fascinating information about the trucking industry. To set the stage the author has taken quite a bit of time and has provided a lot of picky details about the business and the routine of the drivers. Some may find this tedious I found it interesting. As the story unravels we come to the exciting part: a crash…. was it an accident or perhaps a murder on the mountain…. Of course kicks in is the old detective habit of poking your nose into it and it is exactly what Rayne did. Up a gear and the unofficial investigation is on with the help of friends Rayne will get to the bottom and will get his man…
I enjoyed reading this book. It is quite a different style of mystery, one that is not too complicated to follow, is easy to figure out the denouement and has a cast of colourful characters to entertain us and a steady suspense throughout.
I admit, the experience is a bit of a soap opera but “hey” it’s a good read and quite entertaining.
March 9, 2013
Not having read a lot of mysteries set in my neck of the woods in Canada I was thrilled to read this one. It also centers around trucking which just happens to be a member of my family's profession so again something familiar to me. I loved that it mentioned so many areas in detail that I knew well and the author had an excellent handle on the ins and outs of the trucking business as well as the fitting characters. The Hero to me is the heart of the story and having only just discovered a second book in this series I'm anxious to read more.
September 21, 2021
( Format : Audiobook )
"Never enough of tomorrow left."
When Hunter Rayne retired after two decades with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he bought himself a truck and worked, self employed, for Watson Transportation. When the owner driver of another company is found dead in his cab, mysteriously crashed into a ravine, Hunter's boss, El, asks him to look into it - the dead man had been such an experienced and careful driver, unlikely to have an accident like that. So, metaphorically, did he jump or was he pushed. With a gentle investigation, Hunter tries to determine the truth for the dead man's daughter at the same time as he meditated on his own life and the choices made.
This is a lovely book. Told from Hunter's perspective, the reader rides alongside him in his truch, meets and gets to know several characters along the way, and becomes privy to his innermost fears and hopes. Car more than just a mystery, which in itself is all too predictable, it is the whole rounded slice of a life which is so intriguing. The excellent narration is by John Hanks, whose warmly accented performance is also filled with clearly differentiated and appropriate voices of the several other characters as well as being perfectly paced and well modulated. Easily a five star performance. Unfortunately, a point has to be removed because of a major editing glitch at the end of chapter one where several minutes of stumbling over the text, painful to hear, were not removed. This should definitely have been taken out. All is recovered perfectly in the official chapter two, but the damage was severe.
My thanks to the rights holder who freely gifted me with a copy of Slow Curve on the Coquiha!la at my request. A good book which moves slowly but easily holds the reader's attention throughout and one I would definitely recommend to all who enjoy depth of character and, possibly, have wondered what it is like to be a long distance truck driver.
"Never enough of tomorrow left."
When Hunter Rayne retired after two decades with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he bought himself a truck and worked, self employed, for Watson Transportation. When the owner driver of another company is found dead in his cab, mysteriously crashed into a ravine, Hunter's boss, El, asks him to look into it - the dead man had been such an experienced and careful driver, unlikely to have an accident like that. So, metaphorically, did he jump or was he pushed. With a gentle investigation, Hunter tries to determine the truth for the dead man's daughter at the same time as he meditated on his own life and the choices made.
This is a lovely book. Told from Hunter's perspective, the reader rides alongside him in his truch, meets and gets to know several characters along the way, and becomes privy to his innermost fears and hopes. Car more than just a mystery, which in itself is all too predictable, it is the whole rounded slice of a life which is so intriguing. The excellent narration is by John Hanks, whose warmly accented performance is also filled with clearly differentiated and appropriate voices of the several other characters as well as being perfectly paced and well modulated. Easily a five star performance. Unfortunately, a point has to be removed because of a major editing glitch at the end of chapter one where several minutes of stumbling over the text, painful to hear, were not removed. This should definitely have been taken out. All is recovered perfectly in the official chapter two, but the damage was severe.
My thanks to the rights holder who freely gifted me with a copy of Slow Curve on the Coquiha!la at my request. A good book which moves slowly but easily holds the reader's attention throughout and one I would definitely recommend to all who enjoy depth of character and, possibly, have wondered what it is like to be a long distance truck driver.
