If you are looking for a twisty thriller, this book is for you. It is not to be missed. I was on the edge of my seat and could not stop reading it. Great debut novel.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Rooker Lindstrom, the son of a serial killer, rouses himself from his alcohol-aided wallowing to help the police pursue a new serial killer preying on victims in wintry Minnesota. Rooker doesn’t play well with others, but he teams up with detective Tess Harlow in a tricky alliance that ruffles plenty of feathers at the police station. The protagonist’s last name, the horrifying crimes, the Minnesota setting, and even the weather make this as close to Nordic noir as a novel set in the US could possibly be. Even knowing that it was in that style didn’t prepare me for something this dark and grisly, so consider yourself warned. There's a promising story in there, and If any of the characters had been more appealing, I might not have taken so long to finish reading the book. Just brace yourself for gore, and don’t expect to like any of these people.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital advance review copy.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This was such a mind bending, and head scratching wild ride!! There wasn't a part of this ride that wasn't enjoyable. This was such a thought provoking read that I never could have anticipated the twists and turns that fueled my need to finish this book t see whay happened. I still have questions and I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!

The Man Burned by Winter, by Pete Zachariah. What?! Oh my God Pete, you can’t leave this book like this. Rooker and Tess was absolutely insanely phenomenal in this astounding psychological thriller. This book was intense all the way through. I can’t recall of reading a book like this.
My thought about the book is that it’s freaking good. After reading the book it kind of reminds me of a certain J. Patterson writer, if the writer doesn’t mind me saying so. A lot of the writing in this book sure enough reeled me in. What impressed me the most is that the book reads like a movie. The character Rooker, kept taking the excitement of the danger and the need to know to another level.
Each level was more dangerous to the next. Having a father who was a serial killer didn’t help him at all in the story. The twist and unexpected revelations were mind blowing. I certainly didn’t see the number of twist coming at all. The informational facts regarding the scenarios that police and detectives go through while performing their jobs helped make these scenes all the more believable.
The action scenes was awesome. I loved that the book connected with my imagination, and offered me some great entertainment. I give this book two snaps and a, Rooker what are your intentions with that match? Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

I think this book sounded intriguing but needed better editiing. i could only get through a few chapters.
Also too graphic as well.
Not my cup of tea

I enjoyed this book. I felt like the characters were a little under developed and had a basic feel, but over it was enjoyable. Rooker is the son of a serial killer, returning to his father's house after the loss of his son. Rooker intended to drink himself into oblivion until a new serial killer murdering women and displaying them where his father had taken photos. Rooker helps the detectives investigate the murders, knowing that the killer is somehow connected to his father.

Wow! I very much enjoyed this story and thought it was great, especially for a debut.

I found The Man Burned by Winter to be incredibly descriptive and layered. The writing made me feel like I was in the settings and minds of the characters. Rooker has been close to much evil in his life so his character is definitely going through some stuff. He is so much negativity rolled into one grieving, struggling man but as his story progresses we can see glimpses of a decent person. When Detective Tess Harlow asks for his help with her serial murder case I couldn't see how their dynamic would play out. I was surprised and actually ended up liking the complicated relationship between Tess and Rooker. He seems like he still has a lot of growing to do in Book 2. I'll happily read more of his story.

There were a few 'aha' moments (like with the delivery boy) but the big Murderer reveal didn't feel all that big or grand. It is all tied up in a neat bow, of course, but didn't have that "OMG! Now I can look back at all the ways that person's actions can be portrayed differently in this different light" feel some stories do when we find out who the killer is.

Overall I really liked, I think I'll think about Rooker's character for a while and I'll be picking up book 2 for sure.

A atmospheric creepy thriller with lots of twists and turns that keeps you guessing. If you are a fan of thrillers and Nordic Noir then you should definitely check this one out.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I can't resist a good serial killer thriller, so I admit that I was sold as soon as I read the blurb of The Man Burned By Winter. I mean, having a main character with a serial killer father AND him going after another serial killer years after his father was caught? How can I resist that?! I fully expected to have a fantastic time with this one, and more so because of what sounded like the perfect backdrop with the brutal Minnesota winter. Sadly, the story didn't exactly live up to the expecations for me. I'll try to explain briefly below.

First of all, I do have to say that I still love the premise of the story. Having not one, not two, but THREE different serial killers featured definitely came as a shock, but in a good way. Having one of them have a father-son relationship with the main character only makes things more fascinating... And that same main character being suspect of the newest murders adds even more suspense. I also loved the idea of the setting with the harsh Minnesota winter weather; although I do have to say that it sometimes sounded more like a Nordic noir setting with the locations switched out at the last minute.

Now to what didn't work for me... I'm keeping things short to avoid a full rant, but let's just say that the execution of this story lacked considerably. The writing was all over the place, and both writing style and flow simply didn't work for me. The pace was likewise not consistent at all, and certain parts dragged considerably. Most of the dialogues felt forced, and then I'm not even talking about the super awkward sexy scenes that had no business appearing in this story at all. There were a lot of plot holes as well; certain things are never explained and other things simply didn't make sense.

Let's continue with the characters. I have to be honest and say that I REALLY didn't like the main character Rooker nor any of the cast for that matter. The characters felt mostly flat and basically like cardboard copies of 'real' people. Rooker was particularly detestable and his behavior was both all over the place and extremely off-putting. I don't think it was particularly credible to have him joining the investigation, and then I'm not even talking about the fact that even though he disobeys orders constantly he is kept on anyway. Quite a few of the twists were not credible or at least over the top as well, and then I'm not even talking about the final part of the book which both felt rushed and read more like a bad action movie.

As you might have guessed, The Man Burned By Winter and me definitely didn't get along... It's such a shame, because the story had such a fantastic promise, but in this case the execution just didn't do it for me.

I really liked this book from the first page which is always a good sign. It did seem to slow down about 30% in, though I was interrupted so much while reading that maybe it was just me. At exactly 50% in a bomb drops and revved me back up again till the very last page. My only criticism is minor characters clothes were described too much though I really laughed at a few spots when Rooker describes some of his coworkers.

I really hope this is a series. I was going to give 4 stars but saw that he clarified Die Hard is a Christmas movie. A Christmas Classic. That earned an extra star.
5 stars

A mystery murder intrigue… characters not so likable…story gets more and more mysterious. The author is gifted in writing images they last.

I loved this book! The pace was fantastic. It kept me reading constantly as I did not want to put it down. There is a serial killer in Itaska County, Minnesota. This serial killer is somehow linked to a previous serial killer case from this same area. Tess Harlow is in charge of the investigation and asks for Rooker Lindstrom to help track this killer down. Rooker is the son of the serial killer that previously terrorized the region. Rooker is also a journalist that was able to figure out who killed his own son by following all the tedious bits of information that worked it's way into that investigation. These days he is hiding out from the world in his father's old cabin. There are times when I had to suspend belief but I didn't mind as overall the story is great. I'm sure that as this author moves forward he will get even better with his characters and learn when we need information about characters and when we don't. I hope this is the first in a series of books.

Wow! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and quite a few serial killers to chose from! The storyline was very interesting with a dark and twisted story! There was a lot of gore and blood shed! So reader beware ! I did enjoy reading this book, it was a crazy twisted story! I will definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!