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R.E. Donald
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Slow Curve on the Coquihalla (A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery, Book 1) Kindle Edition

by R.E. Donald (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,180 ratings
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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 he died. Not long afterwards, while driving the same highway, her husband’s brakes are tampered with, almost creating another fatal accident on a treacherous incline, This compels Hunter Rayne, a fellow trucker and retired RCMP detective, 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.

***

"Those were the best mysteries I've read in a long time!! As soon as I finished the first one I bought the second and felt empty when I finished it! The characters were awesome and so there that I somehow think they are in my life."

"I think that Hunter Rayne would make a great TV detective, driving around the country in his rig visiting different states and helping to solve crimes. He is that interesting of a character.”

“The Hero to me is the heart of the story ...”

“I hope to see the Hunter Rayne series become movies and audio books.”
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
  2. Print length
    351 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 19, 2013
  6. File size
    643 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"highly recommended" - Midwest Book Review

... the world of long-distance truckers remains closed to most of us. Not so for R. E. Donald. She and her late husband spent decades in the transportation industry. This mystery novel, Slow Curve on the Coquihalla, uses that experience wonderfully well.

This book is filled with details of what life is really like for long-haulers and the people who love them. It's tough enough for a guy who isn't sure about reading mysteries; and satisfying for any mystery fan who loves convoluted plots. - Sharon Wildwind, Story Circle Book Reviews

From the Author

This is the first novel in my Hunter Rayne highway mystery series. I wanted to write about a world I knew, and the kind of mystery that I most enjoyed as a reader. In the '90s, I was a big fan of mystery writers Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes. I especially enjoyed Grimes' Richard Jury series, and used it as a rough model for my new series, with the major difference being that the highway mystery settings and characters are uniquely North American.

I hope you enjoy reading about Hunter Rayne and his cast of supporting characters as much as I enjoy writing about them.

R.E. (Ruth) Donald

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005L9B29I
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Proud Horse Publishing; 1st edition (November 19, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 19, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 643 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 351 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,180 ratings

About the author

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R.E. Donald

R.E. Donald

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R.E. Donald is the author of the Hunter Rayne Highway Mysteries series. Ruth worked in the transportation industry in various capacities for 25 years and draws on her experience in creating the realistic characters and situations in her novels.

Ruth attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., where she studied languages and creative writing to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree.

She currently lives in Eagle Bay, B.C., near the shores of Shuswap Lake.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
2,180 global ratings
My wife and I drove the Coquihalla in 2008. ...
4 Stars
My wife and I drove the Coquihalla in 2008. ...
My wife and I drove the Coquihalla in 2008. Lovely drive. The Mountains are spectacular. When I heard that there was a novelist highlighting that area, I had to order her Books. Slow Curve on the Coquihalla appears to be the first novel of the trilogy. The characters are down to earth and believable and her description of the locations brought back many memories to me. I'm anxious to read the other two books
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A rarified read--a gripping tale, memorable characters
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
As I began reading the murder mystery, Slow Curve on the Coquihalla, I sobbed with unconscious relief: R.E. Donald's storytelling and intelligent writing style is superb. Donald's not afraid of using real verbs, nor afraid of simile and metaphor, and her working vocabulary is larger than a thousand words! YES! I didn't realize how starved I really was for decent writing as most of the Kindle Edition ebooks I've read on Amazon are, at best, meagre in word and plot.

Canadian writer R.E. (Ruth) Donald writes about what she knows firsthand and her writing style reflects her deep knowledge of the trucking world. Authorative polished writing, solid, well-crafted characters, great plot twists, pacing, and, of course, the prerequisite dangling red herrings. (Though I did guess who the murderer was, I still had doubts).

The protagonist, former Sgt. Hunter Rayne, a retired ex-Mountie-cum-trucker, reminds me of Canadian TV detective DaVinci, of DaVinci's Inquest--but he's more soulful, and self-reflective.

A complex, poetic character, Hunter, a lawman who retired after his RCMP partner committed suicide, and took to the open road as big-rig trucker. Hunter's still a detective at heart. When his friend is murdered, Hunter lives up to his moniker, and doggedly persues his elusive quarry, thus proving that the Mountie always gets his man. Indeed, old habits die hard: you can take the man out of the Mountie but you can't take the Mountie out of the man.

Alas, one reviewer thought the book was slow, another said it was over-written. Not at all. I suspect those readers haven't read anything challenging in a while, if ever. Not that this is a challenging book: Douglas doesn't insult the reader's intellect.