April 19, 2013
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla by R. E. Donald
Another mystery in Donald's intriguing Hunter Rayne series. Rayne is a retired RCMP officer, living in North Vancouver. In his new life he drives The Blue Knight, a semi-truck, on long-haul freight pickups and deliveries. In and out among these treks, he discovers mysteries and crimes that need to be solved. Rayne, himself a likeable, responsible fellow, has a tendency to get hooked once he has taken up the chase, and he doesn't let go until he has solved it and turned the information over to the RCMP. Divorced, with two young adult daughters, he has not quite figured out how to find a new life; all he wants is the quiet and solitude of the long-haul freighter.
Rayne is surrounded by a small but consistent circle of friends: his landlord, retired lawyer, who lives upstairs and from time to time passes out wise advice; El, the owner of the dispatching service Rayne is part of, her good will and despite her desire to help solve a mystery getting out of hand and causing Rayne problems; and Sorry (Sorenson), the biker with the cobra tatoo who helps Rayne out but has a lot of trouble with impulse control. This crew inevitably provides an entertaining story.
In Slow Curve on the Coquihalla, Hunter Rayne gets involved with an apparent accidental death of a dispatcher in Kamloops, BC. The problem is, the curve was gentle and the truck's speed was maybe 10 mph. The dispatcher's daughter and Rayne combine with his usual crew to provide a fast-paced and entertaining story to discover the hidden crime.
R. E. Donald weaves an intricate and intriguing plot and creates in-depth characters who readers come to feel like are friends. For a great mystery/crime story, read: Slow Curve on the Coquihalla.
Another mystery in Donald's intriguing Hunter Rayne series. Rayne is a retired RCMP officer, living in North Vancouver. In his new life he drives The Blue Knight, a semi-truck, on long-haul freight pickups and deliveries. In and out among these treks, he discovers mysteries and crimes that need to be solved. Rayne, himself a likeable, responsible fellow, has a tendency to get hooked once he has taken up the chase, and he doesn't let go until he has solved it and turned the information over to the RCMP. Divorced, with two young adult daughters, he has not quite figured out how to find a new life; all he wants is the quiet and solitude of the long-haul freighter.
Rayne is surrounded by a small but consistent circle of friends: his landlord, retired lawyer, who lives upstairs and from time to time passes out wise advice; El, the owner of the dispatching service Rayne is part of, her good will and despite her desire to help solve a mystery getting out of hand and causing Rayne problems; and Sorry (Sorenson), the biker with the cobra tatoo who helps Rayne out but has a lot of trouble with impulse control. This crew inevitably provides an entertaining story.
In Slow Curve on the Coquihalla, Hunter Rayne gets involved with an apparent accidental death of a dispatcher in Kamloops, BC. The problem is, the curve was gentle and the truck's speed was maybe 10 mph. The dispatcher's daughter and Rayne combine with his usual crew to provide a fast-paced and entertaining story to discover the hidden crime.
R. E. Donald weaves an intricate and intriguing plot and creates in-depth characters who readers come to feel like are friends. For a great mystery/crime story, read: Slow Curve on the Coquihalla.
July 1, 2012
This is what I call dick-lit, as opposed to chick-lit, with lots of truck talk. That's not a slam, and since I live on the Northwest coast I can relate. We all deal with trucks one way or another, and I learned something about long hauls.
The funny thing is, the whole time I was reading this book I thought R.E. Donald was male. For a guy, he did an excellent job of getting the female characters right. The introspectives and actions of all characters give readers a full understanding of their motives. That was unexpected from a male author in a mystery involving truck drivers.
I'm sorry, Ruth E. Donald, for presuming you were a man. It's a compliment to you that I read the book with such interest that I didn't read "about the author" first.
There are a number of typos that stopped me, unfortunately. I read the e-version, which could use editing and resubmitting. One thing, when "correct" use of ellipsis marks and full justification collide in e-books, ending punctution gets left on the next line. Omitting the last space would read better. Another confusing thing is the lack of commas when using multiple adjectives, and hyphenization for modifyers. Clarity suffered.
The funny thing is, the whole time I was reading this book I thought R.E. Donald was male. For a guy, he did an excellent job of getting the female characters right. The introspectives and actions of all characters give readers a full understanding of their motives. That was unexpected from a male author in a mystery involving truck drivers.
I'm sorry, Ruth E. Donald, for presuming you were a man. It's a compliment to you that I read the book with such interest that I didn't read "about the author" first.
