Run Cold is the 10th Edna Ferber mystery by Ed Ifkovic. Released 20th Feb 2019 by Poisoned Pen press, it's 294 pages and available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats.

I've been with the series for several books at this point, but this would do quite well as a standalone. The author has a deft touch with background and setting, so there's no need to read the earlier books to get a feel for what's going on.

Edna has traveled to Alaska to do background research for a book and to visit with her friends there. Alaska's on the brink of statehood, and there are many people who feel very strongly on both sides of the issue. In addition, the contrast between untamed lawless wilderness and modern society is at an uneasy impasse.

Mr Ifkovic has a strong and sure voice. The sense of place is palpable (especially the isolation, cold, racism, and wilderness) and the characters are well drawn and believable. The mystery part of the book isn't especially intricate or unexpected, but it's the narrative which has the starring role.

I'm really enjoying these books and fully intend to stick with the series.

Four stars.

I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. Perhaps if I had, I would have enjoyed this one more. The writing is good and the characters are interesting plus the plot is solid. I found that it moved rather slowly, though, and it took me awhile to get into it. It was a pleasant enough book but not one I would rave about.

I have been planning to read the Edna Ferber series for few years but never got around to any of the installments until "Run Cold." The 10th book in the series was the first book I picked up as I have been told theis book could be read as a standalone. Overall, "Run Cold" was a satisfactory read, but with some flaws.

The pace of the book was just too slow, and repetitive from time to time. Could be something to do with the cold, gloomy weather of Alaska and as well as the advanced age of Edna Ferber, the plot just did not move fast enough. The beginning, especially, took me awhile to get into. The book certainly had good bone for a great mystery novel as I was eager to find out who was responsible for the murders, but the writing somehow did not make this a page turner. To do the book justice, though, the plot was great. The writing about the old Alaska was wonderfully written, and I love the author's detail descriptions of how a writer would think, contemplate and act under all circumstances and situations. Ed Ifkovic put life into Edna Ferber as if the famous writer herself was a genuine amateur sleuth herself. Random mentioning of Edna Ferber's books in the story was a nice touch, too.

In short, the premise and the structure of the story were great but the pace was too slow to suit my liking. It looks like a series I might be interested in but not on top of my list at the moment. A 3.5 star rating overall, but the plot itself deserved a 4 star.

"Run Cold," the latest Edna Ferber mystery by Ed Ifkovic, is filled with extraordinary characters and a sense of place that will be remembered long after the last page is finished.

The year is 1958. Miss Ferber has written "Ice Palace," her fictional retelling of Alaska pioneers in the years following World War I. Not published yet, though. She’s returned to Fairbanks, to visit and recharge. Alaska is still a territory; there are opponents within the would-be state and in the American congress. Big, sprawling Alaska, caught between the present and the knowledge of a lawless past. Still frontier, still rough, with parts that wouldn’t show up in a guidebook, then or now. Harsh and unforgiving (the author elaborates on this throughout the book). Edna is there to follow up on “loose ends, haunting stories, and unanswered questions.” She’s going to be introduced to them in a big way, in "Run Cold."

We meet the dramatis personae quickly. Jack Mabie – the “meanest man in Alaska.” Yukon pioneer, murderer by his own admission – the frontier justice of legend. Now’s he’s old, tired, crippled by a stroke. Sam Pilot, his long-time friend and co-conspirator. And alibi-giver for the past, as it happens. Sonia and Paul Petrievich, she a newspaper reporter, he her twin, a cypher in the family. We meet the parents, Hank and mother, Irina, too. Hank bigger than life, a pioneer that built an empire in the north. There’s Ty Gilley, looking for his lost father, a victim of that frontier justice. Preston Strange and his mother Tessa, self-proclaimed most powerful woman in Alaska. And Noah West, Athabascan Indian and now college-educated lawyer, advocate for his people, and Sonia’s beloved. He lives in both worlds, the “brown” and the white. Comfortable enough until the murders occur.

All of these people coexist until long buried secrets threaten. Then the murders start, culminating in Sonia’s death (one that you can kinda see coming, but distressing, all the same). Now betrayal and heartbreak are part and parcel of the plot. Dark secrets and unhappy lives busted out for anyone to see. As an Outsider, Edna’s asked to fight the good fight and see that justice is done. (It’s telling that law enforcement plays little part in this story. It’s pretty much Edna, from start to finish.)

