This book is the 10th in a very successful series that I cannot believe I was unaware of! I will now go back and start from book 1 as I love this character. This can be read as a standalone.....I did not feel lost by missing any backstories. This story puts a sad spin on human trafficking and builds a very satisfying mystery around it. This author knows how to develop characters and create a well-crafted mystery. This kept me guessing until the end and I enjoyed the entire book...no slow downs or skips in the plot. I can't wait to read more by this author! Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy for review.

This is the 10th booking this outstanding and fast-moving series. It can be read as a standalone but reading the series in order will enable you to understand the backstory. It is the dead of winter in Sorenson, Wisconsin and snow storms are impeding movement. Mattie Winston and her homicide detective husband Steve Hurley are dealing with a human trafficking ring.
Mattie and Hurley along with their two children have moved into their new house. Mattie is called to the ER as a young girl was brought into the hospital and dies there. She informed the staff that the group had her sister. Before she passed she mumbled, "lost group". Mattie and friends must work fast to save the sister. Are they in time? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND SERIES.

Disclosure: to Kensington Books for a copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

A new home, a new marriage, a new family. It’s a lot to sort out. But before medicolegal death investigator Mattie can smooth out the unexpected chaos of her new life, duty calls. At the local ER, a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in by a mysterious man who claimed she’d fallen out of a car. The staff is suspicious, but while they attend to the teenager, the unidentified man slips out. Then the girl dies, but not before informing social worker Hildy Schneider that the man had her little sister as well.

Mattie’s exam reveals forensic evidence of long-term IV drug use and physical abuse, findings consistent with Hildy’s suspicion that the girl was a victim of human trafficking. They are able to confirm her identity as a teen who went missing six months ago, along with her sister—facts that are deeply unsettling to Mattie who now shares a home with her husband’s teenaged daughter.

Another strong book in this series, I couldn't read it fast enough! I love Mattie, she's such a talented investigator. Even as she's trying to figure out her own personal life, she's doing whatever it takes to save another life. She's the perfect heroin!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DeadOfWinter
Pub Date: 26 Feb 2019

Mattie Winston is one of my favorite characters and her role in this book was amazing.
When Mattie attends to a death in the ER, she has no idea of the haunting mystery she will become involved in.
The story grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept me engaged until the very end.
Fans of this series will absolutely love this addition.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

I just love this series and am always so disappointed when I finish reading the latest edition and I realize its 12 months till the next. I laughed out loud in parts of this book and was amazed this could happen in a murder book that covers so many up to date serious issues. Well done Annelise.