The brutal murder of a teenager and a deadly medical drama plunge a small-town sheriff into a vortex of treachery and greed in the debut novel of Emery Hayes’s A Nicole Cobain Mystery series.First female sheriff of Toole County, Montana Nicole Cobain earned the position through mental and physical grit and when a young girl is found murdered on icy Lake Maria, every bit of it is tested. But what … of it is tested. But what begins as a chase for the killer quickly unravels into a high stakes medical transaction with harrowing consequences.
Eight years ago, Nicole fled her fast-track position as a homicide detective with the Denver Police Department in an act of desperation to save both her son and herself. Answering a recruitment ad, she showed up in the foothills of Glacier National Park and was elected sheriff six years later. She has a measure of peace in her new surroundings, her son is thriving, and she has effectively distanced herself from her past. Until Benjamin Kris shows up again.
Benjamin is the father of Nicole’s son and a big-time charmer who has quickly scaled the crime ladder. He has a large clientele and is looking forward to a big pay day that lands him in Toole. But when it becomes clear he could be a suspect among several others in town with opportunity and motive, it’s up to Nicole to sift through the tangled threads to find the killer before they strike again.
more
I would especially like to thank Crooked Lane Books and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.
It all begins when a teenage girl brutally kills herself on icy Lake Maria. But this murder quickly turns into a medical transaction with high stakes and heartbreaking consequences.
Eight years earlier, Nicole was fleeing her job as a homicide detective in Denver in an attempt to save her son and herself. After answering a recruitment ad, she is elected sheriff six years later. Except that the famous Benjamin Kris reappears in her life.
He is her son’s father, and he is waiting for a large payment and may well be the ideal suspect in her investigation.
A book read in one sitting, so much so that I was hooked on the story, so gripping, addictive, captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns and endearing characters.
“Cold to the Bone” is a first-rate beginning to author Emery Hayes’ suspenseful crime-procedural series, “A Nicole Cobain Mystery”. Former Denver homicide detective Nicole Cobain left big-city life behind to evade her abusive, dominating husband, Benjamin Kris, and start life anew. She and her young son, Jordan, settled in the small ski resort community of Blue Mesa, Montana, which was located in Glacier National Park and was bordered to the North by Canada. After serving six years in local law enforcement, she was the first woman to have been elected as the Sheriff of Toole County. Working to solve the murder of a young girl whose father is involved with producing a new drug for a major pharmaceutical company becomes increasingly complex, with the girl’s family acting in a strange, suspicious manner. The case takes on a nightmarish quality when Nicole’s ex-husband, Benjamin, who has his own evil agenda, is also connected to the drug company. Nicole must fight to protect her son and the good life the two of them have made in Blue Mesa, but she must also do her sworn duty and find justice for a young girl whose life ended in a frozen, unfeeling landscape. I very much enjoyed “Cold to the Bone”–the characters are well-drawn, the setting is appropriately remote and forbidding, and the investigative work is excellent. The lead character is very appealing, and I look forward to more entries in the “A Nicole Cobain Mystery” series.
Book Copy Gratis Crooked Lane Books
Nicole Cobain is the first ever sheriff in a Montana resort town. Most people visit for the skiing. Crime is usually minor … but not today.
A teenage girl is found in an icy lake … murdered. Much searching locates a purse with her identification… but no one has reported her missing. She has parents, an older brother, an younger sisters … yet no one seemed to be concerned that she did not come home.
Nicole and her team are diligent and resourceful. Learning that the girl’s father is an Oncologist leads them in a whole new direction.
A side story is that of Benjamin, father of Nicole’s son. Nicole distanced herself to get away from him and raise her son in a smaller, quieter, safer town. But Benjamin has found her. He says he has changed his ways … but has he?
Benjamin is only one suspect … the girl’s father and brother are also suspect … an older ‘boyfriend’ that no one knew anything about …. business partners of her father …. or maybe it was someone unknown … a random killing.
The procedural portion of this intricate plot is well written. Character development was okay, but I hope that improves with the next book. There’s lots of action and twists and turns along the way. Suspects are many and varied, making it a little more difficult to pick out the bad guy until the surprising ending.
Many thanks to the author / Crooked Lane Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
When a young girl is found murdered, her death opens up a major case for Sheriff Nicole Cobain. After leaving Denver, with her young son, Nicole has risen through the ranks to become the sheriff. Nicole questions the girl’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Esparza, and knows that they are hiding something about their daughters’ death. Dr. Esparza has been working on a new drug that may change the world. Was this the reason his daughter was killed? And if so, why? In addition to the investigation, Nicole is concerned with the sudden appearance of the father of her son. With his past history of selling drugs, he must be involved somehow. I enjoy a police procedural story, especially with a female law enforcement lead, but the extensive amount of dialog in the questioning of the family seemed to slow the story down. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)