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Cold Cold Heart
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag delivers a shocking new thriller
Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. Nearly a year has passed since surviving her ordeal, but the physical, emotional, and psychological scars run deep. Struggling with the torment of post-traumatic stress syndrome, plagued by flashbacks and nightmares as dark as the heart of a killer, Dana returns to her hometown in an attempt to begin to put her life back together. But home doesn’t provide the comfort she expects.
Dana’s harrowing story and her return to small town life have rekindled police and media interest in the unsolved case of her childhood best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared without a trace the summer after their graduation from high school. Terrified of truths long-buried, Dana reluctantly begins to look back at her past. Viewed through the dark filter of PTSD, old friends and loved ones become suspects and enemies. Questioning everything she knows, refusing to be defined by the traumas of her past and struggling against excruciating odds, Dana seeks out a truth that may prove too terrible to be believed…
Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. Nearly a year has passed since surviving her ordeal, but the physical, emotional, and psychological scars run deep. Struggling with the torment of post-traumatic stress syndrome, plagued by flashbacks and nightmares as dark as the heart of a killer, Dana returns to her hometown in an attempt to begin to put her life back together. But home doesn’t provide the comfort she expects.
Dana’s harrowing story and her return to small town life have rekindled police and media interest in the unsolved case of her childhood best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared without a trace the summer after their graduation from high school. Terrified of truths long-buried, Dana reluctantly begins to look back at her past. Viewed through the dark filter of PTSD, old friends and loved ones become suspects and enemies. Questioning everything she knows, refusing to be defined by the traumas of her past and struggling against excruciating odds, Dana seeks out a truth that may prove too terrible to be believed…
389 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
2321 people are currently reading
10860 people want to read
About the author
Tami Hoag
101 books6,152 followersTami Hoag is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers—BITTER SEASON, COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with NIGHT SINS, and each of her books since has been a bestseller.
She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,633 reviews
December 4, 2016
Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag had a great start. Then after the prologue, it was downhill all the way......right until the last page.
The story opens with Dana Nolan, the protagonist killing the serial killer than had kidnapped and tortured her. Enter detectives Liska and Kovac, who are trying to close the investigation of the serial killer known as Doc Holliday. Now, before you think that this is another book in the author's Kovac & LIska Series...it isn't. They only make a quick appearance in the beginning and that's it. The plot in this book revolves around Dana's rehabilitation from her torture and her going back to her hometown, where she begins looking into the disappearance seven years ago, of her best friend Casey.
And that's when it starts becoming a rather "painful" read............
We now get all this overload of information....repeat and repeat....of Dana before and after her terrible ordeal........and not forgetting all the PTSD that the one character suffers after being injured in Afghanistan. He's also the local bad boy and suspected of doing something to Casey. And then there's the local sheriff...geez, think I forgot his name..........another uninspiring character.
I couldn't find or feel any suspense.....any tension.....romance...nah, there's none of that here.
I could not engage with any of the characters.....even Dana.
But what I found even more irritating............there were all these little subplots that just never went anywhere.....so why they were included in the story I have no idea...but then I am not the writer here.....so maybe she had a reason for it. I would have like to have seen some closure on some of those..
I found that I skimmed a lot of the pages that were repeated again and again.
Not the best by this author....I did like the book title though!!!
The story opens with Dana Nolan, the protagonist killing the serial killer than had kidnapped and tortured her. Enter detectives Liska and Kovac, who are trying to close the investigation of the serial killer known as Doc Holliday. Now, before you think that this is another book in the author's Kovac & LIska Series...it isn't. They only make a quick appearance in the beginning and that's it. The plot in this book revolves around Dana's rehabilitation from her torture and her going back to her hometown, where she begins looking into the disappearance seven years ago, of her best friend Casey.
And that's when it starts becoming a rather "painful" read............
We now get all this overload of information....repeat and repeat....of Dana before and after her terrible ordeal........and not forgetting all the PTSD that the one character suffers after being injured in Afghanistan. He's also the local bad boy and suspected of doing something to Casey. And then there's the local sheriff...geez, think I forgot his name..........another uninspiring character.
I couldn't find or feel any suspense.....any tension.....romance...nah, there's none of that here.
I could not engage with any of the characters.....even Dana.
But what I found even more irritating............there were all these little subplots that just never went anywhere.....so why they were included in the story I have no idea...but then I am not the writer here.....so maybe she had a reason for it. I would have like to have seen some closure on some of those..
