You are silver lining with bad timing: STONE COLD HEART.

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Detective Constable Cat Kinsella works for the London Metropolitan Police but her work life hides a darker past with her family, covering up secrets and transgressions. Cat sees a lot of secrets at work too, especially when she and her partner Luigi Parnell investigate the death of a young Australian woman, Naomi, who is found murdered after attending a party at her boss Kate's home. The clearest suspect is Kate's brother-in-law, Joseph, who claims he was with his wife, Rachel, but Rachel refutes that claim. As Cat digs into the mess surrounding Kate, Joseph, and Rachel, she discovers deep tensions and lies.

This is a strong follow-up to the first book in Cat's series. Cat is a nuanced and complex character with her fair share of flaws, but she's also a great detective with excellent insight into people and their motives. This book will stand alone, but you will have much better insight into Cat's past, especially her history with her father, if you read the first.

The mystery surrounding Naomi's death is well-written, presented as a bit of a mind game to both the detectives and the reader. There are lots of twists and surprises and plenty to guess about as the book goes on. Just when I was convinced I had things figured out, Frear threw me for a new loop. The plot can feel a little long and overly-complicated at times, especially with Cat's family drama thrown in, but overall, this is a tightly written and enjoyable thriller. 4 stars.


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