Cold Fire

Grey and Villere Suspense Thriller #10

by Matt Hilton

A mother and her children murdered.
A nanny on the run.
A killer in pursuit.

Hunted and reviled, ex-nanny Joanne Mason turns to her sister, Detective Karen Ratcliffe. Torn between duty and family, Ratcliffe asks Tess Grey and her partner Nicolas 'Po' Villere to bring Joanne in safely.

A winter cyclone forces Joanne into hiding on the Canadian border - but she can't stay put for long. In close pursuit, Tess and Po head north into the heart of a storm, but they're not the only the real murderer is also hot on Joanne's trail, trying to kill the only living witness to their crime.

As the chase progresses it grows apparent that Joanne couldn't have been responsible for the murders . . . but the heat isn't off her. Some people think she might be a co-conspirator, not the terrified witness she is . . . and when the shocking truth behind the gruesome murders comes to light, Tess and Po have their work cut out to keep Joanne - and themselves - alive!

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2023

About the author

Matt Hilton worked for twenty-two years in private security and the police force in Cumbria. He is a 4th Dan blackbelt and coach in Ju-Jitsu. He lives in Cumbria with his wife and son.

Matt is the author of the best-selling Joe Hunter thriller series, as well as standalone horror thrillers and short stories that have appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. Matt's first novel - Dead Men's Dust - was a Sunday Times best-seller and was shortlisted for the ITW New Novel Award 2009.

Reviews

[Rainelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book kind of lost me when the leading characters switched up from who would leading the murder case. After switching to Po and Tess the story went down the rabbit whole of Tess being involved with Po and another room mate while pregnant. I tried sticking it out. The parts with Joanna on the run was the saving grace. But then the story returns back to Po and his restaurant and Bars being attacked. The story should have stayed with Ratcliffe, her partner and the team that she works with. That works better for anxious, intense and thrilling scenes.

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Ex-nanny Joanne Mason asks her sister, Detective Karen Ratcliffe , for help. She's on the run, suspected of murdering a mother and her children. Karen approaches Tess Grey and her partner, hoping they can bring Joanne in safely. Joanne is hiding up north in a terrible storm, hoping to keep ahead of the real murderer.
Tess, her partner and Joanne are in severe danger and have a heck of a time trying to stay alive as the terrible truth of the murders is revealed.
A fast-paced mystery that held my attention throughout; it was a terrific read!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

An End, Once And For All? This is one hell of an action-packed thrill ride, with Tess, Po, and Pinky struggling as never before to figure out and then confront an enemy that may yet prove to be too powerful for even their considerable combined might. For the first time since I began reading this series (admittedly late in its run), Po and Pinky in particular have finally met an opponent who can best them - which produces even tighter and more visceral fighting sequences than the still-great "normal" for this series.

And then... that ending. Not a Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ending at all - more like a Fallout one or the one at the end of the Mass Effect Original Trilogy (whose soundtrack song over this sequence provides the title of this review). And unlike Mass Effect 3 in particular (and more similar to the widely-regarded-as-best-single-game-in-the-franchise Mass Effect 2), the overall action of the book goes pretty well right up to the moment the "After" is triggered.

If this is truly the end, what a way to go out. And if these characters ever do get a chance to come back... what a way to leave it until that time. Very much recommended.

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tess Grey & "Po" Vellere are now living together and soon to be parents. A Detective friend Karen calls Tess to help find her sister, a nanny accused of killing a mother and her children. Meanwhile someone is attacking Po by setting his businesses on fire.

We follow along on the "hunt" for Joanne and the killers who "framed" her through a wild blizzard. Tess & Po find & rescue her but must fight some extremely violent killers. Meanwhile at home, Pinky is charged with protecting their homes without much success.

Pinky still does the weird speaking thing (me at the end of a sentence) which is still annoying.

The story was interesting, extremely vioulent but I won't be reading another.

[Geoff Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tess Grey ex police is now a private investigator in the Maine district of USA. Together with her partner Nicolas Villere ( aka PO ) an ex con.
They are asked by the detective sister of a nanny called Joanne who is wanted for murdering the children in her care to try and locate her. They set out for the Canadian border but there is also a psycopath an indestructible man mountain on Joanne's trail.
Tess and Po also have problems at home with someone targetting their properties by setting them on fire.
I found this very violent, too much for me personally. Well written and keeps your interest. Recommended.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tess and Po once again find themselves in danger as they work a case. This time, they've been asked to find and bring in Joanne a nanny who has been accused of a horrible murder. Seems simple enough but it never is, is it? There's a blizzard and even worse, the real villain is hot on Joanne's heels and therefore on Tess and Po's as well. While this is the latest in a long running series it will be fine as a standalone. I'm a fan of Tess (and Po too) because she's smart and funny and doesn't let Po forget it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered into this one knowing that this is the last book in the series to date, not sure if there will be another. With that in mind, the danger that the main characters you have grown to enjoy reading about and appreciate feels imminent and real through most of the book. Countenanced with some of the hardest criminals that Tess and Po have encountered, I really enjoyed this one and felt that if there are no more books about Tess, Po or Pinky, this is a great signing off on what has been a fun series to read.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action packed book!
Indeed, the author Matt Hilton is a high ranking martial artist, fought in the fledgling MMA scene was Northern Ju-Jitsu Champion 2000. He has been a cop, a detective and a private security specialist!!! So as could be expected, the action scenes are expertly written and believable (no eye roll allowed whilst reading LOL).
I really enjoyed this wild ride of a book and would read more books from this author.

[Colin Kitchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cat and mouse gangster chase set somewhere in the Canadian border in snow. The journey is quite interesting but that’s all. Couldn’t get invested in the characters or the story. If you like your violence it’s well depicted. Unfortunately the last 40 pages was a chase too far for me.
The writing has too much telling and explanation as to how the characters are feeling and thinking. It got on my nerves to be honest and the plot became too repetitive and predictable.

[Chris-Cuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-stop action in this tenth and possibly concluding novel in the Tess Grey and Po Villere mystery series. During a snowstorm, the couple face the ultimate test when they hunt a fugitive nanny accused of infanticide. The suspense mounts to a fine crescendo.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Suspenseful Thriller, and this is the tenth book in A Grey and Villere Thriller series. I have not read any of the other books in this series, but I want to go back and read the other books in this series after reading this book. I think this book can be read as a stand alone if you do not want or care about the characters back stories. You get enough information in this book to put everything together without any problems. There were a ton of things going on, and I feel at times there was maybe too much going on. I wish the fire storyline was not in this book because I think it took away from the main storyline, and that one was the one I really love. I loved how this book revealed itself. This is a fast paced story with a ton of suspense and action to keep you pulled into the story. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wild ride so buckle up!! It’s part of a series but I jumped in with no issues. There are lots of perspectives and characters so it’s borderline chaotic but it made for a very entertaining read. There’s a lot of action, descriptions of altercations, lots of subplots. I especially enjoyed Tess and her intuition and investigative skills. The overall subject matter is very dark so read the synopsis as it outlines the potential trigger warnings. Overall I enjoyed this! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest review.