“Grief can push folk into madness,” says one of the characters, and this simple pronouncement is at the heart of the story. With all gathered in the hotel that is also almost a character, Edna relates a story of vengeance and aftermath, and how the past shapes the future in unforeseeable and horribly sad ways.

Prominent in the story is the author’s interpretation of how the Athabascans, the Dené, are reacting to the changes taking place. Much space is given over to this. Understand that this becomes almost as important as the murder plot. This may not be to every reader’s taste, but the path to exposing a murderer is not always a straight one.

The epilogue explains what happened to many of the characters, which was definitely appreciated and appropriate for the story. It also relates what impact Edna Ferber’s "Ice Palace" had on the public of the times, many considering that its publication helped to push through the vote for statehood. To the fictional Miss Ferber, the accolades are ashes. Readers do at least get an idea that Edna and those she cares about are moving on, which is pretty much all you can hope for after finishing “Run Cold." But this is not a bad thing, this is the author’s skill at creating a brilliant fictional world.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of the book in advance of publication, in exchange for this review.

This is the second book I read in this series and found it quite good and entertaining.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but you cannot help being hooked by the characters and the descriptions.
I like the style of writing and I like the well written characters.
I was fascinated by the descriptions of Alaska, an unusual and enthralling setting.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC

It is my first Edna Ferber mystery and I like it more that I thought I will. There are a few murders. Is Edna going to solve the murder before her friends are murdered too? I can say only that I must read all the others books from this series.
Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

Run Cold is the tenth installment in the Edna Ferber mysteries. This one takes her out of her New York society milieu to the rough-and-tumble life of Fairbanks, Alaska, where she is conducting another research trip for her novel Ice Palace, a novel exploring the forces for and against statehood for Alaska. Ice Palace came out in 1958, a year before Alaska became a state and may have played a role in moving people to support statehood.

The real-life Ferber made five trips to research Ice Palace and our fictional Ferber is on her last trip, renewing her friendship with Sonia Petrievich, a local newspaper columnist who writes about Alaskan history and heroes. Or anti-heroes as she seems infatuated with the violent recollections of Jack Mabie, “The Meanest Man in Alaska.” Edna is repulsed, not attracted, by his boasts of murder and mayhem. When he is reunited with his old partner in crime, murder follows.

Interestingly, the secondary characters in Run Cold mirror the characters in Ice Palace. There is the young woman, Sonia, whose heart is sought by Preston Strange, a man representing the anti-statehood, resource extraction Bayard Husack of Ice Palance. Then there is Noah West, who seems to represent Ross from Ice Palace, an indigenous man who wants to safeguard the environment and people of Alaska. However, unlike Christina in Ice Palance, our Sonia is murdered perhaps because she came too close to the truth. Both Preston and Noah are possible suspects, but then there are many suspects, though it sure seems as though the murderer wants to frame Noah. It’s up to Edna to find out who killed Sonia, and why, or there may be a grave injustice.


I like Edna Ferber. She’s a compassionate woman with good judgment and a discerning character. She has no love of violence and murder. Her writer’s nose for detail makes her an able amateur detective. Run Cold is a fair mystery and while there are plenty of red herrings to suspect, the resolution does not come out of thin air. I was, however, a bit disappointed with how slow Run Cold was to start. Like Edna, I was sick of Mabie’s boasting and do not know why we had to have so many conversations with the evil blowhard.

The mystery did not start until over a quarter of a way through the book. There are a few murders in quick succession, but then the conversations that are our “investigation” are repetitive, running over old ground time and again. The story is competent but thin, and it felt stretched to the breaking point, trying to make a three-course meal out of a good entree.

I received an e-galley of Run Cold from the publisher through NetGalley.

Run Cold at Poisoned Pen Press
Mood Indigo Review
Ed Ifkovic author site

Run Cold is an excellent historical who-done-it based loosely on the life of Edna Ferber and set in Fairbanks, Alaska in the 1950's. Edna has just prepared for publication her novel 'Ice Palace' at her home in New York City, and is compelled to return to Fairbanks though she isn't sure quite why.

