The Cold Kiss

By: John Rector

Narrated by: Richard Powers

All Nate and Sara want is a new life in a new town, away from the crime and poverty of their past. So when they are approached at a roadside diner by a shady hitchhiker offering $500 for a ride to Omaha, they wonder if their luck might be changing. At first it seems like so much easy money - but within a few hours the man is dead.

Now, forced off the road by a blizzard and trapped in a run-down motel on the side of a deserted highway, Nate and Sara begin to uncover the man’s secrets: who he was, how he died, and most importantly, why he was carrying two million dollars in his suitcase. Before they know it, Nate and Sara are fighting for their lives. In the end, each has to decide just how far they are willing to go to survive.

The Cold Kiss is an everyman psychological thriller that pits a young couple against moral corruption, greed, betrayal, and love. For two characters who may have used up all their chances, it’s the classic final trip down the dark tunnel that might lead to heaven, but drags them through hell.

©2010 John Rector (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Dean Koontz fans will find much to like in Rector's debut….Rector takes a stock noir setup and makes the most of it through clever plotting and spare prose.” (Publishers Weekly)

Good Read for the Price..

Over all the listen was not bad, story line was good but worth only one listen.

Depressing

Just a terrible book. Narrator was just awful, his voice for the women characters was especially bad. I listen to books for an escape. This author was not good to his main characters. If you want a book that seems like your real crappy life, bad luck etc, this is a good choice. If your like me and like the escape from your job, life, etc choose something else. Oh and the whole theme of the book being about god punishing you for bad thoughts, deeds, etc that is just stupid. Is this in fact just a crappy religious book?

Great ending.

The story has an engaging start. Less than a third of the way into the book, the plot lapses into a conventional, predictable formula. I almost stopped there. I’m glad that I didn’t. The writer had some nice twists lying in wait, and when the action started, he paced the story so well. The climax was surprising and stayed true to his characters. The coda was also well paced; I couldn’t see where he was going with the story. The ending was perfect! Very impressive.

Elementary Dialogue Leaves You Speechless

What would have made The Cold Kiss better?

The main characters were so stupid and senseless. Even though the female character is young, her lack of experience, maturity and intellect made it almost unbearable to listen to her. Her boyfriend who is suppose to have a criminal background is why criminals get caught--not bright. Smarter main characters would have improved the story. The characters at the motel were more interesting than the two main characters.

What three words best describe Paul Michael Garcia’s voice?

Fine narrator.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The characters at the hotel were interesting and more savvy than one would have thought for living in the boondocks.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this while driving and every time I started the book back up I could never remember the story line. It took me a few minutes to remember what I last listened to. This should have been a sign that it was boring and I didn't care about any of the characters. I was not engaged listening to it. I'd skip this one if you're considering this book.