Cold Harbor is the 3rd book in the Gibson Vaughn series. This is not a series where each book can be read as standalones or read out of order. And it's probably best to read the books consecutively. Each book builds on the last and all the characters and situations are like a giant web. I just finished the 2nd book and jumped into this one right away (mainly because of that cliffhanger in the last book).

I really enjoyed the first half of this book over the second half. Maybe it was because I just finished the second book and the first half was a continuation that tied up loose ends. But it’s now 18 months later. 18 months Gibson spent alone in a small cell, while the rest of the world went on. And now that he is finally released, Gibson seeks revenge on his captor while trying to regain control of his mental and physical health. The second half of the book transitions Gibson back to his original gang. Unfortunately, it's been such a long time since I read book 1, I hardly remember them.

This book is as intriguing as it is thrilling and I just love Gibson Vaughn's character.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Matthew FitzSimmons for a copy of "Cold Harbor" in exchange of a honest review.

Thomas & Mercer, as well as NetGalley, provided me with an electronic copy of Cold Harbor. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

After a period of imprisonment in a CIA black-site prison, former Marine and hacker Gibson Vaughn is inexplicably released. Suffering from severe PTSD, will Gibson be able to put together the pieces of his life? Will outstanding issues from around the time of his disappearance cause problems for the man?

I really liked Gibson Vaughn from the previous books, so I was curious to see how the author would progress the character. The PTSD, and the issues that arise from it, was interesting, but did get a little bogged down and repetitive at times. The detective that keeps sniffing around seems to be more of a plot point than an integral part of the novel. There are other aspects of the plot that have a similar feel, but at least those characters have more of a place in the novel. Cold Harbor does not really answer many questions, but it definitely hits the right amount of thrilling and suspenseful moments. I would give Cold Harbor 3 1/2 stars if the rating system would allow, as it is definitely not as good as the previous two novels. Overall, I would recommend this novel to readers of the series and I look forward to seeing where the author takes Gibson Vaughn in the future.

A new author for me, I really enjoyed this and the other books by the author I read via NetGalley. They are on our list of potential adds for the Fall semester despite a limited budget for fiction!

Hope to see many more in the future!

FitzSimmons' strong writing continues for sure. I wasn't sure how I felt about the plot at first but I quickly got pulled in. There were parts that were a little slower moving for me and I was worried I was burning myself out with this series but overall enjoyed it.

3.5 stars. This felt like 2 novellas put into one novel and it was a bit too easily wrapped up at the end, with Calista a little too omnipotent. Otherwise, I liked the book and am looking forward to the fourth in the series. My favorite is still the first in this series, The Short Drop, which was a 5 star read for me.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for a free digital galley of this book via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Gibson Vaughn is in trouble. After 18 months in solitary in a CIA black site prison, he's just been dumped on an airport runway in the snow, without any cold weather clothes or gear. But it could be worse. It was worse. During those 18 months alone, he had given up. He didn't think he'd ever be out again. But he is, so he has a chance at living again. And he's going to fight for that. 

With the help of some strangers willing to show kindness to a military vet down on his luck during the holidays, Gibson makes it home, or to the place where home was once. Now it looks completely different, and he can't figure out if his memory is playing tricks on him or not. Turns out his old house was set on fire, and the new owners built a new house from scratch. 

Gibson doesn't know if his wife and daughter are okay or not. He has no home. He has nowhere to turn. But the thing about Gibson Vaughn is that he's resourceful. So he finds an old friend, so he has a place to crash until he figures out his next steps.

But his biggest problem is his new companions. His erstwhile honorary sister Bear is hanging around, asking him to read to her and telling him to find his daughter Ellie. And his father is back. Duke Vaughn is bigger than life and angrier than ever. He keeps telling Vaughn to seek revenge on the CIA agent who sent him away. Why is it a problem that Bear and Duke are hanging around, giving him advice? It's because they're both dead. The time in solitary broke his mind, and he's not sure who to listen to or how to come back to sanity. 

