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Cold Winter Rain
Slate, a recovering lawyer who lost his family to an accident, lives on a sailboat, owns a beach bar, and occasionally helps clients recover things they have lost. Children, for example. Kris Kramer, the nineteen-year-old daughter of a Birmingham lawyer, Don Kramer, has been missing for two days when her father visits Slate in his beach bar, which isn’t very busy on a raw day in January. Kramer engages Slate to try to find Kris. But two days after Slate arrives in Birmingham, Leon Grubbs, captain of the Homicide Division of the Birmingham Police Department, calls Slate just after midnight. A murder victim lies across the railroad tracks in the no-man’s-land between North and South Birmingham, Slate’s business card in the pocket of his business suit.
Fans of John D. MacDonald and Robert Parker will find themselves on familiar ground in this first novel of a series.
Fans of John D. MacDonald and Robert Parker will find themselves on familiar ground in this first novel of a series.
- GenresMystery
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2013
About the author
Steven P. Gregory
2 books5 followersSteve Gregory was born in a cotton-mill town in north Georgia. His parents moved to the family farm when he was nine. Steve earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Alabama in the early 1980s. He worked as a stockbroker for a few years, then earned a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and practiced law for more than twenty years. As a lawyer, Steve defended a couple of gentlemen facing capital murder charges. He finds writing about murder much less stressful. Cold Winter Rain is Steve's first novel and the first of a series featuring the man called Slate.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 5, 2014
Self-published books are a bit of a crapshoot; some are worth reading and a lot aren't. This one wound up on my to-read pile unsolicited; in an idle moment I picked it up intending to give it a quick once-over before tossing it. Somewhat to my surprise, I sat down and kept reading.
Slate (just Slate) is a jaded former attorney turned P.I. who lives on a boat near Mobile, Alabama. He has a Meyer-like sidekick who lives on a neighboring boat. Going Travis McGee one better, Slate also flies a surplus Czech fighter jet, useful for quick hops to Birmingham or New Orleans. A wealthy Birmingham lawyer hires Slate to find his missing daughter; the lawyer has been embroiled in a murky scandal involving oil companies and the New Orleans mob. Murders begin to happen. The plot proceeds with all the P.I. trappings: gruff cops, threats, an unlikely romantic interest, mysterious informants. Booze and guns. The tone is appropriately world-weary.
I was entertained; I've read worse from legitimate publishers. The writing is decent; the author, himself a former attorney, brings a good dose of real-world lawyer lore to the game. There are a few annoying quirks, like Slate's peculiar insistence on being called "just Slate" (never "Mister"), and the book would be improved by stripping out some of the minutiae of Slate's progress through life. We really don't care what Slate has for breakfast or how he doctors his coffee, and most of us aren't as interested in airplanes as the author assumes.
The resolution could have been stronger: there are two mysteries at the heart of the story, and while one solution is a genuine surprise, the other is a bit underwhelming. But the bottom line is that I read this book through to the end, which is enough of an endorsement when reading time is scarce.
Slate (just Slate) is a jaded former attorney turned P.I. who lives on a boat near Mobile, Alabama. He has a Meyer-like sidekick who lives on a neighboring boat. Going Travis McGee one better, Slate also flies a surplus Czech fighter jet, useful for quick hops to Birmingham or New Orleans. A wealthy Birmingham lawyer hires Slate to find his missing daughter; the lawyer has been embroiled in a murky scandal involving oil companies and the New Orleans mob. Murders begin to happen. The plot proceeds with all the P.I. trappings: gruff cops, threats, an unlikely romantic interest, mysterious informants. Booze and guns. The tone is appropriately world-weary.
I was entertained; I've read worse from legitimate publishers. The writing is decent; the author, himself a former attorney, brings a good dose of real-world lawyer lore to the game. There are a few annoying quirks, like Slate's peculiar insistence on being called "just Slate" (never "Mister"), and the book would be improved by stripping out some of the minutiae of Slate's progress through life. We really don't care what Slate has for breakfast or how he doctors his coffee, and most of us aren't as interested in airplanes as the author assumes.
The resolution could have been stronger: there are two mysteries at the heart of the story, and while one solution is a genuine surprise, the other is a bit underwhelming. But the bottom line is that I read this book through to the end, which is enough of an endorsement when reading time is scarce.
June 12, 2023
A lot of todo about nothing
Author spends most of the book telling us how to fly a plane and sail a boat. What strange foods he likes and And what.legal knowledge he has. Oh by the way he throws in a weird mystery just for fun. Sorry, but this is not my cup of tea (peppermint or green)
Author spends most of the book telling us how to fly a plane and sail a boat. What strange foods he likes and And what.legal knowledge he has. Oh by the way he throws in a weird mystery just for fun. Sorry, but this is not my cup of tea (peppermint or green)
August 28, 2023
Cold Winter Rain ((Slate Book 1)
This book starts off slow but quickly poses a why when there is a murder. A young girl is already missing and the plot thickens!
This book starts off slow but quickly poses a why when there is a murder. A young girl is already missing and the plot thickens!
