Cover Image: Cold Fire

Cold Fire

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Member Reviews

The book kind of lost me when the leading characters switched up from who would leading the murder case. After switching to Po and Tess the story went down the rabbit whole of Tess being involved with Po and another room mate while pregnant. I tried sticking it out. The parts with Joanna on the run was the saving grace. But then the story returns back to Po and his restaurant and Bars being attacked. The story should have stayed with Ratcliffe, her partner and the team that she works with. That works better for anxious, intense and thrilling scenes. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Non-stop action in this tenth and possibly concluding novel in the Tess Grey and Po Villere mystery series. During a snowstorm, the couple face the ultimate test when they hunt a fugitive nanny accused of infanticide. The suspense mounts to a fine crescendo.

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An End, Once And For All? This is one hell of an action-packed thrill ride, with Tess, Po, and Pinky struggling as never before to figure out and then confront an enemy that may yet prove to be too powerful for even their considerable combined might. For the first time since I began reading this series (admittedly late in its run), Po and Pinky in particular have finally met an opponent who can best them - which produces even tighter and more visceral fighting sequences than the still-great "normal" for this series.

And then... that ending. Not a Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ending at all - more like a Fallout one or the one at the end of the Mass Effect Original Trilogy (whose soundtrack song over this sequence provides the title of this review). And unlike Mass Effect 3 in particular (and more similar to the widely-regarded-as-best-single-game-in-the-franchise Mass Effect 2), the overall action of the book goes pretty well right up to the moment the "After" is triggered.

If this is truly the end, what a way to go out. And if these characters ever do get a chance to come back... what a way to leave it until that time. Very much recommended.

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This is the author's tenth book in the Grey and Villere series. Tess Grey ex police is now a private investigator, partner ex convict Nicolas ( aka Po ) Villere are operating in the Maine district in USA.
Tess is approached by detective Karen Ratcliffe. Her sister Joanne was a nanny in the Massachusett's area. She is wanted for murder of the children in her care and their mother. Karen wants Tess and Po to find Joanne who is on the run.
Tess and Po already have a major problem, someone is targetting their property by setting them alight. When Karen gets a desperate phone call from Joanne they set off for the Canadian border. They leave ex con. Pinky guarding their properties.
Unbeknown to Tess and Po a huge man mountain called Brian Harper is on Joanne's trail. He is apparently indestructible! He has an unwilling driver in the red head Siobhan who is understandably very scared of her psychopath partner.
very well written, exciting and very violent. I confess a little too violent for me. I found the book far fetched ( or I hope it is ) but it keeps your interest. This is the first I have read by this author, but I'm sure it won't be my last. Recommended.

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Tess and Po once again find themselves in danger as they work a case. This time, they've been asked to find and bring in Joanne a nanny who has been accused of a horrible murder. Seems simple enough but it never is, is it? There's a blizzard and even worse, the real villain is hot on Joanne's heels and therefore on Tess and Po's as well. While this is the latest in a long running series it will be fine as a standalone. I'm a fan of Tess (and Po too) because she's smart and funny and doesn't let Po forget it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

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This is a Suspenseful Thriller, and this is the tenth book in A Grey and Villere Thriller series. I have not read any of the other books in this series, but I want to go back and read the other books in this series after reading this book. I think this book can be read as a stand alone if you do not want or care about the characters back stories. You get enough information in this book to put everything together without any problems. There were a ton of things going on, and I feel at times there was maybe too much going on. I wish the fire storyline was not in this book because I think it took away from the main storyline, and that one was the one I really love. I loved how this book revealed itself. This is a fast paced story with a ton of suspense and action to keep you pulled into the story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Severn House) or author (Matt Hilton) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is scheduled to be released on May 2-2023.

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An action packed book!
Indeed, the author Matt Hilton is a high ranking martial artist, fought in the fledgling MMA scene was Northern Ju-Jitsu Champion 2000. He has been a cop, a detective and a private security specialist!!! So as could be expected, the action scenes are expertly written and believable (no eye roll allowed whilst reading LOL).
I really enjoyed this wild ride of a book and would read more books from this author.

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This book is a wild ride so buckle up!! It’s part of a series but I jumped in with no issues. There are lots of perspectives and characters so it’s borderline chaotic but it made for a very entertaining read. There’s a lot of action, descriptions of altercations, lots of subplots. I especially enjoyed Tess and her intuition and investigative skills. The overall subject matter is very dark so read the synopsis as it outlines the potential trigger warnings. Overall I enjoyed this! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Ex-nanny Joanne Mason asks her sister, Detective Karen Ratcliffe, for help. She's on the run, believed to have murdered a mother and her children. Karen
approaches Tess Grey and her partner hoping they can bring in Joanne safely. Joanne is hiding, in the middle of a severe snow storm, is being hunted by the real killer.
Tess, her partner and Joanne are in severe danger and have a heck of a time trying to stay alive as the terrible truth of the murders is revealed.
A fast-paced mystery that held my attention throughout, it was a terrific read!

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