Cold Hands

by John Niven

Donald Miller führt ein Leben, von dem man nur träumen kann. Mit seiner wohlhabenden Frau Sammy und seinem kleinen Sohn Walt bewohnt er ein luxuriöses Anwesen in der kanadischen Provinz. Donald kennt keine Geldsorgen, er liebt seine Familie, er ist umgeben von netten Leuten. Doch mit einem Schlag zerbricht diese heile Welt ... Als er seinen abgeschlachteten Hund findet, ahnt Donald, dass etwas in sein Leben getreten ist, das ihn für immer zeichnen wird. Seine bösen Vorahnungen werden schnell zur bitteren Wahrheit. Während eines Schneesturms wird Sammy entführt. Kurz darauf findet man ihren brutal zugerichteten Leichnam. Mit der Präzision eines Uhrwerks zieht sich eine namenlose Bedrohung um Donald zusammen: Er gerät zusammen mit seinem Sohn in die Gewalt eines Feindes, der scheinbar jede Menschlichkeit hinter sich gelassen hat...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Roman, Horror, Mystery

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2012

About the author

Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Niven read English Literature at Glasgow University, graduating in 1991 with First Class honours. For the next ten years, he worked for a variety of record companies, including London Records and Independiente. He left the music industry to write full time in 2002 and published his debut novella Music from Big Pink in 2005 (Continuum Press). The novella was optioned for the screen by CC Films with a script has been written by English playwright Jez Butterworth. Niven's breakthrough novel Kill Your Friends is a satire of the music business, based on his brief career in A&R, during which he passed up the chance to sign Coldplay and Muse. The novel was published by William Heinemann in 2008 and achieved much acclaim, with Word magazine describing it as "possibly the best British Novel since Trainspotting". It has been translated into seven languages and was a bestseller in Britain and Germany. Niven has since published The Amateurs (2009), The Second Coming (2011), Cold Hands (2012) and Straight White Male (2013).

He also writes original screenplays with writing partner Nick Ball, the younger brother of British TV presenter Zoë Ball. His journalistic contributions to newspapers and magazines include a monthly column for Q magazine, entitled "London Kills Me". In 2009 Niven wrote a controversial article for The Independent newspaper where he attacked the media's largely complacent coverage of Michael Jackson's death.

Niven lives in Buckinghamshire with his fiancee and infant daughter. He has a teenage son from a previous marriage.

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bisher kannte ich den Autor nur von der Humorfront - einen bösen Thriller hatte ich ihm gar nicht zugetraut und war deshalb auch sehr gespannt auf diesen Wechsel in ein neues Genre.

Der Anfang beginnt auch wirklich gut: Kanada, unendliche Weiten, ein toter ausgeweideter Hund und der Hinweis auf eine vertuschte Vergangenheit inmitten der momentan noch nahezu unzerkratzen kitschigen Familienidylle. Doch sobald auf den ersten 100 Seiten die Vorgeschichten in den Plot eingeführt werden und die Figuren installiert sind, steuert der Thriller mit atemberaubender Fadesse auf eine durchgehend und komplett vorhersehbare Art dem Finale zu. Wirklich nichts ist irgendwie unerwartet, innovativ oder nur im entferntesten überraschend. Der Täter vor dem ersten Drittel klar, die Motive auch - so etwas hasse ich bei Thrillern da kann ich mir das Lesen ja gleich sparen und mir die Story selber erzählen GÄÄHNN!!

Die mangelnde Innovation in der Geschichte, Aufbau und Fiktion versucht der Autor mit Grausamkeit überzukompensieren. Versteht mich nicht falsch, ich habe überhaupt nix gegen Grausamkeit, neuartige spannende Spielarten, perfekt im Plot wohldosiert inszeniert finde ich großartig.
Aber das? Ein bisschen Foltern, weil man verrückt geworden ist, alle geliebten Menschen umbringen um den wahren Täter leiden zu lassen? Ehrlich da haben die Kleinmädchen-Gewaltfantasien der Frau Roche in Mädchen für alles , die ich normalerweise nicht unbedingt in den Himmel loben möchte, das 1000-fache Innovationspotenzial.

So bleibt ein nicht ganz übler aber extrem mittelmäßiger Thriller, der einem gelegentlich die Füße einschlafen läßt.

Fazit: In diesem Genre muss der Herr Niven meiner Meinung nach noch ganz schön üben - vielleicht macht er mal eine Schulung im Winter in Norwegen beim Herrn Nesbo ;-)

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a long journey so was able to read 3/4 of the book on the coach. Really gripping thriller I had to finish it as soon as I got home.

