Thrilling. Page turning. This is the kind of story that sucks you in from the beginning, and you just don't seem to want to put the book down.

In this story, Lauren Riley is a detective working cold cases in Buffalo. She has had a series of bad relationships, both personal and with some on-the-job foes, but has a strong reputation for her always winning the cases she is involved in. When a well-known woman is brutally murdered in her car in an area right outside of her jurisdiction, one of her foes, Frank Violanti... a slimy attorney (and the god father of the defendant, go figure), hires Lauren as a PI to get to the bottom of the case. Frank truly believes his godson is innocent, and is willing to risk it all to work with Lauren to prove it. The investigating officer on the scene of the murder, and the one going after David (the defendant/godson)... is none other than Lauren's domestically violent ex-boyfriend, so the stakes are high.

Lauren begins to work with Frank and David against her better judgment. Something about the case, though, makes her get the impression that David may truly be innocent... until a few strange things occur that give her second thoughts. She begins to doubt herself and the efforts she has made in this case, and wonders whether her gut instincts have gone off track. Couple that with a stalker, and she really starts to get the creeps as this case unfolds.

I went back and forth with thinking I knew what was going to happen, to thinking that maybe I wasn't so sure. The end definitely leaves you on the edge of your seat, and gives you that exciting feeling of "OOH! A second book is going to come after this one!" I will definitely be reading that one!

I'm having a really hard time with this rating and review. I received an ARC through Netgalley. I thought the story was excellent though not quite as fast paced as other thrillers I've read. This was an uncorrected proof, and I really hope it will be edited before being published.

The author did a fantastic job on this. You can see she really knows her stuff. The cast of characters were believable and well thought out. I would definitely read the next book if a series is planned.

Lauren Riley is a cold case detective with the Buffalo NY PD. Lawyer Frank Violanti asks her to investigate a murder his Godson is being accused of committing. Lauren and Frank have a bitter courtroom history, but she reluctantly takes on the case. We follow Lauren and Frank as they investigate the case, but we also follow her and her partner, Reese, investigate two cold cases. In addition, Lauren handles two daughters and two past relationships which she cannot seem to totally put behind her. While there is so much going on in one book, I never felt any part was shortchanged. I really enjoyed the character building so much so, I disliked her ex-fiance probably as much as Lauren does. Lauren is a complex lady and I really enjoyed her character. According to Goodreads, this is the 1st book in the Cold Case Investigation series. Based on the ending of this book, I see some really intriguing times ahead for Lauren and her partner Reese. I am really looking forward to this being an ongoing series. Great first books, Ms. Redmond! Cannot wait for more!!!

LOVED this booked. I was hooked from the beginning. This book was fast paced. I loved the complexity of the characters and the case. It was well thought out. I was on edge and shocked throughout the book. . This is a must read. I highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading more by this Author.

Cold Case Detective Lauren has a lot of issues with her exes. Every one of them seems to haunt her in some form or fashion in this book. She is also a private eye that is determined to see if young man is really guilty of murder. She digs into the case and in the meantime solves a cold case file.
The author did a great job with the flow of the book. I loved Lauren as a flawed in her personal life, but awesome in her professional life character.
I enjoyed the book and it was a great read.

"There was more to the story. Of that, she was sure."

Disclaimer: This ARC was sent to me by Midnight Ink & NetGalley for my honest opinion. 

Publisher: Midnight Ink
Publishing Date: 8 Feb 2018
Edition read: Kindle edition

Review: I was so into the book throughout, really didn't want to put it down because I really wanted to see who was behind the murder of Katherine Vine. The plot & the amazing cover were what caught my eye & I feel like this was the first book that had a different Police department in the centre of the plot (Cold Case Investigations). The book was very well written in a fast-paced, character driven plot. The book is primarily told through Lauren's POV. We, the readers, get an insight to Lauren's work life & personal life where she is being stalked. The book talks about abusive relationships, domestic abuse & rape. I really do like the book but I was left with some questions about Joe Wheeler, what happened to him? I hated him so much because of the way he is, ohmygod I wish Lauren had shot him, but I guess the answers will be waiting for me in book 2 which I am really looking forward to! Thank you so much Midnight Ink & NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this book!

