Almost two years ago, Tom and Lisa’s daughter, Megan, left for work and never returned. Tom, a former deputy sheriff, has never stopped searching for her and the fact that he has not been able to find her has destroyed their marriage. His wife is positive that their daughter is dead; why couldn’t Tom find her, save her? He decides to hire former detective Marshall York and his assistant Hannah Jacobs. Maybe they will be able to find something that Tom missed. Hannah had dealt with issues in her past, while Marshall’s wife and child had left him years ago. The characters and storyline were depressing with no optimism that getting justice for Megan would make a difference in their lives. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

With a set up that reads like the fever dream of a justice crazed father, The Fear of Winter follows the aftermath of a young woman’s murder 1 year later, the dissolution of the parents’ marriage as a result of the crime, and a P.I. team hired by the father, Tom. The low stakes plot does little more than vindicate the wild fears of overprotective parents with the dialogue reminiscent of the quippy repartee written in the head of one side as opposed to a conversation between characters. The central antagonist is a paint-by-numbers malevolent ghoul with no hope at redemption. The resolution is expected, but played as if it weren’t. Folded in these pages is a somewhat compelling subplot about the collapsing marriage between Tom and Lisa that plays out like a slow motion car crash that neither of them can avoid despite all the warning alarms. I’m not sure where the series goes from here, but it could be the kind legend surrounding Tom’s successful subsequent P.I. ventures. It isn’t an auspicious start for a series, but seen in the rearview, it might be all it needs to be: a serviceable origin.

This is a quick and suspenseful mystery that will keep you turning the pages. The varying perspectives keep the pace moving and give us a look into the dark secrets of the characters. I was into this one from the beginning and loved how the pace kept increasing as the book went on, it also packs a pretty explosive ending.

This is a good book if you’re looking for something quick and exciting to read.

The Fear of Winter - SC Sterling

“On a frigid December night, Megan Floyd vanishes from the mountain town of Fraser, Colorado. The extensive search provides no answers and as attention of her disappearance fades, the case goes cold...”

A cold case crime thriller, this was an easy read. I loved the music references that played throughout, and the pacing was interesting with a bunch of short scenes switching between various characters in each of the long chapters. There are no real surprises or twists and turns but I enjoyed riding along with the main characters as they worked their way toward a fitting ending.

Overall a 3.5 star read.

**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

This book started out a bit slow but once I got around 25% of the way through it started to pick up. It was mainly slow as it described the disappearance of Megan and Tom himself and Marshall and Hannah. Once it had picked up, I thoroughly enjoyed it, I liked how we saw the thought process of Hannah, Marshall, and Tom, and I enjoyed seeing it from each of their point of view. The plot was so enjoyable, that I read the whole book in just under two hours as I had to know what happened to Megan. The only thing I did not enjoy was that it was changing points of view throughout the chapter but you could only tell because of the name mentioned or it saying that this is what they were thinking. The only thing I would warn readers about is the trigger warnings which are, suicide, self-harm, sexual assault, and drug use.

Megan should be turning 21 but nobody has seen her since she was nineteen. Her dad is a cop. Shouldn’t he be able to find her? He has never given up. He hires a detective and his assistant, Hannah Jacobs to help restart the search.

All three of them have pasts. They soon learn Megan also had a past she kept from her family. Will they be able to find her before it’s too late. Who was Megan really? Who were her friends and can they help?

This was a quick paced suspense thriller. I look forward to more in this series. I liked Hannah Jacobs character.

This is the first book in 'the fear of' trilogy. It's called The Fear of Winter written by S.C. Sterling and I received it via No Bueno Publishing via Netgalley. It will be out on the 18th of January.

What would you do if your daughter goes missing? Would you, after two years, give up? Would you never stop looking? Would you leave no stone unturned to to find her, or heaven forbid, her body? That's the story of Tom Floyd. His last hope is hiring a PI.

This was a nice and exciting story. The characters were great and you could really feel the pain of the parents and their utter frustration, even with each other. This nightmare has been described perfectly and it is really how any father would grasp at straws to find anything at all. The author managed to describe it all well and I can't wait to read the other two books! The only thing is that the book was a bit short. I would've loved more of the story!