There are a number of typos that stopped me, unfortunately. I read the e-version, which could use editing and resubmitting. One thing, when "correct" use of ellipsis marks and full justification collide in e-books, ending punctution gets left on the next line. Omitting the last space would read better. Another confusing thing is the lack of commas when using multiple adjectives, and hyphenization for modifyers. Clarity suffered.
August 11, 2014
This is the story of a retired RCMP sergeant, Hunter Rayne, who after retiring has become a long haul trucker. Randy Danyuk, a veteran trucker liked by everyone and owning his own trucking company dies suddenly on the Coquilhalla without a medical or mechanical explanation. The daughter of the trucker asks Hunter to do some sleuthing and that is just what he does. The story discusses what it must be like to be on long hauls, the grapevine that can be tapped into by truckers, the fact that truckers look out for one another and while informing the reader of these thing it also deals with relationships, love, and the idea that family is very important. The ending is well crafted and will probably be a surprise for many. The author worked in the transportation industry and has brought her knowledge with her when writing. I did not know much about this type of work so enjoyed learning more about it. The book was originally written in 1995 which may explain why sometimes I felt that I was stepping back into the past. I am thankful to have won this book through a LibrayThing giveaway and would gladly read other books by this author.
January 22, 2012
R.E. Donald, Canadian author of Slow Curve on the Coquihalla, has taken two Canadian traditions and meshed them into an intriguing mystery. The writing flows at a steady pace from beginning to end, keeping the reader just out of reach of the answer to the mystery of who, how and why.
This traditional ‘who done it’ will keep most readers scratching their head. Was it a shipper in the US, a disgruntled employee, or maybe a jealous friend? Will Hunter Rayne find the answers before it’s too late? With well developed characters, plot twists and veiled clues this story travels from Canada to the US and back again on a winding route to the final conclusion.
This is a great read for anyone who likes mystery, intrigue and those that are looking for good reads from up and coming Canadian authors. I have the second Hunter Rayne novel, Ice on the Grapevine, on my list to read. I’m hoping to get to it very soon.
This traditional ‘who done it’ will keep most readers scratching their head. Was it a shipper in the US, a disgruntled employee, or maybe a jealous friend? Will Hunter Rayne find the answers before it’s too late? With well developed characters, plot twists and veiled clues this story travels from Canada to the US and back again on a winding route to the final conclusion.
This is a great read for anyone who likes mystery, intrigue and those that are looking for good reads from up and coming Canadian authors. I have the second Hunter Rayne novel, Ice on the Grapevine, on my list to read. I’m hoping to get to it very soon.
June 10, 2012
Former Sgt. Hunter Rayne of the Royal Mounted Canadian Police is retired. Nevertheless, Slow Curve On The Coquihalla is a police procedural as well as a first rate who-done-it. Author Donald plays fair with her clues in this well crafted mystery. Interesting characters and occasionally lyric descriptions of the Canadian West are a bonus. All in all a very enjoyable read.
July 28, 2012
Never thought I would enjoy a truck driver based mystery, but I sure did. The characters were very down to earth and well fleshed out. The mystery kept me guessing until the last few pages, not like some that give it away 3/4 of the way through so they can do an immense capture and wrap up escapade. I'll definitely continue to follow this series.
June 14, 2014
I found this interesting because it is about long distance truck drivers. The owner of the company dies in a mysterious and freak accident. By chance, one of the employees is a former Mountie, and he begins to research what happened. He is a divorced father of two teenage girls, who wants to spend more time with them. The owner's daughter is trying to hold everything together.
February 19, 2013
I enjoyed this book very much. I live in Kamloops so it was nice to hear about the surrounding areas. I will be looking for that curve next time I drive the Coq. Can't wait to find the next book!
August 18, 2024
The book had way more navel gazing than mystery in it, and while I thought that the trucking industry was interesting at first, it got to be a lot-a lot after a while. After that, the mystery while intriguing, I had to pick it out from 'a day in the life of Hunter Rayne'. I really think I learned more about Hunter's laundry (and yes, it was discussed frequently in the book) than I did about the clues and investigations getting to the resolution of the story.
But even with all of that I might be more forgiving given that this is a first book of a new series and first books often have bugs to work out
But, the casual sexism and the casual and overt racism did nothing to help the story and are pretty unforgivable.