I found that I skimmed a lot of the pages that were repeated again and again.
Not the best by this author....I did like the book title though!!!
“From the dawn of time to the end of time, the world would never run short of cold, cold hearts.”
November 6, 2021
Cold, Cold Heart by Tami Hoag is a 2021 Dutton publication.
Dana Nolan is a ‘Final Girl’- the only survivor of serial killer ‘Doc Holliday’. Dana was once a popular news anchor, but is now disfigured and suffering from memory loss due to a brain injury. Her memory is triggered when she’s asked about a high school friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared, leading Dana to a near obsession about the old case. Was Casey a victim of the same serial killer Dana tangled with or is the killer closer to home?
Oh man, I miss Tami Hoag. At one point she was an absolute ‘go to’ author for me. For some reason, she goes off grid on occasion, and I’ve not heard anything from her since 2019. This stand-alone thriller is a reissue- originally published in 2015- I think.
It is hard to create originality in serial killer tropes- but his one was high-octane suspense right from the start. There is a poignancy to the story, too, in some ways, as Hoag highlights the struggles of living with a traumatic brain injury, which Dana portrays in a realistic fashion.
Unfortunately, the pacing was slightly wonky – there is a very suspenseful build-up- and an unexpected twist, but the conclusion felt abrupt and left me feeling a little disoriented.
All the same, this was a deeply engrossing, suspenseful, and overall, superb thriller!
4 stars
Dana Nolan is a ‘Final Girl’- the only survivor of serial killer ‘Doc Holliday’. Dana was once a popular news anchor, but is now disfigured and suffering from memory loss due to a brain injury. Her memory is triggered when she’s asked about a high school friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared, leading Dana to a near obsession about the old case. Was Casey a victim of the same serial killer Dana tangled with or is the killer closer to home?
Oh man, I miss Tami Hoag. At one point she was an absolute ‘go to’ author for me. For some reason, she goes off grid on occasion, and I’ve not heard anything from her since 2019. This stand-alone thriller is a reissue- originally published in 2015- I think.
It is hard to create originality in serial killer tropes- but his one was high-octane suspense right from the start. There is a poignancy to the story, too, in some ways, as Hoag highlights the struggles of living with a traumatic brain injury, which Dana portrays in a realistic fashion.
Unfortunately, the pacing was slightly wonky – there is a very suspenseful build-up- and an unexpected twist, but the conclusion felt abrupt and left me feeling a little disoriented.
All the same, this was a deeply engrossing, suspenseful, and overall, superb thriller!
4 stars
January 19, 2015
In Tami Hoag's latest standalone thriller, we are introduced to the once beautiful and successful Dana Nolan. She has survived the most horrific ordeal that has claimed the life of countless victims before his serial killer escapades took center stage around the country. But, she is not that woman who killed her attacker, she is the After-Dana.
Dana moves back to the small town of her youth as she struggles to come to terms with her new self. She suffers from brain damage where her short term memory often fails and she wakens to the face of a monster. Doc Holiday, carved into her face so badly, plastic surgery still won't bring back the face that many have come love during their daily dose of news. Not only does short term memory fail Dana, but she doesn't remember much of her past. Not until a familiar face from her past brings up memories of her long lost best friend.
Enter John Villante Jr. He is back dealing with his past and his own brain injury and PTSD. Wow... did not realize brain injury ran so rampant in this book. Anyway... John is back in the small town along with Dana except he is trying to stay as far away from the limelight as possible. As a teen, he dated one of the most popular girls but he remained on the wrong side of the tracks in every way possible. Not ever being fully accepted amongst peers or even in his own home, John goes to the army in an effort to escape the accusations of killing his then missing girlfriend and creating a life for his self. After surviving Afghanistan he just wants some peace. But if he received one, then we wouldn't have much of a story now would we.
What I love, and have always loved of Hoag's novels, are how detailed and descriptive they are. She doesn't hesitate to introduce us to characters who are survivors and readers would like to survive. Although "after" Dana is a bit brash and flighty, her brain injury allows me to feel bad for her and not shout at her like the woman who always runs, then stumbles, in a horror flick. Her limitations didn't come off as so exhausting. Thank you Tami Hoag!