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Donnie Miller lives with his family outside Regina, in central Canada. After a troubled childhood in Scotland, Donnie now leads a charmed life as a writer, with a successful and wealthy wife, a much loved son and a beautiful house. Early in the book the family dog dies in mysterious circumstances. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Donnie's past hides a very nasty secret and that perhaps that past may be coming back to haunt him.

I didn't enjoy this book. It starts well, but then the pace slows and it seems to be going nowhere. At the halfway mark I was on the point of giving up on it when suddenly it sprung into action. However it very quickly turns into a totally improbable and very unpleasant bloodfest. There's only minimal tension throughout as it's pretty obvious who will be behind what's happening and we know from the prologue that Donnie will survive. In the place of tension we get very graphic violence instead. I also didn't think the shifts between the past and present - and later between alternative perspectives - really worked. There was the makings of a good thriller here, but unfortunately the author doesn't quite pull it off.

[Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This thriller starts out well enough, with Donnie recounting the horrible events that made him the wreck he is at the beginning of the book. Since this means he survived whatever happened, the only question is what happened and why. Scene: wintry Saskatchewan, a happy family of three living a life of leisure. Donnie the house-husband has a deep dark secret from his past in Scotland, which is revealed in flashbacks, though it's obvious what the secret is from the very first hints.

Now, I don't consider what I'm about to say a spoiler (I wish I had known this stuff before I started reading), but just in case, if you want to read the book with no preconception, maybe stop now.

There is lots of foreboding, so it comes as no surprise when the family dog is found eviscerated. So far so good, but then the bodies start piling up and all tension goes out the window. It's a very simple revenge story with a ludicrous horror movie villain. The last third of the book consists of elaborate torture scenes, and no, I am not bloody faint of heart, nor did I find it shocking. It was tedious and silly, and since the characters were so poorly drawn I didn't give a damn about them getting hacked up and shot.

I'm sure this book has an audience, and if you enjoy the whole superhuman-killer-flaying-innocents thing, this will be right up your alley. Me, I went in expecting something more interesting and less predictable and was thus disappointed.

[Craig Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cold Hands - John J Niven (11.7.2017). Fucking hell. This book was brutal. Gripping and thrilling and page-turny, but absolutely brutal. I enjoyed it and read it in an evening and an afternoon, but I feel like it damaged me psychologically.

The protagonist has a dark secret from his past and it catches up with him 30 years later. I won't give more away because of spoilers, but this was incredibly grim. I enjoyed it anyway, but fuck.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”

Donnie Miller leads an unassuming life in a remote area of Canada in an absolutely beautiful house, with his upwardly mobile and loaded wife, his young son and whiles away his time as a film reviewer for the local newspaper, fortuitously part of the empire of his father-in -law. The only signs of strain in Donnie’s life is fitting into the influential circles his wife moves in but this is a minor problem as Donnie’s past will come back to haunt him with devastating consequences for himself and his family. By carefully interweaving the events of Donnie’s youth growing up in the relative poverty and social deprivation of Scotland, the story is punctuated throughout by positively Irvine Welsh-esque interludes depicting his cruel actions as a member of a gang intent on bullying and victimising a boy who epitomises everything they are not. Written in vernacular and in a blunt, brutal but ultimately quite affecting style, these interludes put the character of Donnie at odds with his portrayal now as a family man and this, for me, works perfectly within the structure of the book. There is also a very poignant portrayal of his would-be attacker as their world has been shattered by the event s of this childhood and we bear witness to them rebuilding their life, plotting and scheming to avenge the crimes of the past. It becomes obvious to the reader that Donnie’s peace will be shattered and yes, you do have to suspend your disbelief somewhat at this point, as the past violently catches up with him in an explosion of revenge and hatred from a very unlikely aggressor and you find your whole perception of Donnie as a good guy challenged at every turn. I liked the way that by depicting Donnie as a film reviewer, Niven then sets out to make the denouement of the novel descend into the most brilliant and unbelievable violence mirroring the ‘schlock horror’ of some of the best straight to DVD films, so that as a reader you are metaphorically looking through your fingers as the violence is ramped up further but remains as compulsive as it is unbelievable.

Therein lies my warning to the more sensitive reader that this is not one for the faint-hearted and if Danny Boyle is looking for a new film project after his Olympic shennanigans I think that he and Niven could have a great collaborative effort bringing this to the big-screen. Despite its slight faults this was a totally enjoyable although blood-soaked read and with the promise of another thriller or two appearing in the next couple of years I can’t wait to see what Niven comes up with next...