Rating: 4/5

As a recently retired Buffalo, NY homicide detective, Lissa Marie Redmond has hit a home run with her first novel. It’s well written and completely believable. She made we wonder how much of her life is reflected in her heroine’s.

Lauren Riley is flawed, and that makes her perfect. Divorced twice with two daughters in college, she is not a naive young woman. She’s savvy and smart. She’s also capable of making mistakes. One of those mistakes was detective Joe Wheeler, a man she almost married until his dark side emerged and he became abusive. She left him, but he now hates her and would do almost anything to hurt her. When they wind up on opposite sides of a case, Joe’s fury is boundless.

Then there is Mark, her second husband. Mark Hathaway, the love of Lauren’s life who left her after getting his secretary pregnant. Oh, Lord! Lauren still loves him and he swears he still loves her, but what rational woman can ever trust a man who cheated on her? Heaven forbid!

My personal favorite of the men in her life is Shane Reese, her partner in the Cold Case squad. They work well together and have cleared a lot of cold cases. I think Reese has a major crush, or more, for Lauren, but she’s doesn’t have a clue. I guess we’ll have to wait for future books to see if anything comes of that.

Lauren has a second profession. As well as being a kick butt homicide detective, she’s a licensed private investigator. Her second job is at the heart of this story as she accepts a job from a defense attorney, Frank Violante. They don’t like each other…at all. They’ve been on opposite sides several times and Lauren has managed to be on the winning side…every…single…time. But Lauren is intrigued by his willingness to beg for her help, he offers her a huge retainer, and she accepts. After meeting David, the young man accused of murder, Lauren is convinced and takes the job.

I can’t say much more without giving away major spoilers. I will say that this book is memorable in its, well…it’s simplicity. I don’t mean there aren’t complications, that would be boring and this book is not boring. In fact, I read it straight through. We travel with Lauren in her day-to-day life, solving cold cases, working to help free what she believes is an innocent 18-year-old boy, visits from her daughters and all the detritus from her past. We learn how strong she is…raising her girls on her own, making a life for them and herself. She’s a great heroine. I am looking forward to many adventures with Lauren Riley and her supporting cast as told by a wonderful new author. Pick up a copy and…

Enjoy!

2shay

This is an excellent crime fiction debut novel from Redmond, part police procedural and part legal thriller. Lauren Riley is 38 years old, twice divorced, with two grown up daughters, working in Cold Case Homicide in Buffalo, New York. She has a great police partner in Shane Reece, and she is a rising star in the police department. Lauren gets the shock of her life when she is asked by arch enemy, defense lawyer, Frank Violanti, to work as PI on a case where 18 year old David Ryan Spencer, his godson, stands accused of murder. The victim is Katherine Vine, strangled by her scarf in her car after having rough sex with David. Joe Wheeler is the investigating officer who arrested him. Lauren has history with Wheeler, an ex-fiance she views with contempt, with good reason. This, and her assessment of David as likely to be innocent, has her agreeing to work with Violanti.

Whilst Lauren works the Spencer case, we get insight into Lauren's normal cold cases as she and Reece investigate the 1993 fatal stabbing of Vinita Ortiz, to the Stenz case, notoriously known as the vampire slaying. Lauren is reminded of exactly how bad Wheeler can be. As she is hunting down information on Katherine Vine and her husband, Anthony, she finds herself back in touch with Mark Hathaway, her ex-husband, which leads to complications in her personal life. Her DA, Carl Church, with whom she has a good relationship is less than happy that she is acting as second front for a defense attorney, particularly as he is going to be prosecuting Spencer himself. In the meantime, Lauren has acquired a stalker, and gathers evidence that Anthony Vine has motive in wanting his wife dead. Amidst gathering doubts and confusion, the trial begins with plenty of drama. This is a story of twists, where nothing is as it seems.