Tami Hoag also manages to keep you guessing about who's the true killer. There are so many possible or potential killers that I was (and wasn't) surprised when one of them was finally revealed. The only thing I didn't appreciate is the reasoning behind the seven year old murder mystery. It was way too cliche and predictable. While the other red herring was just simply packaged away too simply and quickly with no mystery whatsoever.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Tami Hoag's Cold, Cold Heart. I have always been a fan of hers and can remember devoting many hours to her other series. It is the ultimate survivor's novel and proves that the will to survive never goes away no matter what life throws at you. Cold, Cold Heart reminds me that no matter what, where there's life, there's hope.
Copy provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley
Dana moves back to the small town of her youth as she struggles to come to terms with her new self. She suffers from brain damage where her short term memory often fails and she wakens to the face of a monster. Doc Holiday, carved into her face so badly, plastic surgery still won't bring back the face that many have come love during their daily dose of news. Not only does short term memory fail Dana, but she doesn't remember much of her past. Not until a familiar face from her past brings up memories of her long lost best friend.
Enter John Villante Jr. He is back dealing with his past and his own brain injury and PTSD. Wow... did not realize brain injury ran so rampant in this book. Anyway... John is back in the small town along with Dana except he is trying to stay as far away from the limelight as possible. As a teen, he dated one of the most popular girls but he remained on the wrong side of the tracks in every way possible. Not ever being fully accepted amongst peers or even in his own home, John goes to the army in an effort to escape the accusations of killing his then missing girlfriend and creating a life for his self. After surviving Afghanistan he just wants some peace. But if he received one, then we wouldn't have much of a story now would we.
What I love, and have always loved of Hoag's novels, are how detailed and descriptive they are. She doesn't hesitate to introduce us to characters who are survivors and readers would like to survive. Although "after" Dana is a bit brash and flighty, her brain injury allows me to feel bad for her and not shout at her like the woman who always runs, then stumbles, in a horror flick. Her limitations didn't come off as so exhausting. Thank you Tami Hoag!
Tami Hoag also manages to keep you guessing about who's the true killer. There are so many possible or potential killers that I was (and wasn't) surprised when one of them was finally revealed. The only thing I didn't appreciate is the reasoning behind the seven year old murder mystery. It was way too cliche and predictable. While the other red herring was just simply packaged away too simply and quickly with no mystery whatsoever.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Tami Hoag's Cold, Cold Heart. I have always been a fan of hers and can remember devoting many hours to her other series. It is the ultimate survivor's novel and proves that the will to survive never goes away no matter what life throws at you. Cold, Cold Heart reminds me that no matter what, where there's life, there's hope.
Copy provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley
January 19, 2015
I think there was a story in here somewhere, between the long, repetitious, dramatic passages about John's PTSD and violent hatred of his father and Dana's ongoing and kind of boring struggle to reconcile the "Before Dana" with the "After Dana" while dealing with her recovery from a TBI at the hands of a serial killer. Unfortunately, the story was not especially interesting. The serial killer and Hoag's detectives Liska and Kovac are all just red herrings, since they barely make an appearance and the mystery turns out to be the disappearance of Dana's best friend Casey, 7 years ago. That plotline was pretty dang easy to figure out, sadly--mostly what we have here is a book about PTSD and TBI. Hoag has written some pretty sharp books, but this isn't one of them; if you're looking for a tight and suspenseful murder mystery, read something else.
September 26, 2023
I got into this one straight away. With a great plot that builds up at a nice pace the book is easy to connect with and get absorbed into really quickly.
Surviving the nightmare is only the beginning...
Bit of the blurb for you…Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until she was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer. A year has passed since she survived the ordeal, but Dana is still physically, emotionally, and psychologically scarred, racked with bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder and memory. Dana begins to question everything she knows. What is real? What is imagined? Are we defined by what happens to us? And is the truth really something too terrible to be believed?
After returning to her home town looking very different due to scarring on her face and acting differently due to changes in her personality it's not easy settling in at all for Dana. She is pushing people away who love her and is understandably angry and confused.
She been the only woman to survive the grip of one of the most wanted serial killers, but has NO memory of the events around her abduction or indeed how she survived the ordeal and finally killed him. On top of this her best friend was taken at a similar time and she feels little filters of memories that are important trying to break through the damage to her brain. She does not know which parts are real, imagine how awful that would be?