4,5/5⭐

Well I wasn’t expecting that! Not my kind of book at all but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The action was almost matched by the problem characters and both were overtaken by the tension. I’m not saying it’s changed my genre of choice but I definitely want to carry on reading the series. My husband has already added it to his books to buy list for when it’s released.
Has to be five stars and given without any hesitation

Megan Floyd is still missing! Megan was 19 when she went missing. Now her 21st birthday is almost here, but Megan isn’t. How is that possible?

Megan’s mother, Lisa, numbs her pain with alcohol, pills, and one-night stands. A cold case to everyone but Megan’s father, a former cop. Tom decided he had to try one more avenue for help. He knows he may never find Megan but cannot rest until he solves the mystery of what happened to his daughter the night she didn’t come home. Tom has hired Marshall York, a private investigator and former detective, and his assistant Hannah Jacobs. Marshall and Hannah each have pain of their own. Marshall numbs his pain with drugs and Hannah self-mutilates. Can any of them find out the secrets of that night? Is it possible Megan is still alive?

Pain. Unbearable, devastating pain. Secrets. So many secrets from the past cast shadows forming a web that becomes darker with every strand followed. Gritty. Raw. Riveting.

This is a story. But a story that sadly happens on winter nights across America. This story captures the desolation of parents left with unanswered questions. Their loved one torn from their midst—the shattering of their hearts.

Thank you to S.C. Sterling, No Bueno Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

#TheFearofWinter #NetGalley

A desperate father still searching for his long missing daughter and a woman lost in the search for answers about her sister's death. When Tom, a former police officer, hires PI Marshall and his assistant Hannah, he is not convinced they will be able to find Megan after all these years, but he wants to give it one last try. But this time it seems they are on to something, but this something brings with it danger and death.
The story was told in a very descriptive way which made it hard to really connect to the characters involved. Instead of sharing their emotions and pain I felt like a distant observer, thus my enthusiasm remained limited even towards the dramatic and action-loaded ending. Overall, a decent read and a solid mystery.

The Fear of Winter took a little while to get into. As I got the characters straight and how they fit, then the book moved along at a good pace.

Tom is a father searching for answers. His daughter Megan has been missing for a year. Tom is convinced there still might be hope. His wife is certain that Megan must be dead. Although the police investigation is stalled, Tom is not giving up. He hires investigators Marshall and Hannah to work on the case.

I liked how the story showed the many ways that different people can experience grief. We do not all grieve in the same way. And that's okay.
At times it felt like Tom was the main character and at others a different character. This was a unique approach that I appreciated.

A good book from beginning to end. I believe this is the start of a series, and the ending somewhat set up the next investigation. I will be on the lookout for that book when it comes out.

Thanks to netgalley and No Bueno Publishing for the arc.

Warning, some topics that are hard to read about, although do make the story. A lot of layers to this book, and well written. Different points of views at times, but easy to follow. Tom hires private investigators to find out what happened to his daughter. Sad at times, but a good detective story. Would recommend.

Trigger warnings for: rape; self harm; abduction; suicide; drug misuse; animal abuse and death; abuse; murder; grief.
I really really loved the characters: Tom, Hannah and Marshall. I thought they were really well fleshed out with enough backstory and character development. I was rooting for them all and felt extremely tense during the chapters.
This book took me a little bit to get into but after around the 15-20% mark I couldn’t put it down. It was extremely fast paced and I loved that in each chapter we had different points of views from each character. I know that the book was only short for 134 pages however I do wish we had more chapters than 8 and they were shorter than what they were. I think that maybe this would have helped with the pacing of the book.
I wish that the book was a little longer as I felt the ending was a bit rushed and therefore didn’t get to really build up to the climax before it was executed.
The book overall felt extremely realistic especially in the police and detective sense and portrayed cold cases very well. We looked at the grief that Tom and Lisa faced after Megan’s disappearance and how it tore them both apart both together and independently.

The only thing I would really note is that I also wish the book was longer so we could really delve into Megan’s character before she went missing and find out more about her and her personality as I didn’t feel connected to her as a character just the people trying to find her.

This book is the first in a series and the author did a brilliant job of foreshadowing what the next book will be. SPOILERS: I’m thinking something to do with Hannah and Casey’s case! I feel really attached to Hannah and want to know more about Casey and her case so I am super excited about this being played out and I hope my predictions are correct :)

This book starts out as a search for a missing daughter, but turns into so much more. It's the story of what happens to a married couple when tragedy strikes, the desperation of lives marred by drugs and alcohol, the splinter between children and parents.

