Taken in the Cold
Roger Stelljes
450 pages
Bookouture
published November 1, 2024
About the book
“Make sure you wrap up warm for school, honey. A blizzard is on the way.” Ten-year-old Teddy rolls his eyes at his mother. But then he hears a bang… By the time police arrive, Teddy’s mother is dead. His open school backpack is strewn across the hallway. And Teddy is nowhere to be found.
When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake, Agent Tori Hunter races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared. His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy’s father, Tori finds he is missing too.
Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy’s father, Tori’s gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child? And when Teddy’s father is found dead in a pool of blood at an abandoned vacation resort, Tori is devastated to be proven right.
Just as she’s desperately following a set of tire tracks leading away from the crime scene Tori gets a chilling phone call: Teddy is safe. But not for long. Meet me-alone. No guns. No backup.
Surrounded by the driving blizzard and the biggest storm Manchester Bay has seen for decades, Tori is determined to go it alone. But she knows the phone call means this case is about more than one lost little boy… and that a deadly, decades-old secret about the history of the abandoned resort could threaten the whole community.
With Teddy’s life-and the lives of those she loves-hanging in the balance, can Tori track down the kidnappers before it’s too late?
A totally addictive thriller that will have you racing through the pages, unable to put it down until you know the truth. Perfect for fans of Mary Stone, Charlie Donlea and Kendra Elliot.
My Review
I like how I read this as the weather has shifted colder. Manchester Bay can keep the snow, but when I time reads like this, I feel a little more connected.
I’ve been reading popcorn thrillers as of late and really appreciated the complex layered case that Tori and Braddock are investigating. It was ever changing as they discovered clues and kept my interest from the first page through to the end. The tension was ratcheted up as they searched for a missing boy. This kept the pace moving along since time was critical. I knew all wasn’t what it seemed from the start since there were multiple points of view feeding my facts, but I had no idea what the reasons were for the kidnapping of Teddy.
Tori is a strong and determined woman and her vulnerabilities make her relatable. I rooted for throughout the book and there was a moment she might have needed it, but her capable skills help her see things that others don’t.
This one would work extremely well as a stand alone when it is well into the series. It seemed to be uber focused on the case and less on their personal lives which is the part that usually carries from book to book.
This is the first time I’ve listened to one in this series and Kate Handford did a great job narrating the book. She easily conveyed the urgency of the case and emotions that surrounded it. It worked great as an audiobook.
It’s another great addition to the series.
About the author
Roger Stelljes is the acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of pulse-pounding murder mystery and suspense novels, including the Tori Hunter and McRyan Mystery Series. Roger’s crime thrillers are noted for their fast-paced, yet intricate plots filled with layered and complex characters.
Roger started his first novel in July 2002 while on vacation in Minnesota’s Brainerd Lakes area and has been writing ever since. His debut book, The St. Paul Conspiracy, was nominated in genre fiction for the Minnesota Book Awards along with finalists Brian Freeman and William Kent Krueger. With his follow-up, Deadly Stillwater, where Vince Flynn hailed Roger as a “powerful new thriller voice”, he won the Midwest Independent Book Publishers award for commercial fiction.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Roger still lives there with his family. In addition to his work as an author, Roger is a partner in his law firm. Roger is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors boating, attending hockey games, and honing his golf game.
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