Thank you to @dreamscape_media, @netgalley, and the author for a chance to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview! All thoughts are my own. Preorder now - this is available April 9.

This was a race against the clock, can’t put it down type read! Detective Beans (yes, Beans!) is investigating the disappearance of a local barista when another body turns up and they realize they’ve got a serial killer on their hands. With shifts of POV from Beans to victims and more, this book’s quick chapters and fast pace keeps you on edge also giving you a leg up on the characters as the reader. This had some solid twists, shocking motivations, and the potential for a series of the like based in Alaska. I highly recommend for those looking for a good thriller!

TW: k*dnapping, SA, CA, dr*gging, t*rture, st*lking, more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

There's a series of murders in a small town in Alaska, and the victims seem to all have one thing in common--they are young women employed as baristas. Haviland Beans rushes to solve the case, before there's another victim.

I really liked the narrators of this audiobook. The pacing of the story was good, and overall it was a fun listen.

I really liked this one! I was surprised when I looked the author up to find what else she had written and this is the debut. I think this has the potential to be a great, long running detective series and I will read every single one. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators (especially the male) were fantastic! Highly recommend this one for this who enjoy detective/murder mysteries as much as I do.

<b>An outstanding new voice in thrillers.</b>

4.5 stars rounded up.

While reading „Cold to the Touch“, I was astonished to realize this was the author‘s debut novel. The characters were so well-developed and had such rich backstories that I even considered if this might be a later release in a whole series! Seeing as it isn‘t, I‘m holding out hope this might in fact be the start of a new thriller series featuring Alaskan homicide detective DeHavilland Beans.

In „Cold to the Touch“, Beans is in pursuit of the killer of a local barista. It‘s not long before the body of a second young woman is discovered, arousing fears of a serial killer at work in the cold.

As mentioned, the characters were full of depth and remarkably well fleshed-out. The whole story worked very well as a classic thriller, following mostly Bean‘s efforts to catch the killer while sometimes also adding insights into the minds of the young women who were kidnapped, making the reader carry about them even more.

While the setup was flawless and the writing outstanding, the book fizzled out somewhat in its final quarter, once a suspect was identified and pursued; it then seemed to be almost too full of backstory and explanations.

Nevertheless, „Cold to the Touch“ is a formidable debut by an exciting and talented new voice in the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I listened to the audio version, which was excellent.

„Cold to the Touch“ is slated to be released on April 9, 2004.

I just listened to the audiobook "Cold to the Touch" by Kerri Hakoda. I loved this book! It isn't the genre that I usually find so enjoyable. It's murder mystery crime procedural, but a lot of things contributed to making it exceptional. It is fast-paced and almost impossible to put it down. It's an easy one to binge read!

The plot was great. The main character, DeHavilland Beans, is relatable and likable. The cat, Archie, and how "Beans interacts with him is humorous and heartwarming. The dogs and puppies were sweet and a good contrast to the negative parts regarding the murders.

The chapters that are the victims' points of view and read in the voice of a woman are really poignant and got me very invested in their stories. The inclusion of Cameron, a character with Asperger's syndrome (a mild form of autism), is nice, especially showing how helpful he can be to the investigation.

The dialogue seems very authentic. The narrators, Eric Fox and Abigail Reno, did really great jobs! Eric's voice was very easy to listen to.

This seems like the set up to a series, and I hope it will be. It is set in the present day in Anchorage, Alaska.
I highly recommend this book to thriller and murder mystery lovers!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Kerri Hakoda for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Good book club selection. The story is a by the book thriller but has many events good for discussion. The setting was under discussed but the characters were great.

I really enjoyed this book! While the premise is not necessarily “new” it’s still a great thriller and a fun read. I loved the location in Alaska and how they incorporated many different types of characters. It seems this might be set up to become a series? If so, I’d definitely read the second!

I received this as a audiobook arc. All thoughts are my own 💕

Really liked the characters in this book especially Beans and his sister. Hope they appear in other books. The Alaska setting is great and the coffee barista murders reminded me of the book American Predator which I would rather not be reminded of as it was so chilling. Well written and involving story complete with a long ending that tied up any loose ends. Narrator did an amazing job.

A well-written, fast-paced thriller set in Alaska, where young women baristas are disappearing and turning up dead. Local policemen and feds have little time to find the killer before another girl is taken. I was lucky enough to be given access to the well-narrated audiobook on Netgalley and thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the one hand, this is a solid mystery. On the other hand, it doesn't really distinguish itself from all of the other solid mysteries.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Cold to the Touch" is a riveting mystery, with well-developed and interesting characters. A 5 - star rating from this enthusiastic fan; I look forward to reading more from this skilled author.

In the icy heart of Alaska, where snow blankets the landscape and secrets lie buried beneath the frozen ground, Kerri Hakoda weaves a chilling tale that will leave you breathless. "Cold to the Touch" is a taut, ticking-clock of a thriller that grips you from the very first page and refuses to let go.

When the body of a young barista named Jolene is discovered in the pristine Alaskan snow, Anchorage homicide detective "DeHavilland Beans" is shattered. He had known Jolene—a bright college student working her way through school—and her murder hits close to home. But this isn't an isolated incident. Women are vanishing, with their young lives ended in the unforgiving Alaskan winter.

Beans teams up with wildlife expert Raisa Ingalls, his ex, to unravel the twisted web of clues.

Scavengers ravaged the crime scenes, leaving little evidence behind.

As another woman's body surfaces, the hunt intensifies.

The FBI joins the investigation, and the clock ticks relentlessly with more murders on everyone's mind. With each passing moment, the killer grows bolder, and Beans races against time to stop the spree.

Kerri Hakoda masterfully describes the stark Alaskan landscape—the biting cold, the long darkness, the eerie silence... Her prose is as sharp as an ice pick, cutting through the tension and revealing the raw emotions of her characters.

