Deal on Ice opens with the murder of John Deal's old friend Arch Dolan, Miami's premier independent bookseller, days after the announcement that a bookselling conglomerate will open its biggest Mega-Media superstore across the street from Arch's emporium. The police say Arch is simply the victim of random urban violence, but Deal is not so sure, and neither is Deal's estranged wife, Janice, who is helping Arch manage his successful store. Their suspicions lead the pair into confrontations with the ruthless head of a huge media chain, a notorious Miami power broker, and a megalomaniacal televangelist. Their sleuthing culminates in a showdown against two of the most chillingly homespun villains ever created, and the discovery of a far more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined.