Lauren’s job as a cold case homicide detective is her life. And life just got complicated. Lauren Riley is an accomplished detective who has always been on the opposite side of the courtroom from slick defense attorney Frank Violanti. But now he’s begging to hire her as a private investigator to help clear his client of murder. At first Lauren refuses, wanting nothing to do with the media circus … to do with the media circus surrounding the case—until she meets the eighteen-year-old suspect.
To keep an innocent teen from life in prison, Lauren must unravel the conflicting evidence and changing stories to get at the buried facts. But the more she digs, the more she discovers that nothing is what it first appears to be. As Lauren puts her career and life in danger, doubt lurks on every corner . . . and so does her stalker.
Praise:
“Recommend this one to anyone who loves courtroom dramas where lawyers tear into witnesses like pit bulls. And to anyone hot for a police procedural where tired cops make mistakes but slowly, relentlessly—and with morbid humor—get the job done. Redmond delivers both in one package…The real attraction here is a keyhole view into a world that turns our expectations upside down—a world where a bullying, quasi-fascist cop can be the only one with a handle on reality. Keep your eyes on Redmond, a retired cop who knows how to write.”—Booklist
“Redmond, a recently retired Buffalo PD homicide detective, keeps everything moving nicely in this well-constructed crime novel.”—Publishers Weekly
“An excellent police procedural combined with a psychological thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A Cold Day in Hell is a fine first novel and Lauren Riley is cool new addition to the world of PI and cop protagonists. A retired detective, Lissa Marie Redmond gives it to the reader without the sugarcoating and lifts the veil off how the system really works…or doesn’t.”—Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of What You Break
“Ex-cop Lissa Redmond has a sure hand with police procedure, which should be no surprise. The joy of A Cold Day in Hell comes from her equally sure hand with storytelling. This is a welcome new voice on the crime scene.”—SJ Rozan, bestselling author of Ghost Hero
“Redmond has concocted a well-crafted story with plenty of twists, but more importantly good characterization.”—Mystery Scene Magazine
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“A Cold Day in Hell” is a terrific debut crime thriller.
The author is a recently retired Cold Case Homicide detective and a gifted writer.
I loved her leading character, twice divorced Lauren Riley and her sharp detective instincts which are juxtaposed with rather poor decisions in her love life.
The plot includes several cold cases but centres around the recent strangulation of Katherine Vine. Did the accused David Ryan Spencer commit this murder or is her controlling husband the real culprit?
There are some unexpected twists and an unexpected ending, which left me anxious to read the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
A Fair Read With A Few Flaws
The novel opens with Detective Lauren Riley with her partner, detective Shane Reese, one team of the Buffalo Police Department (PD) Cold Case section. Lauren is visited by Frank Violanti, a lawyer that she has had several very adversarial encounters in court. Despite their mutual animosity, he is asking for her help as a private investigator for the case of his high school godson, David Spencer, who had just been arrested for murder. While the murder was not within Buffalo PD jurisdiction, the District Attorney (DA) is the same. Lauren Riley does not have the best of relationships with the DA. If she accepts the job, she will need to walk a tightrope so as not to create problems in her PD job. There is a concurrent second main storyline. Lauren receives a call from the daughter of a woman murdered outside a bar in 1993 years earlier asking for the status. Lauren and Shane start investigating this case. The storylines proceed from here. Both main storylines proceed realistically with the starts, stops, misdirections and twists in trying to seek the truth. It did keep my interest but really did not capture my interest.
The B-storyline is quite rich and well woven into the main storyline. There is professional relationship between her and her partner. She has two children, currently in college, by ex-husband with whom she has a love-hate relationship. Then, there is Joe Wheeler, the lead detective on the David Spencer murder case, who was in the police academy with Lauren. After her abandonment by her husband, she struck up a relationship with Joe that ended quickly because of his physical abuse. Much of the Lauren’s character is revealed in a very natural way. All of these work into the main story and support it in a major way.
There are some sex scenes but not graphic. Most violence was described in the past, except for one incident. There are a few f-bombs and other lesser vulgar language that was appropriate for the situations and was not excessive in my opinion.
As I have written above, there is much that I liked in this novel. The story was good and kept my interest, but there are three things that distracted from the novel. The heroine, Lauren, was portrayed as a strong, competent detective, and an independent woman. Her weakness was her first husband. Now, there are people who become irrational when it comes to their love life, but this characteristic did not seem consistent with the rest of her personality. I am sure it was used to further the main storyline along. The second was the Joe Wheeler’s obsession with Lauren. Again, Joe Wheeler’s obsession with Lauren, while adding tension to the storyline, seemed very counterproductive for him. Lastly, there is a blatant lead in for the next novel at the end of this one. For me, this should be the beginning of the next novel. If the author or publishing house wants to wet potential reader’s appetite, then have the first chapter of the next novel at the end of this novel.
