BEST OF THE SERIES SO FAR!!

It is quite a feat when an author writes Book Six in a Series and the storyline is more complex than usual and the ending leaves you quickly turning the page because you know there has to be MORE. More of the wonderful Ellison who always stays true to who she is; she just can't help herself. More of Ellison and her relationship with Grace as Grace becomes a teenager and deals with friends and dating relationships. More of Ellison and her Mother and situations involving their Country Club friends and the differences in the way the two relate to people. More of the suspense, mayhem, intrigue and dead bodies appearing at random times. Oh so much MORE of Anarchy Jones! More hilarious scenes that only Mulhern can describe! More fabulous life in the 70's! I was provided an ARC by Henery Press and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

It's a very rare occasion for me to read a book in one or two sittings these days, there's so much going on in my life that I rarely have the time. I started Cold as Ice by author Julie Mulhern last night, and finished it first thing this morning (I woke up at 4am and immediately picked it up again!). It is a wonderfully crafted, incredibly fast-paced pleasure to read, and a nostalgic trip back to the 70's for those of us who grew up in that decade (I'm a Gen-X girl). Ms. Mulhern weaves a tale of suspense and mystery among the members of the privileged country club set in Kansas City, Missouri. Imagine a life without cell phones (people actually had to take and leave messages!!!), internet, and all of today's technology. Imagine having to drive somewhere to talk to someone when you needed to speak with them, the days before caller ID when you had no idea who was on the other end of the phone before you answered....this is the setting Ms. Mulhern takes us back to, and it's like opening a perfectly preserved time capsule. Not only are her nostalgic descriptions spot on, the mystery is so well-written that I even gasped at the end when the murderer was unmasked. Ellison has her hands busy with hunky detective Anarchy Jones, Hunter the thrice -married lawyer who wants to be more than friends, Libba the bestie who enjoys her men and her drinks, teenage daughter Grace, and Mother (with a capital M - need I say more?!?). Very, very well done! This is the 6th book in the series and the first that I've read. It held its own completely, and it worked perfectly as a standalone. Cold as Ice by Julie Mulhern receives my highest recommendations to anyone looking for a good mystery! A+++