By The Book

Nancy Mehl writes great serial killers! If you love books with creepy, yet intriguing bad guys, then her books are waiting on you. Her Ryland And St. Clair series features ex-FBI profilers turned private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair who use their specialized skills to tackle cold cases in the St. Louis area and beyond.

In Cold Pursuit the partners and friends are just starting their business and are tasked with finding a missing son. Their investigation stirs up a hornets nest and they are soon in the thick of danger. I liked the exploration of River and Tony’s friendship. It was very natural and realistic. The cold case was intriguing and I found the way these two did research into the background of the missing man and his associates interesting. There is also the threat from a serial killer who they put in jail prior to their retirement from the FBI. Is he behind the current threats to River? This thread runs throughout the 3 books of the series, and adds a good deal of tension. The reader also gets glimpses of the diabolical workings of the bad guy’s mind.

In Cold Threat, River and Tony travel to Tony’s family home. A solved case from his father’s days as a policeman is the subject of their newest investigation. Is this a copycat murderer/arsonist or did they have the wrong man all along? There is lots of action with elements of danger to the characters. I enjoyed how River and Tony worked together to find out whodunit. Again, the bad guy’s POV is presented with chilling insight. River and Tony’s relationship continues to develop naturally.

Both are excellent choices for fans of suspense with an element of romance. And they are perfect for wintertime reading — you really get the cold factor in this series. Book 2 builds on book 1, so be sure to start from the beginning of this series.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to NetGalley for complimentary copies. All opinions are mine alone.)

Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They’re soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there’s almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy’s trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.

Twenty years ago, several people were murdered in Des Moines, and the only evidence left behind was a snowman ornament hanging ominously on a tree in the victims’ front lawns. With a suspect behind bars, the killings have come to an end–or so everyone thought. But now crimes with a similar MO are happening in a small Iowa town, and a local detective believes the killer is back and ready to strike again.

With little time left on the clock before they have another murder on their hands, private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair must work alongside Tony’s detective father to find evidence that will uncover an evil that has survived far too long. As the danger mounts and the suspect closes in, it will take all they have to catch a killer–before he catches one of them.

Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her puggle, Watson. She’s authored over fifty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

You can find out more about Nancy by visiting her Web site at: http://www.nancymehl.com.

Tags: Nancy Mehl, romantic suspense fiction