Well , Mulhern hasn't let us down in this next chapter of Ellison's life in Kansas City! And she has certainly peaked our interest for another chapter going forward! Her knowledge of the seventies is boundless. Her knowledge of raising a teenager is spot on, and the struggles of women emerging in the seventies to be on their own is gut-wrenching to those of us who experienced it!
Throw in some romance, a few dead bodies, fraud, dysfunctional family relations and and a whole lot of humor and you have the best stay up all night reading anyone could want!

The books in this series just keep getting better and better! I've loved this book series from the very first book!!

I was fortunate enough to read this Book before its publication. Its fantastic. Fantasy, oo

I love the Country Club Murders books, and this was no exception. However, “Cold as Ice” was a bit different. There was no dead body in the first chapter. Ellison goes with Libba to a cocktail party (“Libba was early. Somewhere in Hell they were having a heckuva snow ball fight”). Her hostess comments: “I’m glad you didn’t find any dead people on the driveway.”, followed by Libba’s: “The night’s still young”, turning to Ellison: “You find a body nearly every week. I figure you’re due”. Still none in the second chapter. Am I really reading a Country Club Murder book? Has Ellison finally stopped being a corpse magnet? Finally, at the end of the third chapter Grace yells “I think I have found a body” – relief from the reader! But all is not what it seems. The next body is not found by Ellison, but she was in the vicinity – surely something is wrong here.
At least Frances Walford is still on form, ordering Ellison’s (and everyone else’s) life about, volunteering her for charity events and for hosting a family Thanksgiving Dinner. Ellison is learning from her mother, and Grace is learning from Ellison. Soon the book has all three generations channelling Frances Walford. Sadly, Grace hasn’t quite reached full power yet: “Grace’s eyes shot daggers my way. But they were a sixteen-year-old’s daggers, which, for one accustomed to Mother’s daggers, were about as sharp as butter knives”. As the body count rises (not a spoiler – you know it will!) Frances exasperatedly complains “That’s two this week, Ellison. If you keep this up, we won’t have any friends left.” In fact, that is what I have been thinking myself for the last three books. Why do Ellison and her family still have any friends? Why hasn’t membership of the Country Club been designated a health hazard? Thank goodness it is still operating, as these books are so enjoyable.
As always, the writing and the imagery are superb: “Jeannie Westcott wore a mink coat, leather gloves, and a distraught expression”, “The boy on the couch looked like the last survivor of a disaster. A disaster worse than Airport, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno combined”
There are additionally a few situations involving moral questions that have to be dealt with. This is one of the few mainstream American books I know of, that mentions sex education, abortion and lesbianism in non-judgemental terms. Ellison is having to deal with Grace growing up, and is torn between being overprotective and forbidding, and working out what advice to give, that will be accepted. She is also dealing with defining her and Grace’s positions as competent women in a world dictated by men. Both are having some problems with the men in their lives. Can the men be encouraged to change – or is it already too late.
You will never guess the person (or persons?) responsible for the murders until the final reveal. Red herrings come thick and fast, and just because Ellison desperately needs it not to be Tom Michaels, does not mean he is innocent. The Country Club is hiding another myriad of scandals – affairs, financial fraud, depravity, fashions faux pas … There is so much material here for many more books in the series. I look forward to reading all of them.

Ellison's struggle to be her own woman continues in another glimpse into 1974 society and it's a great read!

On top of being a newly widowed, single parent, Ellison's responsibility to oversee Henry's bank, which is Grace's inheritance, lands on Ellison's lap when problems arise.

Ellison's loyalty to family and obligations creates a very tense Thanksgiving and puts her facing off with a murderer. Anarchy Jones can't overcome Ellison's society upbringing and her determination to look after herself even when in mortal danger.

An excellent addition to the Country Club Murder series and looking forward to many more.

I volunteered to read an ARC from Henery Press through Net Galley.

BEST OF THE SERIES SO FAR!!

It is quite a feat when an author writes Book Six in a Series and the storyline is more complex than usual and the ending leaves you quickly turning the page because you know there has to be MORE. More of the wonderful Ellison who always stays true to who she is; she just can't help herself. More of Ellison and her relationship with Grace as Grace becomes a teenager and deals with friends and dating relationships. More of Ellison and her Mother and situations involving their Country Club friends and the differences in the way the two relate to people. More of the suspense, mayhem, intrigue and dead bodies appearing at random times. Oh so much MORE of Anarchy Jones! More hilarious scenes that only Mulhern can describe! More fabulous life in the 70's! I was provided an ARC by Henery Press and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

It's a very rare occasion for me to read a book in one or two sittings these days, there's so much going on in my life that I rarely have the time. I started Cold as Ice by author Julie Mulhern last night, and finished it first thing this morning (I woke up at 4am and immediately picked it up again!). It is a wonderfully crafted, incredibly fast-paced pleasure to read, and a nostalgic trip back to the 70's for those of us who grew up in that decade (I'm a Gen-X girl). Ms. Mulhern weaves a tale of suspense and mystery among the members of the privileged country club set in Kansas City, Missouri. Imagine a life without cell phones (people actually had to take and leave messages!!!), internet, and all of today's technology. Imagine having to drive somewhere to talk to someone when you needed to speak with them, the days before caller ID when you had no idea who was on the other end of the phone before you answered....this is the setting Ms. Mulhern takes us back to, and it's like opening a perfectly preserved time capsule. Not only are her nostalgic descriptions spot on, the mystery is so well-written that I even gasped at the end when the murderer was unmasked. Ellison has her hands busy with hunky detective Anarchy Jones, Hunter the thrice -married lawyer who wants to be more than friends, Libba the bestie who enjoys her men and her drinks, teenage daughter Grace, and Mother (with a capital M - need I say more?!?). Very, very well done! This is the 6th book in the series and the first that I've read. It held its own completely, and it worked perfectly as a standalone. Cold as Ice by Julie Mulhern receives my highest recommendations to anyone looking for a good mystery! A+++