[Leni Iversen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three stars is sort of a catch-all for me, and I often wish I could give 3.5 stars. But this book just scrapes in at 3 stars. In part, I'm sure, because thrillers are not really my preferred genre, but also because I couldn't work out if the book takes itself seriously or not. There are enough hints at the meta level to indicate that the author knows exactly what he is doing and is just having fun. But there's also a painful backstory that invokes similar cases in real life, and I wonder if the author couldn't quite execute his idea and said, "To hell with it, let's just go crazy."

The book started a bit slow, but with a lot of foreshadowing and hints that were at times too obvious. About a hundred pages in it suddenly went into high gear, and it was like it became a different genre. I expected the book to be scary or nerve wrecking, instead it made me at first uncomfortable and sad. And then it went wild with the B-movie style gore fest violence and the most unbelievable killer ever and a drawn out ending. Well composed but a bit obvious. I had a few moments of "I see what you did there", but mostly it was "I see where you are going here". Except where it left all realms of probability, and even that eventually became predictable. Ultimately not really my thing and I just wanted it to end. Fortunately it was under 300 pages, and I didn't feel like lingering on the gory details, so I got through the book quite quickly.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow at the beginning but toward the end there is nauseating torture and too much bloodshed. I mainly read crime fiction, mystery and all the sub-genres associated with it, but this book has an element of brutality that I have only seen in horror books. It is not a mystery or a thriller but there is some suspense toward the middle.

I read a very funny book by Niven last year “ The Sunshine Cruise Company” I ended loving all the characters that he wrote, in this book however there is not a single character that comes across as likable. The writing is superb and the description of even mundane things come across vividly. Niven is a gifted writer so I was expecting a more complex plot and more twists and turns in the storyline.

[Yvonne (go.for.a.walk.chuma) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schuld und Sühne

... sind das zentrale Thema dieses Romans aus der Feder des schottischen Kultautors John Niven. Vielen dürfte er wegen seiner bissigen, schwarzhumorigen Geschichten bekannt sein. "Kill your Friends", "Old School" oder "Straight White Male" sind dem ein oder anderen Leser sicher ein Begriff. Ein ganz anderes Genre bedient Niven mit "Das Gebot der Rache" (OT: Cold Hands). Dieser im Heyne Hardcore Verlag erschienene Thriller ist aber eben auch ein sehr gut erzählter Roman, der mit fein herausgearbeiteten Charakteren und einer hervorragend konstruierten Handlung punktet, dabei aber gerade im letzten Drittel die Gemüter von zartbesaiteten Lesern überstrapazieren könnte.

Eins vorweg: Bitte lesen Sie nicht den Klappentext, wenn Sie in den vollen Genuss der spoilerfreien Lektüre kommen und sich die zum Teil schockierenden Überraschungsmomente nicht nehmen lassen wollen. Es dürfte genügen, wenn man folgenden kurzen Abriss des Inhalts kennt.
Donald Miller lebt mit seiner aus reicher Familie stammenden, beruflich erfolgreichen Frau Sammy, ihrem gemeinsamen Sohn Walt sowie dem Familienhund Herby in einem hübschen Anwesen in der kanadischen Provinz. Doch die Familienidylle findet ein jähes Ende als Donnie den Hund grausam abgeschlachtet im Schnee findet. Die vage Vermutung, es könne sich um einen Angriff von Wölfen handeln, kann er nicht so recht glauben und als dann ein weiteres Unglück geschieht, weiß Donnie, dass ihn die Geister seiner Vergangenheit einzuholen drohen.

Niven macht schnell klar, dass hinter der eigentlichen Geschichte noch eine weitere erzählt werden muss. Immer wieder gewährt er dem Leser in Form von Rückblenden und Erinnerungsfetzen Einblick in Donnies schwierige Kindheit und Jugend in Schottland. Gleich einer Zwiebel schält er Schicht um Schicht ab und legt Donnies Persönlichkeit letztlich ganz offen. Wer ist dieser Mann, der seine eigene Geschichte hier erzählt? Welche Spuren hat er im Schnee hinterlassen? Stück für Stück setzt sich dieses Puzzle zusammen und der Weg dahin ist äußerst spannend. Obwohl der Roman, abgesehen von dem Fund der Hundeleiche, zunächst recht ruhig beginnt, kommt zu keiner Zeit Langeweile auf. Das gemäßigte Eingangstempo erfüllt seinen Zweck, Niven gibt seinen Figuren und auch dem Leser Zeit, sich aufzustellen, ein Gefühl für Land und Leute zu entwickeln. Unterschwellig ist das bevorstehende, drohende Unheil stets spürbar und das nicht nur, weil es ab und an auch angekündigt wird (der Erzähler ist wie schon erwähnt Donald selbst und bereits im Prolog wird klar, dass Entsetzliches geschehen sein muss). Ab der Hälfte des Romans nimmt die Story deutlich an Fahrt auf. Hier gibt es keine Verschnaufpausen mehr und man kann das Buch einfach nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Zugegeben, der Autor überspannt den Bogen hier vielleicht ein wenig (ich kann das nicht näher erläutern, weil ich Nichts von der Handlung verraten möchte) und vielleicht hatte er hier auch eine Verfilmung vor Augen aber unumstritten läuft hier vor dem geistigen Auge ein waschechter Actionthriller ab.

Insgesamt konnte mich Niven einmal mehr überzeugen. Sein Schreibstil, die Art des Erzählens, seine scharfe Beobachtungsgabe, die geschaffene Atmosphäre sowie seine fein gezeichneten Charaktere machten diesen Thriller für mich zu einem atemlosen Leseerlebnis.

Fazit: Statt nullachtfünfzehn Thriller gibt es hier ein ernstes Grundthema mit einigen Denkanstößen, bei dem die Spannung durchweg hoch ist und auch mit Brutalität nicht gegeizt wird. Plotwists, eine düstere Atmosphäre und ein beklemmendes Gefühl nachdem man das Buch zugeschlagen hat, gibt es außerdem. Lesenswert.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of Niven's previous books I was very interested in reading his first thriller and to see how he's changed since adding the J to his moniker.
One thing is for sure, Niven knows how to tell a story. The pace of Cold Hands builds superbly as we discover the life of main man Donnie, his wife and son and the serenity of their snowy Canadian home, while drifting back in time to Donnie's youth a world away in Scotland - a subject Niven knows and uses well in his books.
We quickly discover Donnie is not quite what he seems and - as the book's blurb suggests - his past will catch up with him.
I'll try to avoid spoilers, but I was thrown by the way in which this happened. The individual and their actions/abilities were not convincing for me and spoilt the tale a little.
But up to that point the book had been so gripping more than half the pages were turned in an afternoon. And so I went with it and the twists and turns that Niven takes us on are still gripping, even if there are a few 'obvious' and 'headslap' moments over our hero's actions.
Overall, Niven's departure to thrillers sees him deliver work similar to the likes of Dean Koontz's The Husband or The Good Guy.
It's a very good read, but I much prefer Niven in dark, crude humour mode. Hopefully he'll switch his time between the two genres.

[Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all but one of John Niven's novels, which are pretty diverse in subject and sometimes hard hitting, but until now I'd avoided this, his first foray into crime / thriller writing under the moniker John J Niven. The blurb sold the book as a page turner, and in general this is what I found.

Told from the point of view of Donald Miller, a Scottish journalist working for a Canadian provincial newspaper, of which his wife is the editor, we are introduced to a character who seemingly has it all in life. Interspersed with the now, we find out pretty early on that things back home in Scotland weren't so straightforward for him, life changing events during his early teenage years eventually becoming apparent. And now his past is about to catch up with him...

As mentioned, this was a perfectly enjoyable page turner that I finished in no time, whose story didn't have me shaking my head in disbelief too many times, but was still a little far fetched in places. It played out more or less how I expected it to, and while I'll not necessarily be rushing out to buy any further crime novels from the author on release in future, I'll certainly give them a rattle when they come out in paperback.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed John Niven's other novels, and thrillers are a dirty little joy of mine. How would someone who basks in dark humor and vulgarity handle this genre? The answer: surprisingly well. The narrator sets about retelling his grisly past via frame story, with occasional flashbacks to his childhood explaining his dark past. You don't spend the entire book wondering who the killer is, but that's not what this is about anyway. This is a tale of survival, endurance, and what it means to live through the unspeakable. Niven is a visceral, haunting writer, and I hope to read more from him soon.

[Antonia Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this book a 4star as I 'enjoyed' the read as I couldn't put it down. The style of writing does just make you want to keep going which i love in a book. That said I felt that the gruesome details were somewhat unnecessary in order to create the tension and that this was the authors way of horrifying the reader. It becomes apparent about half way through how the past has indeed caught up with him, however the culmination of events does become rather unbelievable. If you are not too faint hearted then it is a good read.