Beans, haunted by his own demons, is a flawed yet determined detective. Raisa, equally complex, brings her expertise to the table, and Raisa's and Beans' shared history adds intrigue.

The pacing is relentless, mirroring the urgency of the investigation.

Hakoda deftly balances suspense with heart-wrenching moments, making us care deeply for the victims as the killer remains elusive, leaving breadcrumbs that lead to only dead ends.

"Cold to the Touch" delves into the darkness that lurks beneath the snow, where evil thrives in the shadows. The Alaskan wilderness becomes a character in itself—a silent witness to the gruesome murders.

Hakoda's attention to detail immerses us in this bone-chilling world.

If you're a fan of intricate plots, police procedurals, or the mysteries of Lisa Gardner and similar skilled writers, you don't want to miss reading this novel.

Note: I received this book in audiobook format, for review, and the talented narrator is extremely well-matched to the novel's characters. With excellent pacing and clear enunciation, the narrator added to my enjoyment of this story.

Excellent narration!!
The deep voice of Detective Beans pulls you right in to this icy cold Alaskan police procedural mystery. An unrelenting serial killer is murdering young sexy baristas and the clock is ticking for the detective. This story has you guessing right up to the end. It is fast-paced and the narrative is very well written. No concerning trigger warnings here, just a solid listen.
I highly recommend this audiobook purchase!!

It’s not that this was a bad story, it is just an overdone storyline. I was hoping for something a little different. I got so far in that I had to finish. I thought it was very slow and I was ready for it to be done. The narrator in the audiobook was good.

#ColdtotheTouch #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy of the audiobook for this book. I would rate this at 3.5 stars. It was a fine read. We're following a detective as he uncovers the Barista serial killers. If you like detective work and proceedings, this one is for you. The audiobook sometimes switches to different victims' POVs, which I find odd or unnecessary since it's short. The audiobook also showed us the confession scene of the killer, and I found myself in awe as it was detailed, unlike the other detective stories I read in the past.

Surprisingly, I assumed the author was male since the main character is male. I mean, it's rare for me to see main characters as male, written by a female author. So that's something to note. 

I would recommend this book to readers who loved the 4MK series.

I switched back and forth between the book and audiobook for this read. I really enjoyed this serial killer crime thriller about women being kidnapped and murdered in Alaska in the middle of winter. It is a character driven slow burn that follows Anchorage homicide detective Dehavilland Beans, or Beans for short, as he investigates these murders with the help of the FBI.

I highly recommend this book if you like crime novels set in rural areas and fiction that reads like true crime.

Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @dreamscape_media for allowing me to read and listen to this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

Cold to the Touch written by Kerri Hakoda and narrated by Eric Fox and Abigail Reno has it all. A serial killer? Check. Challenging environment? (Alaskan Wilderness) Check. Kickass FMC? Check. Dynamic and ultimately likable Homicide Detective named after an aircraft and a popular side dish? Ch... wha... GENIUS. Check!

A round of applause for the performances in this audiobook that suited the characters down to the ground and kept strong continuiuty throughout, brilliant

A body partly decimated by scavenging animals is found just outside of a small town in Alaska. It belongs to a pretty Barista who Homicide Detective DeHavilland Beans* bought coffee from every morning. Reeling from the shock of this discovery, the Detective needs help from an expert at the autopsy, and has no other option to agree to his recent ex Raisa taking on the task (how to make a bad day worse? Well not as such because there was no animosity or conflict, they just visited less and less and drifted apart)

Jolene, the deceased Barista appears to have been shot by a bow, a bad day for her that is for sure, but then another body turns up, and another. Time to call in the Feds, but first, Det. Beans is going to do some extra-curricular investigating of his own

I really like the multiple POV's which tell the story from the pov of the victim before their demise and the Detective. The character building is incredible and by eckers, Raisa's father... well! Great dialogue and a steady pace culminating in a blinding twist. Fantastic!

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and the author Kerri Hakoda for this brilliant ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

*THE Best Name for a Homicide Detective FMC ever in the history of homicide detectorists EVER bar none "

Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda is an atmospheric police procedural set in Alaska. I really liked the diverse cast of characters. The POVs of the girls that were murdered provided a small snippet into each girls' personality but it made them feel so real and so distinct in just a few paragraphs. I'd really love to read more books by this author, I hope they make it a series. The narration by Eric Fox and Abigail Reno was great. If you enjoy Nordic Noir and police procedurals, then this book is for you. I really enjoyed it. Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this audiobook.

3.5⭐️ A good crime thriller. It was very enjoyable but doesn’t stand out from other thrillers in any substantial way. The narration was good and the book was entertaining.

Good story. I liked the Alaska setting and the characters. Two narrators were both easy to listen too.

Cold to the Touch
By Kerri Hakoda

Narrated by: Eric Fox and Abigail Reno
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Format: audiobook 🎧
Publication date: 9th April 2024

🌟: 3.5/5

“When the body of a barista is found in the once-pristine Alaskan snow, Anchorage homicide detective DeHavilland Beans is gutted to recognize the young woman, Jolene. He’d bought coffee from her every morning and knew her as a bright college student working her way through school. Devastated by the murder and by the life cut short, Beans vows to find the killer.”

This was a decent read but kind of formulaic, it reminded me of an episode of criminal minds.

It’s well written, the descriptions of Alaska and life there were great. I really liked the characters, especially the main character Beans but there was just something lacking with the plot. Not to say it was bad, it was well crafted and you’re led to the outcome perfectly, I thought the police procedural side of the writing was very good but it just felt like it needed something more.

With all that in mind I really hope this becomes a series because I liked the writing and loved the characters and would really like to see them grow.