On her first trip in 1957 to collect information and color for her newest novel, Edna Ferber met folks she holds dear. She loves Alaska but only in the heat of summer and it is March of '58 when she finds herself on a DC Clipper and on her way, which is still very much winter that close to the Arctic. Perhaps it is the draw of those dear friends she made on her first trip as she prepared to write her novel of the heart of the only remaining American wilderness, now on the verge of attaining statehood as the 49th state in the United States.

The Petrievich family, Hugh and Irina, Peter and Sonia are second or third generation Alaskan pioneers. Irina runs their home and Hugh and daughter Sonia, with a half-hearted assist from her twin brother Paul, are the soul of their weekly newspaper, the Fairbanks Gold Dust Gazette, a pro-statehood paper. Noah West is an Alyeska Athabascan native and attorney born way up north and educated by the Petrievich family in the lower 48. Clint Bullock, a crippled up old-time placer miner with a small cabin overgrown by modern multi-storied housing in downtown Fairbanks. Edna considered them all great friends, and she was drawn to see the battle for and against statehood to its end. Ice Palace will be released in the spring. Alaska is trying to grow up....

Edna is thrilled to see them all again and meet a few new characters as well. Jack Mabie, the meanest man in Alaska since the gold rush days. His sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Sam Pilot. Noah's sister Maria West who is at times a shady lady. Some of them will be murdered before Alaska attains statehood into the United States on July 1, 1958. Edna can only watch. And hope her friends will make it through.

Run Cold is the tenth of Ifkovic's Edna Ferber Mysteries, but is completely stand alone. Be prepared to find the first nine, however, after you read this tenth one, as they are excellent, multi-faceted stories told very well.

I received a free electronic copy of this excellent historical novel from Netgalley, Ed Ifkovic, and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

I've always been fascinated by all things Alaska, especially it's rough and tumble roots. This book not only had intelligent dialog and fast-paced plot, but it provided unique insight into the saints and scoundrels who live and die there. I had great empathy for the characters, even the old cantankerous ones, and I could feel the bone-chilling isolation of the residents. This is a great book for those who enjoy learning more about Alaska in general, and these characters specifically. Highly recommended.

This is the 10th in the series of Edna Ferber mysteries (I'd previously read No 9 'Mood Indigo') and found it as interesting as the previous novel.
It is 1958 and Edna is 74 and feeling her age, especially when she decides to return to the cold land of Alaska to catch up with friends and finish research on her latest book 'Ice Palace' - as well as campaigning quietly (although effectively) for Alaska to become the 49th state of America (which was achieved in Jan 1959)
She heads to Fairbanks town which is full of hardworking and tough residents, not least Jack Mabie, "the meanest man in Alaska' who resides in the Frontier Home but remains a crusty old timer crook and who interest Edna. Staying at the local hotel Edna meets up again with Hank Petrievich, the owner of the local paper 'The Gold', his wife Irina, son Paul and lively daughter Sonia, who now does most of the work on the paper and is continually looking for a headline, even though her exposing articles often upset the locals and make her a target. Her lover Noah West, is a native Indian(Athabascans) and works as the local lawyer in a place where "Living for winters in snowbound cabins...if we don't threaten to kill each other ...then we'd go crazy".
The plot builds well and there a huge swathe of great characters such as Clint Bullock who'd previously helped Edna, Tessa Strange, a great big woman who keeps her son Preston under full control and holds the purse strings to his success. and is rightly known as 'the most powerful woman in Fairbanks'.
Old fights rise to the surface when Jack's foe Sam Pilot comes to town and the history of the gold rush mining, gangs, and violent grudges all culminate in a murder that stirs the locals into reviving old animosities and prejudices.
The scenery of this bleak terrain is marvellously described, particularly when Edna ventures even further north to the bitterest cold regions of the country. Edna's struggles with the cold don't dent her investigative skills as she chips away at the locals and tries to unravel all the deadly threats that now seem to be engulfing the town.
I'm annoyed to have come late to Ed Ifkovic's novels as there's lots to enjoy with the world of Edna Ferber so I'll be getting hold of past books to catch up on her world and other crimes she solves.
I also learnt so much about the state of Alaska, it's scenery and the path it took to statehood which adds so much to the story.