Bonus points for the lyrical prosaic passages--it's a love poem--a paeon to the Pacific Northwest. From the first paragraph, I was hooked: "Somewhere between him and the horizon, beneath the scalloped rows of gilt-edged clouds, the port city of Vancouver mushroomed along the shores of Burrard Inlet, her sharp edged buildings sprouted against the looming shadows of the Coast mountains." Or "His fingers played a scale on the steering wheel." (When I was young, I hitchedhiked those gorgeous roads). Douglas's writing style is a breath of fresh air.

I've not been compelled to give a five-star review for most of the free Kindle Edition ebooks I've read, but this one deserves it. And more. Douglas revitalizes the Kindle murder mystery genre. Kudus on your first book! You're rockin' it. Can't wait to meet Hunter Rayne again in Ice on the Grapevine.
14 people found this helpful
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lostintheswamp
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommend
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
First, I confess that I am still in the process of reading this book, but I have read two others in this series and I am enjoying this one just as much as I did the other two. I love learning stuff, and these books have taught me a bit about how the trucking business works. That aside, these are good mysteries with interesting characters and intelligent plots. This particular story develops slowly, which I like, but if you're the type who wants a lot of action on every second page, you won't get it here. I really enjoy the character of Hunter - the protagonist policeman turned truck driver - and I didn't know until i started this review that the writer is a woman, so I think she does a great job of making him believable. The characters of Ell and Sorry are also interesting and very likable. In fact, each character is drawn as someone you could well imagine knowing or meeting. I can't particularly put my finger on exactly what appeals to me in these books, so I can only suggest that if you enjoy a good mystery that keeps you guessing, that's not filled with endless slash and burn action, I think you will enjoy this series.
One person found this helpful
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ST
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow going
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2015
Verified Purchase
I wish I could speak more highly of this book because it's very well written--and written and written and written. It's one of those examples of writers not knowing what's filler and what's part of the story. Just way too much unnecessary detail and, sorry to say, not a really interesting story to begin with. Yes, he's very knowledgeable about his subject but I can't believe it wouldn't have very limited appeal. Well, maybe I can--I don't remember but it probably has a gazillion 5-star reviews. I liked it because I just came back from Canada and the setting of the story was familiar but I finally skipped to the end (not easy with the cheap Kindle; I had to push the button about 80 times) because I couldn't take any more. Now that there are so many millions of Amazon readers I don't think it would be easy to write a book that didn't get a lot of good reviews. The law of averages is in favor of a certain amount of success so I think I will just end by clarifying that I am an avid reader, I have been reading for many, many years (thousands of books), and I am a grammar Nazi. This book is not bad; I am necessarily picky. So use me as a yardstick and choose accordingly. I'm grateful that so many books are available to people for little or nothing. Reading is good.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

CantVal
5.0 out of 5 stars Good interesting read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was offered one of her books at a reduced price and I am very glad that I accepted the offer. The one I read first was the last, so far, in the series and I immediately bought this, the first. As other reviews have mentioned the pace is slower than some other books in this genre but in some ways all the better for that as life does not offer solutions as soon as you have identified the problem! The main character seems to me to be well drawn and is likeable and his 'sidekick' is also strangely likeable. The trucking details are interesting and the peripheral characters well drawn I would recommend this to anyone who does not require their stories to rattle along at a slightly unbelievable pace
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J.O. Quantaman
5.0 out of 5 stars The Real McCoy
Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2015
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"Slow Curve on the Coquihalla" by R. E. Donald is a 1st-rate Mystery and Detective novel. Hunter Rayne is a long-haul trucker and a retired RCMP officer. It's hard not to like Hunter who has a down-home full-bodied appeal. In fact, all the characters in the story are well-drawn, craftily detailed and plausible. The scenes are realistic. The plot is methodical without any cheap twists. The author foreshadows well and gives readers enough hints to nail the perp(s). But very few readers will guess the killer, because the author presents a whole forest of likely suspects and intriguing distractions.

The author knows the trucking business inside and out. The dialogues, interactions and backgrounds are authentic. The scenery slides across your windshield in a panoramic vista. I could almost hear the hiss of tires on pavement.

Dan Sorenson "Sorry" is a jaded rounder and ex-biker. He becomes Hunter's unlikely sidekick. Sorry could be modern fiction's answer to the legendary Fallstaff character.

This novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys realistic characters and richly detailed scenes.
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Jocelyne Boulet
4.0 out of 5 stars so Canadian!
Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2022
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I love murder mysteries, but this Canadian setting was so intoxicating… I’ve travelled across the Coquihalla a few times and having the setting in such a familiar place, the names of towns and cities become more vivid, made the entire read something entirely new.
Well written, so many twists and turns, the outcome will surprise even the most experienced readers of this genre.
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Norma Miles
4.0 out of 5 stars "Never enough of tomorrow left."
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2021
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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.
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Stephen Clynes
3.0 out of 5 stars Fire up the Cummins engine and hit the road with Hunter.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
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”.
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