by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: February 18, 2025
2025 Minotaur Books
Ebook ARC & Audiobook; 341 Pages
ISBN: 978-1250351791
ASIN: B0D1PQ139V
Audiobook: B0D9R884VJ
Genre: Fiction / Mystery
Source: Review copy from publisher
4 / 5 Stars
Summary
Haven’s Rock is a sanctuary town hidden deep in
the Yukon for those who need to disappear from the regular world. As
Casey nears the end of her pregnancy, she lets nothing, including her
worried husband, stop her from investigating what happens in the
forbidden forest outside the town of Haven’s Rock.
When one of the town's residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she’s dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She’s saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven’s Rock, covering the forest. It’s there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman's last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust—and who they can't—in their seemingly safe haven.
When one of the town's residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she’s dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She’s saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven’s Rock, covering the forest. It’s there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman's last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust—and who they can't—in their seemingly safe haven.
My Thoughts
Cold as Hell is the third book in the sequel series that features Casey and Eric as they navigate a new environment and a different location in the Yukon. This book started off somewhat more slowly than the previous ones in the series, but when it took, it certainly didn't let up at all until the end and I continued to work on my puzzle while listening to the story as I just couldn't put it down. I haven't been as much of a fan of this author's horror novels, but I really do enjoy these mystery novels and look forward to when each book is released.
I didn't think there was a lot of character development in this book, but the author definitely allowed each character to shine on their own and let their distinct and unique personalities come alive. A lot of time and effort is spent fleshing them out which makes what happens in the book seem so much more realistic as you can relate to their actions even if you don't agree with them. I do think the characters are truly the backbone of this series and I always look forward to learning more about their backgrounds and what brought them to Haven's Rock in the first place.
The plot, once it picked up, moved along rather quickly, and once the tension built up, it didn't let up one bit. I really enjoyed the mystery in this one and as always, the author delivered some nice twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. Because Casey was pregnant, and a high-risk pregnancy at that, there was this underlying tension throughout the book that something might go wrong with the pregnancy and this feeling of dread permeated the story.
Now, I do have to say, the last quarter of the book, I did roll my eyes a few times and I did have to suspend all disbelief. Having had two children, I was a bit skeptical of the events that occurred, but chose to go with the flow and just ignore some of the impossibilities of the situation. The author is just so good at creating tension and developing realistic world-building, that I listened to what happened with baited breath even though I was questioning the events. In the end, I just chose to go with it and enjoy what happened. But, it was a bit...absurd? inane? Whatever you want to call it.
Verdict
Cold as Hell had a really good mystery and I did enjoy it quite a bit. I really enjoyed the world-building and the tension that was created throughout the story as well as the way the author allowed the personalities of the characters to shine. Even though I think the final scenes went a bit too far on the dramatic side, the plot did move swiftly, was full of twists and turns, and the actual conclusion was really good. I highly recommend this series to those who are looking for a good mystery novel. And even though it's a sequel series to the Rockton/Casey Daniels series, I don't think you necessarily need to read that series in order to enjoy this one. Looking forward to book 4 when it is released in February 2026.
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