Overall, this book did keep my interest but did not capture it. That with what I feel are inconsistencies in in the character of the heroine and Joe Wheeler, I give this novel a three star rating, possibly three and a half stars.
I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Midnight Ink with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read this novel early.
I love it when a book grabs me and makes all forms of social media (and my own work) secondary. A COLD DAY IN HELL was a breath of fresh air.
If you’re looking for a book with a thoroughly satisfying ending, this might not be the one for you. But if you’re looking for an interesting new series from a new author, you should check this one out.
Lissa Marie Redmond is a retired Cold Case Homicide detective, writing about a Cold Case Homicide detective. She has cred. And the book has pace.
There were a couple of bumps related to editing, but not the story. If I had started reading A COLD DAY IN HELL earlier in the day I would not have needed a book mark. As it was I finished it in two days.
A Cold Day in Hell: A Cold Case Investigation (book 1)
By Lissa Marie Redmond
February 2018
I received this digital ARC from Midnight Ink via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Lauren Riley is a cold case detective working with her partner Reese. Divorced with a daughter away at Penn State, she takes on cases as a private investigator on the side. She likes to keep busy to avoid seeing her ex husband, Mark.
Her life becomes more complicated when she takes on a case for an attorney Violanti with whom she has been adversaries on many cases. She also learns that a prior relationship with another player in this high profile case will provide unexpected chaos in her life. Lauren ends up seeking assistance from unlikely sources to assist her investigation. She soon discovers there is far more to the story than once believed.
The story was well-written with clear intention for a sequel. The cast were nicely displayed with just enough story to provide a glimpse into their character. While there appears to be two story lines being told, it’s clear that one overshadowed the other. It was interesting to see how the characters developed with hints of what may lie ahead for them.
Overall, the cold case that the detectives solved seemed secondary to the active investigation that was being conducted on the side.
Wow is all I can say for this book. COULD NOT PUT DOWN. Can not believe this is the first book Redmond has written. Has mystery and a lot that was going on with Riley that I just had to know how it would end and WHAM did I every get a ending that I didn’t see coming. Hand down a great read!!!!
A COLD DAY IN HELL by Lissa Marie Redmond
The First Cold Case Investigation
As a cold case homicide detective Lauren Riley is used to dealing with the seamier side of society, and that includes defense attorney Frank Violanti. But after meeting the young kid he’s defending on a murder charge, Lauren agrees to do some PI work for him. Detective Riley must navigate the pitfalls of working for “the other side” while continuing to investigate her cold case workload. What will put her in more danger, an old case, the current murder, or her personal life?
Power is the thread that ties everything together in this first Cold Case Investigation, showing what people will do to get it and keep it. A COLD DAY IN HELL illustrates the abuse women face on a daily basis and the power men desire to wield over them. It’s also a finely detailed mystery, rich in atmosphere and filled with complex character dynamics.
Lissa Marie Redmond nails the gritty realism in this police procedural. Filled with dark troubled people its multiple mysteries coalesce into one detective’s story – and struggle.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
I was shocked to learn that this is the authors first book…..because she really knocked this one out of the park. It kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The twists and turns kept me guessing the entire time. And that ending….WOW!! I do not see that coming! I will be eagerly waiting for the next book.
This book was given to me at my request by Netgalley and I provided this review voluntarily
3.5 stars
Redmond does weave an interesting tale, and there is some suspense, but the story is more procedural and courtroom drama than anything else. I do have to say that the writing style and flow kept the courtroom scenes engaging and dramatic. Our main character, Lauren Riley, has quite the reputation as a detective, but she certainly is not without flaws, particularly in her personal life. In many cases, that can make for the most intriguing characters, and I have to say that it does work for this one. Some scene descriptions get a bit tedious, but there is some great dialogue. I especially enjoyed the banter between Lauren and Frank, who are so used to being on opposite sides of a case that they can’t let it go. While the primary focus of the story is the murder trial, there is a bit of side story by way of a 28 year old murder case. All in all, the story did hold my interest, but it felt like the cold case was solved a little too quickly, and the suspense aspect surrounding the murder trial was cut short by a “mystery” that was just too easy to figure out. The story does get chilling at the very end and even hints at a promising thriller, so I’ll be interested to see if there’s a next book addressing that part of the tale.