The thing about Gibson Vaughn is that not only is he incredibly resourceful, he had friends who know this about him. So when some old friends need help with a new operation, he packs up to help, with Bear and Duke along for the ride. As Gibson fights with his old enemy to rescue a former colleague, he continues to fight with his hallucinations and with the part of himself that wants to resolve the past verses the part that wants to avenge the past. It's up to him to make the choices that will create a new future for himself. 

I really liked this book, but I did have a hard time getting into it. This was the first of the Gibson Vaughn books I tried to read, but it wasn't until I went back to book one in the series, The Short Drop, and then read through book two, Poisonfeather, that I could really get into this one. So don't start with this one. Go back to the beginning. The first two books in the series leave a lot of threads hanging, and this one helps tie one or two of those things up. I would not recommend this as a stand-alone book to read. But if you do go back to the beginning and read them all. then you'll find that these books are immensely readable, interesting, and (even though I hate this word), unputdownable. Even better, try the audio versions narrated by James Patrick Cronin. They're fantastic! 



Galleys for Cold Harbor were provided by Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley, with many thanks. Although, after listening to the first two book s of the series on audio, I bought this one also.

COLD HARBOR (Gibson Vaughn, #3) by Matthew FitzSimmons satisfied this fan immensely!
Even though I do not enjoy cliffhangers, Gibson Vaughn just got under my thriller loving skin and I had to keep reading on in the series. I am so glad that I did. I had no idea how Mr. FitzSimmons would get Gibson moving forward from book #2 to book #3, but he managed it with the additional emotional satisfaction of giving Gibson a sort of completion and happiness that he so deserved.
Cold Harbor begins with Gibson trying to regain control of his mental and physical health after being released from a CIA black-ops prison. For 18 months, all he had were the ghosts of his father and Suzanne to keep him company. As Gibson tries to return to the world of the living, the author continues to throw roadblocks in his way so that he can only go forward and not back to his old life. Gibson’s old friends return at just the right time to assist him by using him to assist them.
Many questions are answered and relationships resolved from the previous books, not always to the good, as the plot picks up pace to the thrilling conclusion.
This book is as intriguing as it is thrilling and I just love the Gibson Vaughn character. This is not a series that should be read as standalones out of order. Each book builds on the last and all the characters and situations are like a giant web.
Thanks very much to Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very exciting compelling book and third in the series .I love the opening to this book and the non stop action that draws the reader into the story . In this next of the Gibson Vaughn series the author did not disappoint as it went back to the premises in book 1. It is surprising in its many unexpected twists and turns and an ending that was equally as exciting as the first two in the series.
I highly recommend this series for every reader that enjoys a great thriller.. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.

The opening of this novel is just absolutely awesome. A man who has been locked in a CIA cell somewhere is released and he has to cope with what are now voices in his head and a world of change after an eighteen-month disappearance. They say you can't go home again and for Vaughn that is just so true. What an opening! So out of sorts. So confused. And then the problem becomes that, for those of us, who didn't catch the first two books in the series, there is a nefarious plot and Vaughn wants vengeance, but little about it makes much sense and none of the names bandied about make sense. A brief summary to bring us up to date would have helped.

Cold Harbor, for me, represents a sharp decline in the Gibson Vaughn series. This time, Vaughn is not doing something noble, he is instead out for revenge. He kidnaps and hides a CIA agent, then leaves him to his powerbars while the story moves in another direction. Adding the ghosts of his father, Duke, and the girl he tried to find in The Short Drop as characters here was a maneuver that brought the story down rather than enhance it. Author Mathew Fitzsimmons was trying to show the conflicting views that plagues Vaughn, but choosing ghosts was, to my mind, a juvenile way to approach it. A better author could have easily portrayed those conflicts without resorting to such a cheap stunt. Cold Harbor seems to indicate that Fitzsimmons ran out of good ideas. The first, The Short Drop, is excellent. The second, Poisonfeather sags only a little. I wish the author had waited for the third novel and considered it with more perspective. Sometimes the urge to capitalize on a book's success propels authors and marketers in the wrong direction. You need only look at the drop off in reviews of these books at Amazon to see that not everybody needed more Gibson Vaughn, at least so soon. Thanks, NetGalley for the review copy.