[Luke Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange one. Not very thrilling for a thriller and there are far too many coincidences in the plot, but it's still oddly readable with an interesting narrator. Worth a read but probably not a re-read.

[Kerry Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent gripping read I love they way John Niven writes.

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leider handelt es sich bei diesem Tiel um einen 0815 Thriller mit wenig Überraschungen. Da ich bei meiner Recherche nach außergewöhnlichen Geschichten auf diesen Autor gestoßen bin war ich umso enttäuschter, als ich fertig war. Motive, Handlungen und Charaktere triefen nur vor Klischees. Der Whisky trinkende Schotte aus dem Glasgower Ghetto, der Zigarre rauchende einschüchternde Schwiegervater als Medienmogul, die taffe Geschäftsfrau als einzige Tochter..

Insgesamt konnte leider wenig Spannung aufgebaut werden. Durch die fehlende emotionale Bindung an die Charaktere kam wenig Mitgefühl auf.

Der Klappentext hat eigentlich auch schon die ganze Story erzählt...

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down.....

[Sanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

i should have known not to keep reading once the murderer killed the dog within the first pages of the book

not gonna lie, i wasn’t really feeling this book at all so i basically skimmed through it

it seemed quite gory from parts i read to understand what was going on and tbh, i’m glad i didn’t read it all

i guess this counts as did not finish but i know what happened? idk overall not great

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das ursprüngliche Zuhause dieser Rezension ist der WortWelten-Blog:
http://wort-welten.blogspot.de/


Zusammenfassung:

Zwei Jahre zuvor war Donalds Leben perfekt - das gesteht er im Hinblick auf das Leben, das er inzwischen in Florida führt. Glücklich verheiratet mit seiner Frau Sammy und Vater eines neunjährigen Sohnes zu sein, war alles für ihn. Und durch seine gelegentliche Arbeit als Filmkritiker für die Zeitung von Sammy hatte er auch jede Menge Zeit für seine Familie. Ein fantastisches Haus in der Weite Kanadas war da nur das Tüpfelchen auf dem i. Aber als Donnie von seiner Vergangenheit eingeholt wird, tut sie dies mit einer Gewalt, wie er sie nie für möglich gehalten hätte. Und es ist diese Gewalt, die Donnie zwei Jahre später dazu treibt, seine Geschichte aufzuschreiben - seine Geschichte über das Gebot der Rache ...


Fazit:

Nachdem mich "Kill Your Friends" fasziniert, "Coma" gefesselt und "Gott bewahre" einfach nur vor Begeisterung aus den Schuhen gehauen hat, hatte ich schon so eine Ahnung, dass auch dieses Buch wieder genau einen Nerv bei mir treffen würde. Zwar tat ich mir mit dem Lesen zu Beginn ein wenig schwer, da es schon ein wenig dauert, bis man allmählich die Zusammenhänge ganz erfasst hat. Aber dennoch konnte ich das Buch nach dieser kleinen Schwierigkeit kaum noch aus der Hand legen. Und ich muss sagen, dass mich keines von Nivens Büchern bisher so nachdenklich gemacht hat wie dieses hier. Wofür wohl auch hauptsächlich Nivens einzigartiges Talent verantwortlich ist, seinen Protagonisten und somit wohl auch ein wenig dem Leser einen Spiegel vorzuhalten und somit ganz ohne viel Firlefanz klarzustellen, dass - wie hier am Beispiel von Donnie - nie etwas je so ist, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Entsprechend meiner Begeisterung für dieses Buch ziehe ich nur eine Welt für den etwas schwierigen Einstieg in die Geschichte ab und vergebe wohl verdiente ...

[Janette Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donnie Miller counts himself lucky. Living in a beautiful, spacious house in the wild and remote landscape of central Canada, he spends his days writing for the local newspaper, working on a film script, and acting as house-husband. After a troubled and impoverished upbringing in Scotland, he now has all he wants: a caring wife, a bright and happy son, a generous father-in-law. As the brutal northern winter begins to bite, he can sit back and enjoy life.

But his peace is soon to be broken. There are noises in the nearby woods, signs of some mysterious watcher. When the family dog disappears, Donnie makes a horrifying discovery. Is it wolves, as the police suspect, or something far more dangerous, far darker? What secrets has Donnie been keeping? And why does he have the terrible sense that his dream was never going to last?

Ridiculously compelling tale of revenge set in snowbound Saskatchewan but its origins are on a deprived estate in Glasgow.