The more I read of this novel, the more hooked I became into the story, Redmond has acquitted herself well on her character driven debut, showcasing terrific plotting and great writing. Her heroine, Lauren Riley, is a complex and complicated character with bags of determination and personality. She is flawed, and her personal life is a bit of a mess amidst which she has to deal with the ghastly Wheeler. I liked her relationship and banter with her partner, Reece, and the authentic portrayal of both them having ups and downs, but they are loyal to each other. The everyday life and tasks of the cold case homicide unit gives the reader an excellent idea of how cases are investigated and the way detectives juggle their workloads. An enjoyable, tense and suspenseful read that I recommend to readers of crime fiction. Many thanks to Midnight Ink for an ARC.

Reviewed on my blog under the title The One with the Cold Case Cold Beauty

This review will go live on my website on Monday July 24, 2017 @ 8:37am PST (https://theartisanpenguin.com/book-reviews/2017/cold-day-in-hell)

There is something about a well written police procedural story that I always enjoy, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Cold Day in Hell.  Written by retired police officer, Lissa Marie Redmond, A Cold Day in Hell has a very authentic feel to it, as you would hope it to have if written by a former police officer. 

Lauren Riley is a detective at the top of her game, solving crimes in the Cold Case Investigations of the Buffalo Police Department.  Single mother of two, who's girls have gone off to college, Lauren finds that she has a bit too much time on her hands.  Frank Violanti, slick defence attorney, who's questionable clients and theatrical behaviour in court make him one of the best.  When Franks's eighteen year-old client, David, is arrested for murder he begs Lauren to take the case on as a private investigator.  Normally on opposite sides of the bench, Lauren and Frank don't generally see eye to eye, but upon meeting David, Lauren can't help but feel she needs to prove his innocence.  Unravelling the conflicting evidence, Lauren discovers that nothing is quite as it seems.  With an abusive ex stalking her and the press all over the case, Lauren puts here career in danger as doubt starts to plague her motives.

I have to say that with a lot of police procedural's, I usually have a pretty good guess who-done-it before the big reveal.  I may not always be right, but I have my suspicions.  That is half the fun of reading these, to see if you can pick out the clues the author has given.  When reading A Cold Day in Hell, the clues were there, but I was never able to make up my mind, until the reveal happened.  I also enjoyed the fact that while there was the big investigation to prove David's innocence, Lauren was still working her day job in the cold case department.  TV is often very sensationalized with great intuitive leaps, but reading this book dispelled a lot of what you see on TV and explained that solving crimes is a lot of hard and diligent work and a fair amount of luck, especially in the cold case department.  

While I enjoyed reading A Cold Day in Hell and was interested in the story developing and what was going to happen, for me, I was easily able to put this book down at night and I didn't find myself with the urgent need to read the book as fast as possible, until the last 2% of the book.  Redmond has done an excellent job with a hook at the end that makes you want to pick up her next book ASAP.  Now she just needs to write it.

I am enjoying discovering new authors at the moment. This is a police procedural written by a retired police officer. The main character works as a cold case detective. She has also taken on a private investigator role for a murder case.
On a personal level our main character has two daughters and two ex husbands and an ex fiancé. I enjoyed the way her personal life was developed. I hope this is the start of a series. Well done!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. WOW I am the first person to review this one on GR. HOW exciting! I really liked this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I had my suspicions about how the story would end but I wasn't 100% sure until I got to the last page. Lauren is a Police Detective in the Cold Case Unit in Buffalo, NY and she is also a private investigator on the side. A defense attorney whom she hates asks her to investigate a murder in which his godson has been accused of. Lauren is a very strong character, single mother, smart, pretty and dedicated to her job. The story is complicated by her ex-fiance (who is nasty and used to hit her) being the arresting cop in the murder. The characters are interesting and intertwined in many different ways which makes the story really intriguing. The accused David seems like a just a super nice high school kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time...I do not want to spoil the book for anyone but I was pretty surprised about the ending. And happy to see that there will be a sequel. Definitely worth reading! Suspenseful, great writing, interesting characters and story too. Loved it!

Great book. Brilliant plot and main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Very enjoyable.