At one point I had a hard time keeping track of all of the characters since the book doesn't use chapters to separate points of view, but combines them into their own sections within the chapters. But once the story got going and I sorted everyone out, I was hooked.

As Marshall, Hannah and Tom's search converges with possible suspects and witnesses, the tension increases up until the end. Prepare to wrap yourself in a warm blanket as Sterling describes the Colorado winter so realistically you'll feel yourself shivering with cold and suspense! I can see multiple story lines coming out of this, the first book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hidden Gems Books and No Bueno Publishing for an advance reader's copy.

The Fear of Winter is the beginning of a new crime fiction series. in which we are introduced to several damaged characters. Tom Floyd and his wife are mourning a missing daughter in late '90s Colorado when in a last-ditch effort, Tom (an ex-policeman) hires a private investigation firm to look for Megan. The firm is composed of another ex-cop and a twenty-something female investigator with her own unsolved crime in the background. As the three of them work to find Megan, the seedy underground of illegal drugs rears its ugly head.

The story is quite compelling and I appreciated that all of the characters had their own complicated storylines. I wanted to see if/how Megan would be found and if the perpetrator would face justice. My only concern in reading this book was that sometimes last names were switched, but my assumption was that it would be corrected before publication. Overall, I appreciated the book and will watch for the future installments of the series.

I'll give kudos to the author for managing to create a solid crime story told from different perspectives. It was pretty interesting seeing how three different characters tackled the investigation.

However, my main issue with the book was that I didn't really get attached to any of the characters. The picture being painted was pretty bleak and felt realistic but there was not much incentive to keep me hooked on this story. This is just my opinion though, and others might find this desolate and grim tale more interesting than I did.

Triggers :: Self-harm, Drug Addiction, Su*cide, Depression, Mention of R*pe

Writing:
The writing was simple and easy to understand which I liked because I saw no reason for it to "wow" the reader, because personally I felt that it made the lines talking about grief more powerful since it wasn't overly poetic and instead more "raw".

Pace:
I did like how there was no painful slow start and as the book progressed we gathered information that helps us piece together what has happened in the past and how it affected the characters, instead of the author rushing that narrative in the beginning. The pace also made it easier to keep me engaged. I admit I was a bit worried of how it was going to end and if it was going to be a rushed ending because I was getting near the end and there was still no type of resolve, BUT personally I thought it ended decently.

Main Characters:
Tom
He is a retired cop trying to find his missing daughter and he became an alcoholic because of it. He does his best to be optimistic that he will find her and find out what happened to her, even though his obsession with the case is killing him mentally and physically and hurting his marriage. Personally, I cared for him when I felt bad that his wife kept on blaming him for Megan's disappearance and saying how much she hates him and doesn't love him, as if he doesn't blame himself and is suffering as much as her. He also still loves her deeply and I thought that was heartbreaking especially since Lisa treats him so poorly.

Lisa
She is the mother of Megan and she is an alcoholic who takes medication for her anxiety. She is a huge mess emotionally. She has gotten to the point in her grieving where she accepted that Megan is dead and they will never find her, not even her bones. She is also a huge bitch to Tom and I dislike her, BUT I don't think she is supposed to be liked and more be a showcase of what grieving can do to someone. She is full of rage, grief and sadness that she has become a toxic person because it is easier to drown in self-pity and sorrows than try to get help or look to a new beginning. So in a way I did like her character because I felt like she was one of the devastating parts of grief.

Marshall
He is the private investigator that Tom hired for the case. He is a drug addict and divorced. The only time I had felt slightly bad for him was when he lost his family because of a domestic dispute and while it was an accident that he harmed his ex-wife, in the end it doesn't matter because he still did it and I do like that he acknowledges that.

Hannah
She is the assistant of Marshall and a hell of a good investigator. She has OCD and can't step on cracks when she is outside even when she is running away from danger. She does self-harm and that is part of her character so it is mentioned frequently. She is my favorite character because she is such a badass and can be sassy, and she is relatable such as preferring animals over people. She appears very brave but is in fact very scared and anxious but she will go out of her comfort zone and go into danger just to help with the case, AND she is honestly a very caring person especially over Marshall. One of my favorite lines about her that was very relatable was: 'It was that Hannah lacked compassion, it was the opposite. She didn't want to create a personal relationship with any of these people because she would've become very obsessed with their tragedies as much as they were. There'd be conversations after meetings, phone call check-ins, weekly lunches, and she'd probably end up going to church with them. It was all part of her obsessive mentality.'