September 24, 2013
Slate is a man trying to recover from the loss of his family in an accident. He accomplishes this partly by changing many aspects of his life, which leads to selling the family home, buying a beach bar, and also a sailboat. His new residence.
A lawyer by profession, Slate now likes to take on missing persons cases. He likes finding lost things.
His newest one involves a missing teenaged girl, Kris Kramer. Her father Don has hired Slate, but Slate has barely started his investigation when Don Kramer is found murdered.
Now Slate's job has gotten a whole lot harder, and as he discovers more and more about some of Kramer's business dealings, he realizes the complexity of the task he has taken on. Plus, there are those who are desperately trying to warn him off the case.
How will Slate find what he needs to solve the case? Who will he connect with along the way, and what individuals/agencies will turn out to be helpful? What does the gas and oil industry have to do with the case, if anything?
"Cold Winter Rain (Slate)" is set in several Southern cities, including Birmingham and New Orleans. The author has shown us just what those places look like, including some of the fine dining experiences the characters enjoy. The story takes place in January, during the rainy season. I always like feeling as though I'm walking alongside the characters in the books I read, and that mission was definitely accomplished in this one. Slate's foray into a romance with Kris Kramer's soccer coach is his first attempt at a relationship since his wife's death. I enjoyed the moments between them.
The story moved along quickly, with short, suspenseful chapters. From the beginning, I quickly engaged with the characters and the plot. When Slate begins examining Kramer's "oil and gas" files, I had a hard time staying interested, but that feeling soon passed. Afterwards, the characters and the story reeled me in. Finding Kris and learning who murdered Kramer came out of left field, but it also made total sense in the end. 4.5 stars.
A lawyer by profession, Slate now likes to take on missing persons cases. He likes finding lost things.
His newest one involves a missing teenaged girl, Kris Kramer. Her father Don has hired Slate, but Slate has barely started his investigation when Don Kramer is found murdered.
Now Slate's job has gotten a whole lot harder, and as he discovers more and more about some of Kramer's business dealings, he realizes the complexity of the task he has taken on. Plus, there are those who are desperately trying to warn him off the case.
How will Slate find what he needs to solve the case? Who will he connect with along the way, and what individuals/agencies will turn out to be helpful? What does the gas and oil industry have to do with the case, if anything?
"Cold Winter Rain (Slate)" is set in several Southern cities, including Birmingham and New Orleans. The author has shown us just what those places look like, including some of the fine dining experiences the characters enjoy. The story takes place in January, during the rainy season. I always like feeling as though I'm walking alongside the characters in the books I read, and that mission was definitely accomplished in this one. Slate's foray into a romance with Kris Kramer's soccer coach is his first attempt at a relationship since his wife's death. I enjoyed the moments between them.
The story moved along quickly, with short, suspenseful chapters. From the beginning, I quickly engaged with the characters and the plot. When Slate begins examining Kramer's "oil and gas" files, I had a hard time staying interested, but that feeling soon passed. Afterwards, the characters and the story reeled me in. Finding Kris and learning who murdered Kramer came out of left field, but it also made total sense in the end. 4.5 stars.
December 21, 2013
Slate gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to take on a missing persons case for a fellow lawyer in Birmingham. While recovering from the loss of his family due to an accident, he becomes involved with a new love interest. His client ends up dead and then things really get kind of crazy.
While Steven Gregory has an interesting storyline and a variety of unexpected twists in his plot, his writing was not able to keep my attention I found it difficult to keep reading at times. The portions of the story that were interesting, were quite engaging and that is what kept me reading to the end of the novel.
I did like the character Slate. I thought he was an interesting character and I empathized with him about the loss of his family. The author had me invested in him and I truly felt good that he was able to reach out to Kris’ soccer coach in a new relationship and hurting for him again when things didn’t turn out.
I found the ending quite weak. While there was a happy ending to Kris’ kidnapping, I thought it was a weak way for the it to have been resolved. As well, I thought the individual that perpetrated the kidnapping and the reason for it (I won’t say here what it was, so as not to spoil things for those who have not yet read the book) was not realistic. After I read the book, I researched the condition on the internet and the way that the condition was used in the book was not the way the condition usually presents itself in real situations.
For these reasons, I can only give this book 2 stars.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not required to provide a positive opinion. All thoughts are my own.
While Steven Gregory has an interesting storyline and a variety of unexpected twists in his plot, his writing was not able to keep my attention I found it difficult to keep reading at times. The portions of the story that were interesting, were quite engaging and that is what kept me reading to the end of the novel.
I did like the character Slate. I thought he was an interesting character and I empathized with him about the loss of his family. The author had me invested in him and I truly felt good that he was able to reach out to Kris’ soccer coach in a new relationship and hurting for him again when things didn’t turn out.
I found the ending quite weak. While there was a happy ending to Kris’ kidnapping, I thought it was a weak way for the it to have been resolved. As well, I thought the individual that perpetrated the kidnapping and the reason for it (I won’t say here what it was, so as not to spoil things for those who have not yet read the book) was not realistic. After I read the book, I researched the condition on the internet and the way that the condition was used in the book was not the way the condition usually presents itself in real situations.