Additionally, I really got tired and aggravated with Hunter's whole 'oh me, oh my, my kids don't love me, they don't want to spend time with me, what terrible children that they are avoiding dear old dad' while at the same time HE, the ADULT, takes every opportunity to avoid speaking to his CHILDREN. And HE, the ADULT gets upset when they are not waiting at home with bated breath for him to just show up, unannounced to spend time with him on his schedule. And he begrudges them having friends, jobs, and other activities in their lives that keep them from waiting around their home with bated breath just in case he might show up unannounced on rare, sporadic occasions to deign to spend time with them. And yeah, even after his daughter lets him know if he calls ahead she can be there. And yeah, even after his ex lets him know that his daughters want to spend time with him. And yeah, even after another man tells him he's doing it wrong (because of course Hunter is the type of guy who would need to hear it from another man). Hunter still decides the lack of relationship that he, the ADULT has with his children is the fault of his CHILDREN. Blargh! Hunter can shove his 'woe is me' schtick where the sun doesn't shine.
I don't think I'll look up book #2 in this series.
But even with all of that I might be more forgiving given that this is a first book of a new series and first books often have bugs to work out
But, the casual sexism and the casual and overt racism did nothing to help the story and are pretty unforgivable.
Additionally, I really got tired and aggravated with Hunter's whole 'oh me, oh my, my kids don't love me, they don't want to spend time with me, what terrible children that they are avoiding dear old dad' while at the same time HE, the ADULT, takes every opportunity to avoid speaking to his CHILDREN. And HE, the ADULT gets upset when they are not waiting at home with bated breath for him to just show up, unannounced to spend time with him on his schedule. And he begrudges them having friends, jobs, and other activities in their lives that keep them from waiting around their home with bated breath just in case he might show up unannounced on rare, sporadic occasions to deign to spend time with them. And yeah, even after his daughter lets him know if he calls ahead she can be there. And yeah, even after his ex lets him know that his daughters want to spend time with him. And yeah, even after another man tells him he's doing it wrong (because of course Hunter is the type of guy who would need to hear it from another man). Hunter still decides the lack of relationship that he, the ADULT has with his children is the fault of his CHILDREN. Blargh! Hunter can shove his 'woe is me' schtick where the sun doesn't shine.
I don't think I'll look up book #2 in this series.
April 23, 2020
I like a mystery with more to it than just the whodunit. This one delivers. The main characters are fully developed and memorable, each one with quirks and distinctive characteristics, especially tough El Watson and biker dude Dan "Sorry" Sorenson. A variety of shifty, shady types add a bit of grit. There's a lot (but not too much) info about the trucking business. And it's set in a place I happen to know well -- British Columbia's Lower Mainland and southern interior. The changing scenery and weather are sketched in to give the reader a picture of this scenic region. Hunter Rayne is no longer in the RCMP so must conduct his investigation into a fellow trucker's death unofficially, calling on former colleagues for help. Sometimes his efforts take a back seat to his regrets and worries about his relationship with his daughters, who have grown up without much of his presence in their lives. Many miles are logged while he figures things out, and many encounters in bars and roadside eateries. Something I found a bit excessive was descriptions of characters' clothing in almost every scene. On the other hand, typos and errors were not an issue, and the ebook formatting was excellent. All in all, I enjoyed riding along with Hunter.
July 24, 2017
Hunter Rayne is a former RCMP officer, now a truck driver in western Canada. He has two teenage daughters but is unattached. A straight-shooter good guy, he radiates that, making his friend and opposite 'Sorry' Sorenson, a man comfortable in the seamier world of the low-life an interesting counter to Rayne. The story opens with the death of a fellow driver, a good man and owner of a trucking company. The RCMP deems it an accident, but the victim's daughter asks Rayne to find out why this happened to such a good, experienced driver. The pursuit begins and takes time. To avoid spoilers, I liked the Hunter/Sorry tandem and Hunter's issues with his daughters. The mystery was good enough for me to finish, but not as good as Sundown on Top of the World, with what was for me a more interesting setting and more intriguing characters around the case. One or both stand alone. I would read Rayne again, but there are others I'd put well before him.