Liked:
I loved the way the writer wrote Tom's, Lisa's and Hannah's grief. For Tom and Lisa, the loss of their child had broken their relationship. I have heard that in situations where your child goes missing, it will either strengthen your relationship or break it completely because sometimes staying together is just a reminder of your child and that reopens wounds everytime.

Tom had a bit of hope that Megan was still alive, but overall he just wanted to know what happened to her. He did his best to mend his marriage because that is all he had now so he was obsessively trying to find Megan and was not willing to accept that his marriage was over. He didn't want to completely accept that everything has now changed and things were never going to go back to the way it was even if he did find out what had happened to Megan.

Lisa was so destroyed by the loss of Megan that she was furious with him and hated his existence because it was "his fault" and he was still trying to find Megan. She blamed him because she had no one else to blame and she was just a huge bitch to him, which I felt was a realistic broken and toxic mentality that she developed from the loss which was "fuck this, fuck everything, fuck everyone. I'm so broken that nothing matters to me anymore" and while it made me hate her for how she treated Tom, I do feel that she just gave up and gave into self-pity and just became toxic because there was nothing worth caring for anymore.

For Hannah, it was the little things that changed when her older sister died. She could never ride a plane anymore because her sister was the one that comforted her. She didn't talk about her crushes to anyone because she always told her sister. She didn't have anyone that would recommend bands to her. She no longer had someone to talk through problems and feel better. So she doesn't open up to people and doesn't try to make friends (not including Marshall) because she lost her only best friend.

Disliked:
Whom the main character was began to get confusing, it wasn't a big problem but it later became apparent that Tom was no longer the main character since it frequently switched to Hannah's perceptive, it just felt odd in a way. Speaking of 'it just felt odd' was the switching of perspectives between characters, sometimes it wasn't obvious that it switched and it was a bit confusing but this also wasn't a big problem.

Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book and it made me keep reading because I wanted to know how certain things would play out and if Tom was going to find out what happened to Megan. I love Hannah's character because she was relatable and she was quite entertaining which kept me wanting to read more of her. She's such a great addition to the story. The big reason I love this book is because of how good the grief was written and it always had me saying 'wow that's exactly how it feels like'.

Recommendation:
I would definitely encourage you to read this book if you find the synopsis interesting since I really enjoyed it, BUT you should also keep in mind of the triggers, some you can skip in the book but others such as self-harm, depression and drug usage appear in the book often.

Tom Floyd is a distraught parent after his daughter disappears on a cold night in December. His relationship is quickly falling apart, and Tom is worried he will never see his daughter again. Over a year after her disappearance, Tom hires PI Marshall York to try to find his daughter. As York digs, not only does evidence start emerging, but so do some deep, dark secrets.

The Fear of Winter is a dark, harrowing tale of desperation, longing, and pain. Sterling pulls at one of the most human threads - love. What you would do for love and where love can drive you. This book is a slow burn that digs its icy fingers around your wrist and refuses to let you go. You see a tale of family loss, how it destroys two parents and their relationship, and what lengths they will go to in order to get answers about their missing daughter. It's a mystery and thriller all tied into one genius novel.

This novel is a classic missing-persons thriller. I'm a huge fan of detective novels, and this one is right up there with some of the best. It's a perfect winter read that fans of Harlan Coben, Joe Nesbo, and Michael Connelly will love.

I was totally prepared to write this off as another mediocre mystery about a missing girl and the search to find what happened to her. Although it is about that I was pleasantly surprised to find myself being pulled into the story and enjoying the characters, (flawed with demons of course), the effect of a missing child on a relationship and the stark, cold beauty of Colorado in the winter. I’m glad I didn’t bypass this one and since it appears to be the start to a series I’m looking forward to the next one.

The ending? Well, that you must see on your own.

Well I enjoyed this book. I was instantly wrapped up into this story from the first page..

I absolutely loved these characters especially Hannah. I loved following this mystery and look forward to the next one.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this book.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else