The Scottish flashbacks are well done but the crime bears an uncomfortable resemblance to a notorious real-life crime.
Star off for the dog (cannot abide violence against animals – people are fine) and another off for the lunatic killer who won’t stay dead in the conclusion.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth John Niven book I read. When I bought it I didn't even check what it is about. To be honest, I was expecting something like "Kill Your Friends". I was quite surprised to find out that the book is actually a thriller.
However, John Niven did solid work on this one. Although I consider his other works as better, his first attempt on this genre is pretty good. Niven has a talent for describing the scenery. While reading the book I felt like I really am in Canada.
The story itself also seems well thought out. It does show a little bit that crime is not Niven's usual genre but there are definitely far worse crime books out there.

Although I missed Niven's black humor in this one, it's still a very good book. It very interesting how there are almost two separate stories. One taking place here and now and the second one informing the reader about the main character's past.

It's easy to see that John Niven put a lot of effort and thought into this book and it really paid off!

[Annabel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not open this book, I repeat, do not open this book! Because once you start reading it, you can't stop and you might just wish (like me) that you never started it in the first place.
I have just finished reading it and only just stopped shaking. John Niven's thriller is gripping to the finish, but too graphic and disturbing for my taste. Whilst I could not put it down, I wish I could erase most of it from my mind. Even the huge great 'turn around now' signpost of the dog incident was not enough for me to close the book and step away. So if you are a sensitive soul, do not be tempted to open the book for once you do, Niven snatches you up in his clutches and does not release you until the nerve jangling, sickening and bloody conclusion.

[Nick Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book review so I will keep it very short and sweet.
Being a huge Niven fan and reading all his other dark humoured books, I thought I should give this a go.
Not knowing what to expect with this one as it is a contrast to his usual 'satire' writing style and is actually a crime/thriller book I began jubilantly. However within a few chapters I was hooked and couldn't put it down. For me personally I thought it was a cracking story, well written and it gripped me till the last page.

Top work Mr John Niven. Usually I don't go for crime books, but because of you I have been completely converted.

Much love and peace

PS
Enjoy this read

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Donnie Miller thought he could leave his past buried behind him & he has started a new life ... a beautiful house, wife & son; a career and a bright future ahead of him, if only the past didn't catch up with him.

First, the family dog goes missing then as a massive blizzard hits, news reaches him of his wifes' murder and he discovers that he is trapped with his son and his past descending on him.

The tension builds well in this thriller and the back story creeps in slowly and believably but then, the ending gets a little over the top and gruesome for my liking ... starts strong but doesn't end where I'd hoped it would.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted so much to give this a higher rating because it started out absolutely gripping me. Like one of TC Boyle’s thrillers. I sat and read 150 pages at one sitting and only put it down to go to bed. Really good layered thriller, building slowly... Then it kind of switched gear abruptly and turned into a written version of a rather silly horror exploitation film, emphasis on violence and gore with the psychological elements abandoned. It honestly felt as though a switch had been flipped. Really disappointed with the rather amateur, melodramatic way it panned out after such a tense and promising first half.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve recently read. The beginning was a bit slow but it was worth it. I’ve rated it 4.5 stars only because of the starting pace. There are so many quotable parts in this book that really make you think, and perspectives and internal dialogue that are very revealing. I particularly like the pages where Gill is realizing she’s going insane, and that she actually recovers from it. I think she wasn’t completely sane. .

I’m also surprised how I had absolutely no idea about the plot twist that the lady who genuinely seemed so sweet was actually biding her time.

[Jim Pownall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love John Niven's books, and I'll read anything he puts out.

This one was tense and, for the most part, kept me highly entertained (I finished it at 5 am today when I couldn't get back to sleep). However, the second half (as a few readers have pointed out) is very different from the first. I won't give away spoilers, but I couldn't decide whether it'd gone too far or not. Either way, Niven has since released some excellent books (Straight White Male... that one is just genius).

Go and read Cold Hands; if it isn't for you, don't panic. Purchase one of his other books, and you'll understand the hype.

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Terrifying. This book scared me more than anything that I have read in a long time. It is the type of book that sticks with you, especially if you are a man with young children. The writing is excellent and the story was terrific. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you want to have the shit scared out of you.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite thing about this was the setting: both the snowy wilderness of Canada and the grimness of 1980s Scotland were vividly evoked. Halfway through the plot takes a twist into the predictable, which is a shame, but it's still a hugely enjoyable novel.