A Cold And Lonely Place

by Sara J. Henry

Freelance writer Troy Chance is snapping photos of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival ice palace when the ice-cutting machine falls silent. Encased in the ice is the shadowy outline of a body--a man she knows. One of her roommates falls under suspicion, and the media descends. Troy's assigned to write an in-depth feature on the dead man, who, it turns out, was the privileged son of a wealthy Connecticut family who had been playing at a blue collar life in this Adirondack village. And the deeper Troy digs into his life and mysterious death, the murkier things become. After the victim's sister comes to town and a string of disturbing incidents unfold, it's clear someone doesn't want the investigation to continue. Troy doesn't know who to trust, and what she ultimately finds out threatens to shatter the serenity of these mountain towns. She must decide which family secrets should be exposed, what truths should remain hidden, and how far her own loyalty can reach. (Cover image and synopsis from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

I call this a “quiet” book. The story unfolds slowly and the author did a great job of keeping me involved. Along the way, secrets are revealed and mysteries are solved. There were a few surprises, but no major twists or surprise endings. For this book, it all worked.

This is my first book by this author. I did not realize that it was a sequel to Learning to Swim. There were enough references to Troy’s previous experiences that it made me wonder if there had been a first book, but this in no way impeded my enjoying A Cold and Lonely Place. In fact, I so enjoyed the author’s style that I want to go back and read her first book.

My thanks to Crown Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: February 5, 2013.