Cold Woods

Northampton County, Book 2

By: Karen Katchur

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Buried bones of the past rise to the surface in this chilling mystery from the bestselling author of River Bodies.

When the long-buried bones of a man turn up in the middle of December, Pennsylvania homicide detective Parker Reed knows he’s in for a cold case.

Trisha and her friends were teenagers when Trisha’s stepdad went missing. Now, thirty years later, his remains have been found in the mountains. The women have always known there was more to his disappearance than meets the eye, and they must confront their grim past. Secrets can stay secret a long time in the lonely Appalachian foothills - but not forever.

When Parker and his partner identify the remains, their investigation leads them to Trisha’s childhood home. But the deeper Parker digs into the crime, the more he realizes that the truth isn’t always simple. In fact, it’s so complicated that even Trisha and her friends don’t fully understand what really happened in those cold woods.

©2019 Karen Katchur (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Intricately interweaving the past and present, Karen Katchur ramps up the tension and hits every mark with Cold Woods, the second installment in her compelling Northampton County series. Once again, Katchur has crafted an intense psychological thriller that pounds with heart-thrumming suspense and unexpected twists. With its intriguing characters and clever plot, Cold Woods will keep readers frantically flipping pages late into the night." (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times best-selling author of The Weight of Silence and Not a Sound)

"Karen Katchur nails it with Cold Woods, the second in the Northampton County series and a perfect follow-up to her bestselling hit, River Bodies. Katchur starts Cold Woods with a bang, then builds the action steadily, a gradual unfolding of truths and small-town secrets among three former best friends. Dark and chilling, creepy and emotionally complex - and enthralling all the way to the shocking end." (Kimberly Belle, best-selling author of The Marriage Lie and Three Days Missing)

"Cold Woods kept me in its chilling grip from its eerie opening lines to its unexpected finish. I’m entranced by Karen Katchur’s direct, well-crafted prose, artful plotting, and characters that leap from the page. She perfectly captures the strange insularity of a small town, and unravels its secrets with an expert hand. Not to be missed!" (Marissa Stapley, best-selling author of Things to Do When It’s Raining)

Loved it

Very suspenseful and well developed characters!! Very surprised and really enjoyed this book. Sad to see it end!!! Hope to hear more of these characters.

Enjoyed

The readers voice annoyed me at first but I made myself listen and I really enjoyed the book. The twist and turns of the book but I never understood why Becky acted so standoffish to Parker. Great read...

GREAT STORY!!!!!

I loved the writing and story line that kept me in total suspense. I did not see the ending coming!

Who’s to blame?

This is the second in a series but can be read as a standalone. The themes of domestic abuse and its victims are not surprising, but the ending was.

Excellent book!

I am enjoying this series tremendously!
The characters were excellently presented. The mystery continues right through the end, prior you’re not quite sure who was guilty. I did enjoy the fact that the victim was actually not a victim but the perpetrator! No more lives need to be ruined by him. Unfortunately all those involved felt guilty for 30 years and guilt in and of itself it’s a terrible punishment. I’m looking forward to more!

A good domestic thriller

A wonderful engaging book! Well written, interesting characters and a great narrator. I recommend this book.

not for me

trashy. no suspense. same old same old. reader a monotone. fell asleep. boring and repetitive