Cold Pursuit
Back Cover Description:
Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They're soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there's almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be
But as they follow the boy's trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.
Lee’s Preview: Come for the mystery, stay for the friendship.
Review:
By far the best part of the book is the friendship between River and Tony. They feel like real-life friends; they have each other’s backs, they deeply care about each other, and they feel comfortable enough to tease each other from time to time. River and Tony’s friendship is the reason I loved this book so much. River and Tony make a fantastic team and work well off of each other. Also, River feels far from God while Tony is a practicing Christian; he is constantly turning to God and reminding himself to rely on the Lord. He, of course, wants River to come back to God, but I felt it was never portrayed in a preachy way.
River also has a mother who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's and struggles to maintain the balance of being realistic about her mother’s fading mental capacity while also feeling hurt about her mother’s thoughtless words. River knows her mom doesn’t mean it, but it still stings. I liked the realism of that relationship.
River and Tony are approached by Amy Stover, whose son has been missing for four years. Her high school son Chris attended a concert and just disappeared. In many ways, the central mystery is set up in a classic fashion, as more clues are revealed, leading deeper and deeper into the mystery, with new, side revelations leading to thrilling subplots. For example, as River and Tony investigate Chris’ school, they find out the teachers may be hiding big secrets of their own. There are plenty of suspects as they delve deeper into the mystery.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead]:
While the primary focus is mostly on River and Tony’s investigations, a third narrative is quickly revealed to be the antagonist, who is suffering from mental problems, including synesthesia. Sometimes the villain’s perspective can be interwoven very well, but I kept wanting to return to the far stronger narrative of River and Tony’s investigations and friendship. I totally understand the appeal, but it did not work for me.
Content Warning: Some violence, discussions of murder and death, and (while not explicit) a teacher is revealed to be inappropriate with female students.
Overall Review: A strong friendship and partnership anchor this Christian mystery thriller series, full of deepening mysteries and surprising revelations.