For these reasons, I can only give this book 2 stars.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not required to provide a positive opinion. All thoughts are my own.
April 16, 2014
The main character Slate (goes by just Slate) is unusual as he runs his private investigators office from a bar lives on a boat and flies his own plane. He has a sad past that is revealed as the story unfolds. He is a lawyer by profession and enjoys trying to locate things.
Kramer approaches him to find his missing daughter –he has called the FBI but has reservations as to whether they will find her and thinks Slate will be the one to find her.
Two days into the investigation and Slate is called by a detective as Kramer has been found dead. He was found with Slate’s card.
Now there appears to be a link between the missing girl and dead father.
Slate realises the extent to what he has got into when he delves into Kramer’s business relations and those out to put a stop to him getting to the truth
The character of slate is real Gregory has taken time to create this interesting private investigator, the book is well written and I found I read this at an easy pace.
Not giving the whole story away -there is a good ending to the story.
I can see a series emerging as I would like to read more books with this interesting character Slate.
Kramer approaches him to find his missing daughter –he has called the FBI but has reservations as to whether they will find her and thinks Slate will be the one to find her.
Two days into the investigation and Slate is called by a detective as Kramer has been found dead. He was found with Slate’s card.
Now there appears to be a link between the missing girl and dead father.
Slate realises the extent to what he has got into when he delves into Kramer’s business relations and those out to put a stop to him getting to the truth
The character of slate is real Gregory has taken time to create this interesting private investigator, the book is well written and I found I read this at an easy pace.
Not giving the whole story away -there is a good ending to the story.
I can see a series emerging as I would like to read more books with this interesting character Slate.
August 14, 2016
I only made it 19% in and packed this up. It seemed to me it had the touch of a smartarse about it. Too many legal details used which weren't needed..."I was evaluating my investment strategy for the transition to the renminbi as the world's reserve currency"...huh ??? Might as well be written in Persian !! Plus I never read books about the "mob" as I find they don't interest me at all. As soon as I see Mafia/mob in a synopsis I choose to not download. However, this one didn't mention it.
I also have no truck with Buddhism or anything like that which our story hero is into and that put me off him and then I happened across a murder scene in the story where Slate lied........for no reason at all. It was silly. I then read this which meant nothing to me-"...outpaced the TSA at LaGuardia". I know the latter is an airport but I've no idea what the TSA is and I wasn't interested enough to look it up. I gave in when he went down to the cloverleaf onto Highway 280 East. Means nothing whatsoever to me. Maybe the author didn't consider foreign readers.
It did redeem itself in that I got this far and hadn't found any mistakes. That always merits an extra star for me these days.
I also have no truck with Buddhism or anything like that which our story hero is into and that put me off him and then I happened across a murder scene in the story where Slate lied........for no reason at all. It was silly. I then read this which meant nothing to me-"...outpaced the TSA at LaGuardia". I know the latter is an airport but I've no idea what the TSA is and I wasn't interested enough to look it up. I gave in when he went down to the cloverleaf onto Highway 280 East. Means nothing whatsoever to me. Maybe the author didn't consider foreign readers.
It did redeem itself in that I got this far and hadn't found any mistakes. That always merits an extra star for me these days.
October 12, 2013
Slate, (the name he likes to go by) is a lawyer dealing with psychological problems after the death of his family in an accident. He takes to living on a boat and runs a bar on the beach. In his spare time he finds missing people for clients. A man called Kramer approaches him to find his missing daughter. He doesn't think the police are doing enough to find her. Slate arrives in the city, but is only there two days when a captain from the Homicide Division gets in touch. Kramer's body has been found on the railtrack, with Slate's business card in his pocket. Is there a link between the missing girl and the death of her father? What part do Kramer's wife and son play? Sally, the missing girl's sports coach becomes involved. It is a good story, well written and I look forward to reading more Slate stories in the future.
April 14, 2016
A girl goes missing and her husband hires Slate to find her. This is quickly followed by the murder of the father. Slate becomes embroiled in the affairs of the father rather than the whereabouts of the garland ends up by being less than influential in the solving of either case. Tame and unremarkable but not a difficult read
March 31, 2014
I won this book on goodreads giveaways. I really liked this book, loved the story and didn't guess the ending. I loved the main character Slate and hope that the author will continue to use this character in the future and so I am looking forward to reading more books by Steven P Gregory
February 23, 2014
The story was a good one but the author went into a little too much detail in some areas (ex. preflight checks and some of the legal descriptions). There were more than a few paragraphs that I skipped completely.
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads
March 22, 2014
Mr Gregorys first novel was quite good. His protagonist, Slate, is a remarkable fellow. A lawyer, accomplished sailor and a Pilot of Jets!! Slate is called in to look for a missing girl and he gets involved with the local police as well as the FBI. Surprising ending. Enjoy
February 18, 2015
I won this book on good reads giveaways. The book was interesting, even that author went into too many details at same point. I really enjoy reading this book, great story and I really liked main character. I will recommend this book to everyone.
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May 27, 2014Read 5/14
June 1, 2019
Set in b'ham, a good fast read that told an interesting tale.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews