A COLD DARK PLACE - An interesting read with some good characters and a good story line. Sometimes, especially at the end, bits were almost silly. I dislike Emily, I found her actions stupid. She wants to kill instead of investigate, which results in the death a young girl and almost another girl. I believe a real mother would do anything to find her child, not kill the only link to saving the child, regardless of the emotional turmoil. I won't be reading anymore of this series. Source: Netgalley. 3*

This was just an OK read.

I’ve previously read and enjoyed Gregg Olsen’s true crime books, which are well-researched and compelling, so I was excited to try his fictional crime series. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to expectations.

The narrative jumps between the present and events from 20 years ago, but the transitions felt disjointed and the characters underdeveloped. The heroine lacked depth and strength, and too many plot points were left unresolved by the end.

Emily’s behavior—especially her inaction while her daughter was in danger—was hard to believe and didn’t make much sense.

Overall, I’m not sure I’ll continue with the series. I’d think twice before picking up the next installment.

This was just an OK read for me, and I was happy when I got to the end. The plot was decent but I couldn’t warm to any of the characters, and I didn’t find it exciting or suspenseful. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley but I think I’ll be giving the next book in the series a miss.

I am giving this book a rating of 3.5 ☆

We meet Emily Kenyon, detective and divorced mother of Jenna, who lives in Cherrystone, Washington. After a recent tornado Emily is called to an address, where three members of a family are found dead among the ruins of a house, a fourth member missing. However, its not the recent tornado that killed them, each have gunshot wounds. Their oldest son, Nick, is missing, unseen since he was called home from school days before.
Then Jenna also goes missing, believed to be with Nick. Is Nick the killer, or is he running from the horror he's witnessed.
While searching for answers, it appears that there have been other similar murders. Emily needs to find out the link is in the hopes of finding Jenna.

This story is broken into three 'book' sections. The story itself goes between the present day and the previous twenty years, involving other murders and police departments. All of which start to come together in the second part of the 'books'.
I thought the description of the book was really interesting, and I really enjoyed seeing how it played out. I enjoyed the investigation side of it and felt the ending tied everything up really well. Although I had an idea what might have happened, I still hadn't been prepared for the ending, and their were plenty of twists along the way.
The only thing stopping me from rating the book higher was that I didn't fully feel the motherly connection between Emily and Jenna. Mainly in the way Emily spent hours sitting around the hospital with a injurd police officer right at a crucial point, and managing to have a meal and some drinks with this same officer leading to her waking and forgetting the night before. I just felt that as a parent myself, Emily didn't seem to be acting as a parent would if their child was somewhere with a potential killer!
I would still be interested in reading the next book, as missing daughter aside, I'd really quite enjoyed reading this one.

A Cold Dark Place by Gregg Olsen
At first, I found the book a little slow to get going, and the frequent shifts between characters felt a bit chaotic, making it hard to follow. However, once the story found its rhythm, I was completely drawn in. The twists and turns kept me engaged right up until the final page. It’s a gritty, gripping, and twist-filled thriller that ultimately had me hooked. I’d definitely read the next book in the series, as well as more from Gregg Olsen.

Have you ever read a book written by a man and wondered why they chose to write female main characters if they hate them so much?
Every female character in this was written so poorly I almost rolled my eyes into the back of my head and lodged them there permanently.

Pretty but bitchy, pretty but old, slim but weak, easily manipulated, fat and dowdy. I mean far out, you’d think the police detectives he made the main characters would at least escape the negative connotations of women but they didn’t.

The changing pov of characters in the same paragraph was also exceptionally jarring.

The plot was fine, I didn’t hate it but there was no big AHA! moment.

To be perfectly honest I wish I’d DNF’d this one.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the arc of this book. This is my honest opinion.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Solid book from a prolific and noted author. This kept me engaged, had some interesting characters, and the author knows how to tell a story.

This book has been released twice before, in 2007 and 2014, and there were just a couple of dated references about pop culture which were a little off-putting.

Will I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

While there were parts of this book that were suspenseful, I did not like the main character and found the whole story to be a bit chaotic.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this one, I did finish the book, I just didn't find is as gripping as anything else I have read.

Gregg Olsen can do no wrong... he takes readers on a wild ride in every book. A Cold Dark Place is incredible. Detective Emily Kenyon has returned to her home town and living in her childhood home with her daughter. After her divorce, she left Seattle but maintains ties there. Emily's home town is reeling from a tornado; after a long day at work, she's called to do a welfare check on a family. When she arrives, she sees the house is gone and the family is dead... except for a son, who no one can find. Jenna, Emily's daughter, knows the boy from school. However, to compound things, Jenna becomes missing as well. Told in alternating times and points of view, A Cold Dark Place is brutal, spine tingling, and fantastic. Thank you to Storm Publishing for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Detective Emily Kenyon is searching for the only family member left alive after visiting a crime scene pulverized by a tornado. It appears the victims were killed before the tornado passed through, and the teenage son, Nick, is missing. The problem is that they don’t know if he’s innocent and safe or guilty and on the run. Emily’s daughter Jenna is a schoolmate of the boy and swears he would never have done this to his family. Maintaining a neutral stance is hard as the investigation continues and her family is dragged into the mess. But she’s determined to locate Nick before anyone else gets hurt, even if it means putting her own life in danger.

One of the things that struck me about this story was Emily’s character making sporadic references to herself being ‘too old’ for this and that. One passage said she knew she was too old to wear a ponytail. Another talked about not dressing too young for her age. She’s only 39! It only bothers me because it’s a male author who doesn’t seem to realize that a badass female character wouldn’t care what anyone thought of her looks – and plenty of women older than that wear ponytails. I don’t know, it’s just weird.

The story was a little disjointed, as just when you get into it and feel the momentum, there’s suddenly a chapter in a new location across the country with random characters, leaving the reader with no idea what’s going on and why we’re hearing about seemingly unrelated crimes. I think that’s just the author’s writing style, but it interrupted the flow of the story.

I wish the rest of the book were as engaging as the beginning, but I just had trouble staying interested. The ending was clever, though, and I think plenty of people would enjoy the story more than I did.

First off, thank you to NetGalley, author Greg Olsen and Kensington publishing for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. I hate to say it, but I couldn’t wait for this one to end and not in a good way. There were so many characters that it was hard to keep up. There was no character development. The main female character was a whiny woman that just grated on my nerves. The villain was the usual good looking murderer.

Many of the characters were just kind of name dropped and then left. So many I wanted to know more about but instead the author focused on describing in great detail what people were having for dinner 🙄

I feel this was rushed and could have been developed so much more into a much higher rating. The fact that it ends with a preview of his next novel with the same pretence of this lacklustre officer trying to save her daughter again confirms that I will not read it. Sadly, this book fell short in my opinion.

2⭐️⭐️

This was dark, brutal and twisty and I absolutely devoured it.

Really interesting take on the search for a serial killer bringing together two seemingly unrelated cases towards a brilliant conclusion

I liked the main characters in this book and the relationship between mother and daughter as it grows then appears to fracture. Nick is a very complex character and it was good to find out more about the reasons why, and the danger of jumping to conclusions, and thinking people have good intentions. We find out how far some people are prepared to go in the name of love, especially with a character who feeds on the hero worship of others. I found myself wondering what my response would be in different scenarios and having some empathy especially for Bonnie who seems to struggle with self esteem issues.
I look forward to reading more of the Detective team.
Thanks Storm and NetGalley.

This was a good read but I equally understand where people critique the main character because they want more from her. Thank you for access to this!

A Cold Dark Place is a gripping thriller from start to finish.

Detective Emily Kenyon is sent out for a wellness check after a devasting tornado only to find three members of a family brutually murdered.

The son is missing.

Nick happens to be a fellow student with Emily's daughter who tries despartely to prove his innocence.

Nothing is a simple as it sounds and this case ties back to one that changed Emily's career forever years ago.

I dont want to say much as its a journey that the reader must follow down a twisted path with twists that you wont see coming.

Gregg Olsen is a master of building up the tension slowly and surely and you will find yourself riveted to the book.

I am off to follow Emily on her next case. I cant wait.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the privilege to read and review A Cold Dark Place.

Gregg Olsen’s *A Cold Dark Place* is a gripping psychological thriller that blends small-town crime, personal trauma, and the twisted legacy of a serial killer. From the moment Detective Emily Kenyon steps onto the scene of a horrifying family murder in rural Washington, the stakes rise quickly—and keep escalating. A tornado has destroyed the farmhouse, but the real storm is what happened inside. Three people dead, one teenage son missing—and the question lingers: is he a survivor, or the killer?

Olsen doesn't waste time setting up tension. The book wastes no time launching into a layered narrative that moves across timelines and locations, creating a mosaic of disturbing clues and long-buried secrets. The investigation stretches from Washington to Iowa and Salt Lake City, revealing chilling parallels between cases decades apart. Olsen effectively uses flashbacks to gradually build the larger picture, although at times the back-and-forth pacing demands close attention.

Emily Kenyon, the heart of the series, is a strong but complicated protagonist. She's a seasoned detective and a single mom, constantly pulled between her duties and the safety of her teenage daughter, Jenna. What makes Emily so compelling isn’t that she’s perfect—it’s that she’s deeply human. She struggles, she second-guesses herself, and at times she makes the wrong call. But her determination is unwavering. When her daughter disappears with the missing murder suspect, the case becomes personal in the worst possible way.

Jenna, too, adds an interesting layer to the story. Her belief in the boy’s innocence creates a moral gray zone: is she being naive, or is there something darker at play that the adults are missing? This dual perspective—from a mother chasing justice and a daughter chasing truth—adds emotional depth to the suspense.

One of the standout aspects of the book is Olsen’s ability to get inside the heads of his characters, from law enforcement to the mentally unhinged. He’s especially skilled at portraying the motivations and psychology of the story’s female characters—both the tough and the twisted. The serial killer groupies who emerge later in the book are a fascinating, disturbing touch, underscoring how evil isn’t always isolated.

If the novel falters, it’s in a few areas of execution. Some readers noted—and it’s fair—that the book needed a cleaner edit. There are typos, occasional missing words, and scenes that jump abruptly between timelines without clear transitions. That said, these hiccups don’t diminish the strength of the plot or the drive to keep turning pages. The payoff at the end is worth the effort, and the twists genuinely surprise without feeling cheap or gimmicky.

*A Cold Dark Place* is a satisfying, atmospheric crime thriller that’s smartly written and packed with emotional intensity. Olsen knows how to keep readers on edge, how to create flawed yet believable characters, and how to tell a story that haunts long after the last page. Whether you're a longtime crime fiction reader or just dipping into the genre, this book delivers. And if you're like most readers, you’ll immediately want to pick up the sequel, *Heart of Ice*.

**Rating: 4.5/5 – A dark, twisty ride that keeps you guessing and feeling until the very end.**

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Oh my goodness Gregg Olsen does it again! This was a fantastic read with out of this world great characters kept. A quick pace and troubling subject matter kept me flipping pages long past my bedtime. A dark and twisty roller coaster ride left me gobsmacked. Run don’t walk to get a copy of this amazing book. Huge 5 stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley, Gregg Olsen and Pinnacle Books for the opportunity to read and review this gem of a book.

It had an interesting start with Detective Emily Kenyon heading up to check out a house that had been hit by the tornado that touched down in Cherrystone and finding out the family had been murdered beforehand and their son was missing. Jenna is a good kid but I was not a fan of her choices, like going on the run with said missing boy, Nick, instead of working with her mom to figure things out (since her mom has police connections to get info fast). Jumping between the past with the case and conviction of serial killer Dillan, to Emily desperately searching for her missing daughter, while looking into the murders and finding even more murders. So, yeah, lots of excitement with serial killers, women obsessed with serial killers, babies sold, and finding your real roots (which is not always a good thing in this case).

Though kind of dated, this was a pretty good introduction to the series, and while I did not much like Emily, I did like how she wouldn't let anything stand in her way during the search for her daughter.

I do like the new cover for this book. Very eye catching and I am glad older books get to be rereleased for new readers to find.

Wow. I went into A Cold Dark Place expecting a solid crime thriller—but what I got was so much darker, deeper, and more disturbing than I ever anticipated. Gregg Olsen doesn’t just write about crime—he drags you into the cold, messy aftermath and makes you sit with it.

This book had me on edge from the first chapter. The pacing is relentless, but never rushed. Olsen knows how to build tension slowly, like a storm rolling in, and by the time the lightning hits, you’re already holding your breath. There were scenes that made my skin crawl—not because of gore, but because of how real it all felt. The horror isn’t just in the crimes themselves, but in the silence, the secrets, and the way trauma ripples through everyone involved.

The characters feel authentic, especially the lead—a woman trying to untangle a decades-old case while confronting the wreckage of her own past. I appreciated how Olsen gave her both strength and vulnerability; she’s not a superhero, but she’s persistent, sharp, and haunted in a way that feels earned. The more she uncovered, the more unsettled I became—and I mean that in the best way.

There’s a psychological undercurrent to this book that really got under my skin. It’s about what people hide, what they justify, and how violence doesn’t just end—it echoes. A Cold Dark Place lives up to its title in every way. It’s chilling, not just because of what happens, but because of how easy it is to imagine it happening again, somewhere else, in real life.