March 23, 2023
Slow Curve on the Coquihalla
Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
A long-haul trucker series. The mystery here is why an experienced trucker ran off the road at a curve on an uphill grade. I’ve driven Hwy 5 to Hwy 1. Camped in Revelstoke and watched a female Mounty pull over a trucker who failed to break hard enuf coming down one of those long grades. They’re some of the most scenic roadways on earth and some of the most scary with their snow sheds and avalanche warning signs. This isn’t about finding the shortest route from A to B but finding one that’s possible. It is filled with place names that mark the history of Canada. The men who charted those routes are Canada’s unsung heroes.
Hunter is a retired Mounty and though lacking official status determined to find out why his friend died and whether someone had a hand in his accident. So this turns into a murder mystery and I’ll not pretend I saw the ending coming.
Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
A long-haul trucker series. The mystery here is why an experienced trucker ran off the road at a curve on an uphill grade. I’ve driven Hwy 5 to Hwy 1. Camped in Revelstoke and watched a female Mounty pull over a trucker who failed to break hard enuf coming down one of those long grades. They’re some of the most scenic roadways on earth and some of the most scary with their snow sheds and avalanche warning signs. This isn’t about finding the shortest route from A to B but finding one that’s possible. It is filled with place names that mark the history of Canada. The men who charted those routes are Canada’s unsung heroes.
Hunter is a retired Mounty and though lacking official status determined to find out why his friend died and whether someone had a hand in his accident. So this turns into a murder mystery and I’ll not pretend I saw the ending coming.
September 23, 2017
Takes place in Canada and is about a truck driver who used to be with the RCMP. So definitely a departure for me. It was a very masculine story, so I was surprised when I read that the author was a female Canadian.
A truck driver's vehicle is found down a hill, somewhat damaged with the driver behind the wheel dead. His daughter asks Hunter, an ex policeman and current employee, to check into her father's death. There are some things that don't make sense. Like why such an experienced driver would crash, why there are no skid marks, and he didn't appear to fall asleep at the wheel, or have a heart attack.
It is not easy to investigate because Hunter is not a RCMP anymore. He doesn't have their resources at hand and has to figure things out on his own. It takes quite awhile, but he, of course, succeeds.
A truck driver's vehicle is found down a hill, somewhat damaged with the driver behind the wheel dead. His daughter asks Hunter, an ex policeman and current employee, to check into her father's death. There are some things that don't make sense. Like why such an experienced driver would crash, why there are no skid marks, and he didn't appear to fall asleep at the wheel, or have a heart attack.
It is not easy to investigate because Hunter is not a RCMP anymore. He doesn't have their resources at hand and has to figure things out on his own. It takes quite awhile, but he, of course, succeeds.
April 4, 2023
An enjoyable book.
Most of the characters seemed written due TV. But you get to know and like them anyway.
I do enjoy the story telling. And the many storylines running at the same time.
The two things I really enjoyed was its setting, and the focus on the trucking lifestyle.
I live in BC Canada, where the book is set. And it's fun reading about places I'm really familiar with.
It made me think it would be fun to drive for a living, seeing a lot of places. Yet on the flip side, you could easily lose money if you can't get a load in both directions. Not to mention the amount of hours you are away from home and family.
Unfortunately, I figured out the mystery fairly early. But there were enough twists to get me second guessing.
Most of the characters seemed written due TV. But you get to know and like them anyway.
I do enjoy the story telling. And the many storylines running at the same time.
The two things I really enjoyed was its setting, and the focus on the trucking lifestyle.
I live in BC Canada, where the book is set. And it's fun reading about places I'm really familiar with.
It made me think it would be fun to drive for a living, seeing a lot of places. Yet on the flip side, you could easily lose money if you can't get a load in both directions. Not to mention the amount of hours you are away from home and family.
Unfortunately, I figured out the mystery fairly early. But there were enough twists to get me second guessing.
November 12, 2019
Coquihalla - A Hunter Rayne Mystery
Didn't know about the world of truckers until having read two books in the series. I always like learning about the lives of people through books and was impressed by how authentic the voice of Hunter came through. A native Washington-stater, I've traveled to Whistler through Vancouver from the greater Seattle area as well as traveling across the U.S. and Canadian shared border by car and train on the Trans-Canada rail. I love mountains and forest land and miss both by living as a retiree in Southern California.