This book is part of a trilogy (thus far). I missed out on the first book, but picked up the 2nd and I was immediately hooked! I was so excited when I got the third instalment. This is definitely a 'page turning/edge of your seat' kind of story. Action packed, filled with twists and turns! I am definitely going back to read the first one as well, and I would highly recommend them all!

Both as a stand-alone and as a third book in the Gibson Vaughn series, this is a good read. Two strengths, one weakness:

Strengths: The action and interaction between characters continues to build the ethos of Gibson, and the people I loved from earlier books are still loved and involved here. And the weaving of the past and present for Gibson is masterfully crafted -- a satisfying piece of the trilogy so far.

Weakness: The plot line seems to lose itself in the first quarter of the book. All that action is looking back and about Gibson getting revenge. It seemed hard at times to remember what had happened earlier, such that I wondered if I should stop reading to go back and review book 2. Fortunately, the plot line took a sharp turn and got back to looking forward.

This book three will be worth your while to read and enjoy -and share with friends. I do prefer a Gibson Vaughn that is looking forward, working with the standard characters, and moving forward in both his action and his life.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
Book 3 in the Gibson Vaughn series did not disappoint as it went back to the standard set in book 1. It is a compelling read with many unexpected twists and turns and an ending that was not the cliff hanger of book 2.
These are not standalone books and little backstory is provided. Even having read the first two, I struggled to remember the characters and how they entered the story. Nonetheless this is an author worth watching.

It reminded me of a Jason Bourne movie. I recommend it for those who like action packed thrillers

Following the Empire Strikes Back-sized cliffhanger that ended Poisonfeather, Matthew FitzSimmons’ messed-up ex-Marine hacker Gibson Vaughn returns after an eighteen-month absence and is looking for revenge. And although Gibson wants a heaping served ice cold, his thought processes are similarly frozen. His interactions with PTSD-originated ghosts clearly show is not on the top of his game as he was in the debut The Short Drop. FitzSimmons does a fantastic job at getting into Vaughn’s complicated head and makes him sympathetic voice as the reader commiserates with his on-going stress. For all the internal conflict, however, the first act narrative suffers.

If Cold Harbor was season 3 of the Gibson Vaughn drama on FX (and not a bad idea actually, you paying attention Mr. Landgraf?), the network would be hard pressed to ramp up new viewers without the benefit of binge-watching. The novel has a similar circumstance where the familiar reader must fight to play catch up, yet rewards loyal readers to the very end. For someone new coming in who just happens to pick up a copy at the neighborhood Barnes & Noble? Fuhgeddaboudit. FitzSimmons works in backstory and allows a catch-up with the on-going mythos, but initially the reader can be just as confused as the story’s protagonist.

FitzSimmons weaves together action with a hearty bit of internal self-loathing and angst. Gibson’s conversations with his ghosts are not merely metaphorical, but a plot device that, thankfully, does not overstay its welcome, and, contrary to the standard cliché, borders on the detrimental.

Plot-wise, FitzSimmons picks up on the pseudo-cliffhanger from The Short Drop and has Gibson go after the missing George Abe, who was completely MIA during Poisonfeather, while reuniting with cast members from both previous books, strengthening this creator universe. Another strength that gets focus is Vaughn’s humanity and his tendency to doubt, his own fallibility. A hacker by trade, Gibson is by no means the super-genius Cisco Ramon from The Flash, nor do his skills present the ultimate deus ex machina in planned contrivances. He’s good with code, not so much with relationships, and striving to better at both.

Cold Harbor, named for the Blackwater-ish PMC ne’er-do-well, brings a fitting conclusion to the Gibson Vaughn trilogy. FitzSimmons has created a likeable character with an enjoyable series. Vaughn is cocky, but knows his limits, more introverted than a one-line joker, and deserves a return engagement. Get working, Matt.


Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance proof, for not only Cold Harbor, but introducing me previously to The Short Drop and Poisonfeather. I have certainly enjoyed the ride.

Cold Harbor was EXACTLY what I was looking for in the next Vaughn book! A couple of years ago I fell in love with the series; The Short Drop was a debut that blew Goodreads away and I had the absolute pleasure of jumping on the bandwagon before it became the "it" book overnight. *Brushing shoulder off* While Poisonfeather (book 2) wasn't my favorite, I can understand and respect where the author wanted to take us and still found it an enjoyable read. But Cold Harbor?! This one was something special; it felt like we went back to that classic feeling that TSD gave us when the series started. This book was fast paced, thrilling, and really messes with your head. I truly love novels which give us that hazy feeling of being unsure of what is real and what is imagined, and I felt that CH did that wonderfully well. It was a relief to be reconnected with old friends and enemies, and the storyline was unpredictable in the best way possible. If you haven't begun the series, please know going in that these are NOT standalone novels, but must be read in order to benefit from full characterization and spoiler material for the personal and professional continuing plot. Highly recommended for those who love a good action thriller with hints of the political thrown in.

3.5 After a time, actually 18 months, though the wouldn't know the length of this until later, spent in a CIA run facility, in solitary confinement, Gibson is unceremoniously dropped on the same airport runway he was taken from. No longer of sound mind, with absolutely no means, accompanied by bear and his father, dead figures from his past, Gibson turns to one of the only friends he can count on.

These types of espionage thrillers are ones that I have previously only dipped into occasionally. Not my usual reading fare. Not even sure that is the right way to classify this series, but I'm going with it since in my mind that is how they are classified. I was sent a copy of this authors first, The Short Drop, and found myself immersed in the life of Gibson Vaughn. This man with extraordinary computer skills, a good man at heart, who finds himself embroiled in things often not of his choosing. Now, accompanied from his two voices from the past, he is given the opportunity to reconnect with two people he cares about and for which he has been searching.

This is a wonderful series. Gibson, a character, this man who has lost virtually everything and everybody he loves, a character of whom I care a great deal. I enjoy this series immensely. Realistic? Well, if you believe in government conspiracies, a government with agencies that work autonomously, and a government that keeps many secrets from their public, than yes. I'll let you be the judge.

ARC from Netgalley.

We can clearly withness here the growth of Matthew Fitzsimmons as an author. The third installement of the

3.5 stars, rounded up because I love this series.

Could have been a 5, but I struggled for the first 150 pages trying to remember who's who. I think this affected my ability to get more engaged in the plot moving forward. By the time things started to ramp up, (for me it was closing in at the mid way mark) the book was over. I did find the ending satisfactory, but this is definitely not a stand alone read.

There are some shining moments here, like the side bar conversations with Gibson Vaugh's deceased love ones: Bear and his father. The reasons for their presence is a reminder of what Gibson went through, and what the body/brain will do to fight for survival. Bringing in these ghosts could have gone terribly wrong, but Fitzsimmons does a great job of using them at just the right times. Whether they were there to help, guide or reprimand, I found these scenes to be the most enjoyable.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

After a bit of a sophomore slump with Poisonfeather, Cold Harbor is a return to form for both Matthew FitzSimmons and his Gibson Vaughn character.

Without giving too much away, Cold Harbor picks up 18 months after the end of Poisonfeather, and Gibson Vaughn is not doing well. He just spent the last year and a half in a CIA black-site prison and he has the emotional scars to show for it.

His first job after surprisingly being released? Get revenge on the man that put him there. Throughout the book, Gibson has to deal with starting over again, searching for his ex-wife and daughter, figuring out how to exact his revenge, and taking on a new challenge working for an old foe.

Definitely read these books in order and even though Poisonfeather wasn't quite as good as The Short Drop or Cold Harbor, it's essential to reading the series as a whole.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of this book.