Cold as Ice by Allison Brennan @Allison_Brennan @amleestories @MacmillanAudio

the setup…

Sean Rogan returns home to find two police cars stationed in front of his house and immediately thinks something’s happened to his wife, FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid. He soon discovers they’re detectives from Houston waiting to arrest him for murder. Next, Lucy’s partner Nate Dunning exits the courthouse after testifying for one of his cases to find police and drug sniffing dogs surrounding his car. They search it and find 16 kilos of cocaine. Then DEA Agent Brad Donnelly vanishes, abducted from his car near his office. Are these coincidences or evidence of a really foul conspiracy? Unfortunately, law enforcement doesn’t see the connections so Lucy’s friends and family have to rally and rise to the occasion. Oh, and right before Sean’s arrest, his brother Kane disappears following a successful rescue of three young women from human traffickers. Yeah, one big ball of coincidences that all seem to happen after the release of Elise Hunt from juvenile detention, the most diabolical sociopath Lucy’s taken down.

the heart of the story…

I’ve dreaded this story since first reading the description because Elise Hunt is scary dangerous. Everyone underestimated her because of her youth and chameleon personality that shows up all innocence, sweetness and light. She never fooled Lucy who fought hard to have her tried as an adult but lost out to those professionals duped by Elise. I had every reason to dread this story because Sean’s arrest went from really bad to beyond awful in a nanosecond. Elise and her family were cunning and ruthless but this smelled of an even larger conspiracy. I had to race through the story, raising the speed level of the audiobook, because I needed to know everything and that all would eventually be okay. But the attitude of Lucy and Nate’s FBI family was such an epic fail in their lack of support, which added another layer of anxiety as they demanded everyone stand down.

the narration…

My admiration for the narrator of this series has been steadfast and she was put to the test in this story. Her performance was amazing with the range of emotions needed for those in trouble, those suffering as they worked to exonerate or rescue those trapped in this mess and the sociopaths behind it all. Even at a higher speed the listening experience was exceptional.

the bottom line…

Be prepared to go into this story needing to finish it in one sitting. The tension starts early and never, ever lets up. But the real heroes of the story are Lucy’s family and friends in law enforcement who went to extraordinary lengths to figure out what was going on and resolve everything while staying within the legal lines. Her sister-in-law Kate Donovan is an agent and tech genius was a standout who did what the Houston Police Department failed to do in properly investigating the murder that started it all. The stunning revelations near the end knocked me back but were perfect for this story. This was a gnarly, anxiety filled mystery that just might be the best in the series. Thanks to the narrator for making it an outstanding reading/listening experience despite my being wrecked through most of it.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 27, 2020
• Series: Lucy Kincaid #17
• Narrator: Ann Marie Lee
• Audio Length: 14 hours, 23 minutes
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

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