Didn't know about the world of truckers until having read two books in the series. I always like learning about the lives of people through books and was impressed by how authentic the voice of Hunter came through. A native Washington-stater, I've traveled to Whistler through Vancouver from the greater Seattle area as well as traveling across the U.S. and Canadian shared border by car and train on the Trans-Canada rail. I love mountains and forest land and miss both by living as a retiree in Southern California.
March 21, 2019
Enjoyed this book. As a mystery,it was not gripping or suspenseful. However,if like myself you are a B.C.Canadian it is wonderful to read a book identifying local geographical areas and locations,historical facts and Canadiana. So many books have an American bias.
I really like the main character an ex RCMP officer turned trucker. You cannot get more Canadian then RCMP. He is a very likeable Character and it was a comfortable read in front of the fire place.
I really like the main character an ex RCMP officer turned trucker. You cannot get more Canadian then RCMP. He is a very likeable Character and it was a comfortable read in front of the fire place.
October 22, 2020
An okay story but nothing that has me anxious to read the next one in the series.
Hunter Ryan is a low key kind of guy but perhaps he was too low-key. I don’t know just couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t surprised at all as to who the killer was. Had them on the top of my list about halfway. The only character that I enjoyed was Sorry.
If it was Kindle Unlimited I’d be enthused to read the next book.
Hunter Ryan is a low key kind of guy but perhaps he was too low-key. I don’t know just couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t surprised at all as to who the killer was. Had them on the top of my list about halfway. The only character that I enjoyed was Sorry.
If it was Kindle Unlimited I’d be enthused to read the next book.
December 13, 2021
A interesting plot!
Hunter, a retired RCMP detective, is now an over the road driver. An acquaintance of his has just died in a one truck accident that doesn’t make sense to Hunter or the other drivers. The man’s adult daughter asks Hunter to look into it. This is the story of what happened and how. It is also a story about long haul trucking which makes it very interesting! Thanks to the author and publisher for an e-galley for an honest review.
Hunter, a retired RCMP detective, is now an over the road driver. An acquaintance of his has just died in a one truck accident that doesn’t make sense to Hunter or the other drivers. The man’s adult daughter asks Hunter to look into it. This is the story of what happened and how. It is also a story about long haul trucking which makes it very interesting! Thanks to the author and publisher for an e-galley for an honest review.
June 18, 2024
2.5- decent story. ALERT: If you have a problem with profanity - this is definitely not the book for you. Set in Canada. Owner/operator of a trucking firm is killed when his rig goes off a cliff mysteriously. It's ruled an accident - probably driver fell asleep. His daughter, who helps with the business, enlists another long haul driver, former RCMP, to investigate. Took awhile to get to the conclusion, but overall a good read.
April 18, 2018
Boring.
Been trying to get thru this piece of trash for about four months now. Nothing ever happens. Seems to keep on repeating the same old stuff. Can only read one or two paragraphs until my mind starts wandering or I fall asleep. I quit, time to move onward. No more time to waste with this boring dribble. Sorry, and also sorry for sorry.
Been trying to get thru this piece of trash for about four months now. Nothing ever happens. Seems to keep on repeating the same old stuff. Can only read one or two paragraphs until my mind starts wandering or I fall asleep. I quit, time to move onward. No more time to waste with this boring dribble. Sorry, and also sorry for sorry.
August 17, 2018
2.75. I had a hard time getting into this. It took me a long time to finish it. The premise of a former Mountie turned trucker, who gets pulled into a mystery, was unique, but I didn’t connect with Hunter. Also, there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I sometimes had a hard time remembering who was who. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.
February 22, 2020
I have driven to Kamloops from Colorado. I have been to Banff and Revelstoke. So raiding along on this big semi was a treat! An enlightening read about the life of a trucker.
The dissappointing thing with this book, is that it wrapped up in 20 pages. It was like they ran out of pages and so had to finish FAST!!!
No to look into other writes by this author.
The dissappointing thing with this book, is that it wrapped up in 20 pages. It was like they ran out of pages and so had to finish FAST!!!
No to look into other writes by this author.
August 16, 2022
Absolutely loved this book. The characters are very well developed and believable. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep me entertained. Very descriptive scenery I think I could smell the pines and the characters, I felt as if they were right in front of me. Great story I highly recommend this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews