Cold Fear By Webb and Mann is a superb read and a great follow-up to their previous book with tight plotting and great characters. A read well worth spending time on.

Cold Fear is another winner from the team of Brandon Webb and John David Mann! This is the sequel to Steel Fear, featuring Navy Seal Finn. The setting has moved from the Middle East and the Navy ship USS Abraham Lincoln to Reykjavik, Iceland, but Finn is still trying to unravel the mystery of exactly what happened in Yemen in the first book.

This is a well written non stop thriller with international implications. Also reading about Iceland is very interesting as was reading about the Seal program and training (again).

Kudos to the authors! I’ll look forward to their next book!

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Bantam, in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun, fast reading with a whole lot of research and knowledge thrown in! Finn is a former SEAL and on the run. His last mission in the Mideast was a mess with a lot of dead bodies, including his friend, thrown in and Finn is thought to be the killer. He remembers nothing of the event and is searching for clues. They take him to Iceland over the Christmas holidays. The action is non-stop and well described. The characters are intriguing and well developed. This was great reading for a windy, stormy day! Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam (Random House) for an ARC for an honest review.

Cold Fear is the second in a series about an x-SEAL and sniper named Finn. It is every bit as good as the first book in the series. I hope Mann and Webb churn out book after book, they are just that awesome. I've read each of the authors bios and I still can't figure out what brought them together. Serendipity, baebae. The same can be said about the prescient location and topic, given today's Russia/Ukraine situation.
Every detail, every character, no matter how minor, comes across as a full, complete picture. Even the weather is utterly believable. Books like this are a rare gem and, in truth, what make me such a voracious reader.
And, and and... the references to John D MacDonald's Travis Mcgee series, really set things off perfectly, since MacDonald is the reason I love Mysteries and Thrillers from an early age.

Finn’s search for his memory of one fateful night leads him to Iceland—only to be followed by an unhinged assassin intent on stopping him—in the riveting follow-up to Steel Fear, from the New York Times bestselling writing team Webb & Mann, combat-decorated Navy SEAL Brandon Webb and award-winning author John David Mann.

The action is intense, and the descriptions of Iceland are spot-on. After the shocking end, the reader is left wondering what's next for Finn, and whether we'll meet Oksana again. Recommended. #ColdFear #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy

When a rogue element of a Navy SEAL team commits war crimes, it appears that the man responsible for the carnage is Finn. He jumps ship from the USS Abraham Lincoln and, having learned about the redeployment of three members of the original team, he heads to Iceland to find out what really happened that night in Mukalla, Yemen.

As Finn explores the city, he witnesses the gruesome discovery of a young woman lying beneath the ice. Cut from the ice and sent to the morgue, the woman inexplicably disappears. Things get complicated when the murder investigation brings Finn, using the alias Marlin Pike, to the attention of Reykjavik Detective Krista.

But Boone, a sadistic killer has come to Iceland, renowned for its peacefulness, with orders to eliminate Finn, to keep him from discovering who killed Lieutenant Kennedy and learning the truth about Mukalla.

Is there a connection between Finn and the murder of The Little Mermaid? And what is the secret she gave her life to expose?

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This book, the second in the series following the earlier “Steel Fear,” picks up where the earlier book ended, but still works well as a standalone. Well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, and a twisty plot pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. Non-stop action keeps the story moving along as the undercurrent of apprehension keeps the suspense building.

Continually-mounting tension keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace; the investigation into the duck pond drowning, Boone’s actions, and several unexpected deaths all combine to create a compelling narrative that will keep readers enmeshed in the telling of the tale.

Readers will find themselves empathizing with Finn as he tries to determine what, if any, involvement he had in the Mukalla atrocity. The twisting plot, including the discovery of a sinister scheme, keeps the pages turning in this impossible-to-set-aside thriller.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley
#ColdFear #NetGalley

“Cold Fear” was a fitting sequel. Finn has been set up to take the fall for the war crimes at Mukalla, Yemen, and the death of Lieutenant Kennedy. He does not think he was involved, but he has large gaps in his memory, and he knows he was at the atrocity site, but does not know how he got there or why he was there. In his effort to find the answers, he has tracked three members of the SEAL team to Iceland, where they are on a kill/capture mission.

Before he can find his targets, he finds himself involved in a local murder investigation; he was one of the last people to see the victim alive, a victim who has been given the moniker, The Little Mermaid, because of how and where she was found. That brings Finn to the attention of Detective Krista, with her love of American detective novels, her disdain for Americans, and a dogged persistence. (Krista is my favorite of the new characters introduced in the story). Finn also learns that he is being tracked. Someone high up in the government wants Finn eliminated and has sent a very efficient and sadistic killer (Boone) with whom Finn has crossed paths in the past. Boone’s presence will greatly accelerate the annual murder rate in Iceland. The investigation into the mysterious death of the Little Mermaid will reveal a potentially catastrophic plot. Finn will get answers in Iceland, some of which will be quite unexpected.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Cold Fear – Brandon Webb & John David Mann

A young girl is inexplicably found frozen in the ice covering a duck pond in Reykjavik, Iceland, a word scrawled on her belly, in lipstick. As Krista and her fellow detectives answer the distress call from the young person who found her, all that is readily visible is her face, earning her the nickname ‘The Little Mermaid’. To remove her body, they need to cut ice and all, and transport her, still encased to the morgue – where the corpse promptly disappears…

Former Navy Seal Finn is a part of the small crowd that’s gathered to watch the proceedings. Having just arrived last night under the alias Marlin Pike and finding a place to settle in, he’s been wandering the streets of the town to get his bearings, before he embarks on his mission – to find his former SEAL team members and learn what really happened before everything went sideways on their last mission – a mission Finn has taken the fall for - but cannot remember.

For Krista and her team, a look at CCTV around the area shows them glimpses of their Little Mermaid, running along the street, and Krista also notices a young American entering the country from the airport – his name, Marlin Pike, piques her interest…what are the chances he could be connected? Closer look at the surveillance camera shows Marlin engaged in some interesting activity, letting Krista know just where to find him.

Surprised and impressed after finding a note on the door to the place he’s staying, Finn makes contact w/ Krista, and does his best to mitigate her interest in him. Passing himself off as a writer, he answers questions truthfully about the drowning victim – that he knows nothing about her. But his interest is piqued in the event, and he finds himself visiting the site where she died – and he unexpectedly meets Oksana, the dead girls’ sister.

Meanwhile, another former Seal – Boone - has come to Iceland – his orders – to eliminate Finn, and anyone else who may get in his way…

I discovered Chief Finn and his previous adventure, thanks to Netgalley, so I was thrilled when the publisher reached out and offered me the next novel in the series as an ARC, as well. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!). I read it in one sitting today and true to my expectation, it was every bit as good as the first!! While this can be read as a standalone, the prior novel does give much insight into Finn’s motivations for this installment. Finn himself is strongly reminiscent of another favorite character of mine, Jack Reacher, yet carries his own unique presence and talents into these novels. Full of action, suspense, and history, that is quite relevant to global happenings today, this book – and this series – make for some great reading!!

Available from your favorite bookseller on June 7th!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Cold Fear is just as fantastic as Steel Fear, the first in this series, was. These are not the typical genre I read, being heavily military type thrillers, with Finn, the MC, being an ex-Navy Seal.

In this book, Finn is visiting Iceland to take care of a threat that has been communicated to him. The mystery and characters that follow his arrival in Iceland was exciting and very involved. There was a point where I was about to give up because I just couldn't put the pieces together and thought the book would never make sense. Don't even think about it if you're feeling like I did! It all comes clear and is quite the tale, made more frightening by the fact that it could easily be real at some place or time in our world.

If you want a fast-paced book, enjoy military type mystery/thrillers, and a read that really makes you think, this is the book for you. I'd suggest reading Steel Fear first so you have more of Finn's background, although I do think this book would be okay as a standalone.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Finn is back, and readers of this action series can be glad he is. In Iceland for his own reasons, circumstances pop up right away to complicate his mission. With his unique skill set and determination obstacles are defeated as an excellent story unfolds.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4579788977

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this wonderful book early.

I loved their 1st book in the series: Steel Fear and this book picks up where the 1st one left off.

I enjoy the character Finn and this book was another 5 stars for me.

The authors do a great job on character development - even making the country of Iceland into its own character!

Full of fascinating characters but unlike other books, it’s easy to keep track of them.

A genuine mystery up until the very end. The combination of wonderful writing mixed with a few real world events - I highly recommend not only this book but the 1st book in the series also. My only disappointment is that I now have to wait for the 3rd book in the series.

Cold Fear is the thrilling sequel to Webb and Mann’s novel Steel Fear. The difference between the two novels is that the setting is not the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, a sort of locked room mystery at sea, but the giant aircraft carrier in the northern Atlantic, Iceland. Former Navy Seal Finn is on his own, AWOL, with another Seal hunting him. He is out to find out what really happened in Yemen because his memory is foggy. He is haunted by the bodies of the dead civilians in the farmhouse that he is being blamed for. He is also haunted by his past, having killed his own brother when he was only eight. His self-imposed mission to track down the three Navy Seals in Reykjavik and force them to tell him what really happened so he can clear his name and his conscience. Basically, a black ops thriller. Meanwhile, not all is well in peaceful little Iceland where a woman seemingly walked into the freezing bay and drowned herself, now to be coined the frozen mermaid. Finn, caught on surveillance cameras, near the scene, is suspected by Icelandic authorities, of foul play, especially when his movements at the airport and his obviously false name being used, come into play.

This is a non-stop thrill ride of a lone man, even one with all kinds of training, facing overwhelming odds, tracking down three equally well-trained warriors, and trying to avoid a seemingly invincible killer on his trail. Not knowing if there is anyone he can trust, Finn, loner that he always has been, has his work cut out for him. This is a book you should only open up if you can afford to stay up all night. It is that good.