The Cold Nowhere-Brian Freeman

The Cold Nowhere Brian Freeman Quercus, Apr 1 2014, $26.99 www.quercus.com ISBN: 9781623651312 A decade ago when Catalina Mateo was six years old, she cowered in hiding while hearing the still haunting sounds of her father carving up her mother before he killed himself. The murder-suicide left Cat in permanent trauma as the now teen turned to drugs and prostitution but never escaped the nightmare of that gruesome day. When Cat realizes her paranoid belief someone stalks her is not fueled by the horror or drugs, she remembers heroic Jonathan Stride promising to keep her mom safe. Though he failed them, Cat turns to the Duluth Police Lieutenant. He finds her half-frozen in his cabin’s closet. Stride’s partner Maggie Bei warns him not to get involved emotionally as she believes Cat being a chip off the paternal block viciously stabbed her shrink. Whether or not it is guilt driving him, Stride investigates Cat’s claim only to find evidence affirming her assertion. The latest Jonathan Stride Minnesota police procedural (see The Burying Place, In The Dark and Immoral) is a fantastic inquiry as the case and the frozen background make for a strong mystery. The tension between Stride and Bei especially over Cat enhance the terrific taut storyline. Harriet Klausner