I really enjoyed this book this morning. Haven't read much by Mr Fowler before, but I will definitely change that. Book was thrilling throughout, and I can't wait to read the next one!
TB

Fabulous thriller that kept me eagerly turning the pages!! Fantastic characters and plot, could not put it down.

Cold Death is the second book in the DS Hunter Kerr series by Michael Fowler.

As DS Kerr takes a few days holiday, DC Grace Marshall is left in charge with supervisory responsibility at Barnwell Major Investigation Team, Yorkshire and soon finds herself at the helm of her first major incident. A young woman's beaten body is dragged from the freezing waters of the local country lake. Meanwhile Hunter Kerr is enjoying his break, painting a tranquil scene of fishermen's cottages. Gazing across the Beck in preparation for taking some photographs so he can complete the oil painting at home later, he spots his father arguing with someone. Then a murderous road rage attack takes place and his parents are the victims, but fortunately they are not killed. Suspecting that his father is harbouring a sinister secret from his past, and with sadistic killers on the loose, can Hunter uncover the truth before it is too late?

Although I haven't read the first book of this series, Heart of the Demon, I jumped into this book, Cold Death and I found it really compelling. I liked that all of the characters in the book played a good part whether it was grey, good or bad and I enjoyed learning about their professional and personal relationships. The finer points of the investigation were absorbing, giving me the incentive to read on. I recommend Cold Death to anyone who enjoys crime fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Sapere Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I tried, but Cold Death was not a novel that kept my interest. The potential is there for a great story though, for now I am sorry I cannot give it more than 3 stars.

1.5 Stars - Admittedly a difficult, dry read. I forced myself through this one.

DC Hunter Kerr investigates the murder of a young Pakistani woman found in a lake. This is your typical police procedural, with a bit of car thrilling action, some daddy issues, and some fist fights. Yawn.

I will start with what I liked: The significance of outlining the cultural brutality of forced marriage, and the fact that the author based his experiences in the police force to express some of these unfortunate events - made it that little bit more endearing/understandable. Hence the extra half star.

However, from a readers point of view, this was overly-written, dry, mundane and lacking any kind of suspense. The writing needs to be punchier, to the point, and yet also leave some intrigue. There were moments where the main characters woes and thoughts felt so arbitrary, so inane.. it was painful. I didn't want to observe him having a few drinks while mulling over daddy issues. Then to find that the big daddy issue wasn't really that explosively game-changing after all... was a let down. Everything was off-kilter, and the spontaneous character backstories should never be dispersed throughout the story because it takes away suspense and drama. Character building should be woven cleverly into the theme of the story, as succinct and as early as possible. Ultimately, I was very bored and very disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Sapere Books for this free ARC for a review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The publisher should have mentioned that this is a re-release of a previous book in the serious., Decent police procedural - a good installment in a good series

Set mostly in 2008 with some historical elements this is a slightly outdated but decent book and the first I've read from this author. The banter between Hunter and Grace gives a good balance to a harrowing case.

I thought I would enjoy this one, as the plot seemed like it would be full of twists. However, I had to force myself to finish reading this due to the predictable plot "twists" and the bad grammar. If I hadn't been so focused on correcting the grammar as I read, I may have enjoyed it more, but the predictability of it was also a turnoff for me as a reader.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I'm going to have to quit this at 19% (after skimming for a while) - I just can't get into it. The prologue was gripping, but then after that it just wasn't. Pages and pages go by with no dialogue (mostly made up of potted histories of various characters' previous connections with one another) and then when you finally do get a bit of dialogue, it takes the form of very stilted conversations, such as never have occurred in real life.

Quite a lot to take in ...Ds Hunter Kerr's parents involved in a hit and run and he is sure his father knows more than he is saying , a pair of killers on the loose and Hunter Kerr trying to have a few days off after his last case

You do quickly get engrossed in the plots and before you know its the last page and you can take a deep breath

I really tried to like this book but failed miserably. I gave up halfway through due to the predictability and over use of adjectives and grammatical errors. I did like the central character, a solid police officer, the book just failed for me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

DS Hunter Kerr is taking a few days off, leaving DC Grace Marshall in charge. Simultaneously, Grace investigates the finding of a woman's body, badly beaten, and left in a lake. Hunter sees his parents involved in a hit and run accident .... luckily his parents were only injured and not killed. But his father knows something about why and who .. but he's not talking..especially to his son.

With a pair of sadistic killers on the rampage, a father desperate to keep his secret buried, and danger getting near to home, Hunter finds himself in a race against time to protect those closest to him.

The plot is well thought out, and the suspense is maintained throughout. The characters are skillfully drawn. I like how Hunter's professional life blends with his personal life.

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.