It's a fantastic storyline, delivers plenty of pace and I loved Dana as a character, she has been through a LOT and still has loads of gumption and courage. She is not a quitter this girl, no chance. Plenty of twists and turns as Dana's memories start to surface as though she is surfacing from being deep underwater and soon fingers are pointing here, there and everywhere. She will not let go on chasing the case, on her own if she has to in order to find out what really happened to her missing best friend Casey. A great "who dunnit".
This builds up to a great ending, plenty of action and bits and pieces you won't see coming. Very enjoyable and an easy 4 star read.
Thanks so much for reading my review of this book. Join me as a friend or follower and feel free to browse my shelves for your next great book! I love to connect with other readers.
Surviving the nightmare is only the beginning...
Bit of the blurb for you…Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until she was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer. A year has passed since she survived the ordeal, but Dana is still physically, emotionally, and psychologically scarred, racked with bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder and memory. Dana begins to question everything she knows. What is real? What is imagined? Are we defined by what happens to us? And is the truth really something too terrible to be believed?
After returning to her home town looking very different due to scarring on her face and acting differently due to changes in her personality it's not easy settling in at all for Dana. She is pushing people away who love her and is understandably angry and confused.
She been the only woman to survive the grip of one of the most wanted serial killers, but has NO memory of the events around her abduction or indeed how she survived the ordeal and finally killed him. On top of this her best friend was taken at a similar time and she feels little filters of memories that are important trying to break through the damage to her brain. She does not know which parts are real, imagine how awful that would be?
It's a fantastic storyline, delivers plenty of pace and I loved Dana as a character, she has been through a LOT and still has loads of gumption and courage. She is not a quitter this girl, no chance. Plenty of twists and turns as Dana's memories start to surface as though she is surfacing from being deep underwater and soon fingers are pointing here, there and everywhere. She will not let go on chasing the case, on her own if she has to in order to find out what really happened to her missing best friend Casey. A great "who dunnit".
This builds up to a great ending, plenty of action and bits and pieces you won't see coming. Very enjoyable and an easy 4 star read.
Thanks so much for reading my review of this book. Join me as a friend or follower and feel free to browse my shelves for your next great book! I love to connect with other readers.
July 13, 2015
where there's life, there's hope
Dana Nolan spent ten months in rehabilitation at the Weidman Recovery Centre; when she was found, she had been extremely close to death at the hands of the notorious serial killer Doc Holiday. A TV reporter, Dana had been abducted on her way to work with the killer wanting to add her to his already long list of victims – Dana’s terrible injuries included a traumatic brain injury. Her physical injuries had healed in time, but her psychological and emotional trauma hadn’t lessened. Plus her brain injury meant she struggled with day to day normality. Her nightmares were ongoing and intense; her terror at any little thing was heartbreaking.
When her mother took her home for Dana’s ongoing care, she found herself unable to venture outside – her facial injuries were such that she felt she was hideous; she couldn’t bear the thought of people looking at her; talking about her. But with her return home, the seven year old disappearance of her best friend Casey Grant became media and police interest once again. The police wanted Dana to be able to tell them that the same person had taken Casey. But with her brain injury, she was unable to remember – even if she wanted to. Slowly and with the help of her counsellor, Dana realized that a goal to aim for would be good for her – so she became determined to find out what had happened to Casey once and for all…
The internet became her friend, and gradually little pieces of her memory returned – but with Dana searching for the truth, was she putting herself in danger? Because surely there was someone out there who knew what had happened to Casey? And that someone wouldn’t want the secrets of the past to come to the fore…
Wow! I haven’t read a Tami Hoag thriller in a while and I’d forgotten how GOOD she is! I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Cold Heart – intense, thrilling and heart pounding, it is a definite page-turner. The fast paced plot was gripping and I couldn’t put it down. I have no hesitation in recommending this novel very highly. An excellent read!
Dana Nolan spent ten months in rehabilitation at the Weidman Recovery Centre; when she was found, she had been extremely close to death at the hands of the notorious serial killer Doc Holiday. A TV reporter, Dana had been abducted on her way to work with the killer wanting to add her to his already long list of victims – Dana’s terrible injuries included a traumatic brain injury. Her physical injuries had healed in time, but her psychological and emotional trauma hadn’t lessened. Plus her brain injury meant she struggled with day to day normality. Her nightmares were ongoing and intense; her terror at any little thing was heartbreaking.
When her mother took her home for Dana’s ongoing care, she found herself unable to venture outside – her facial injuries were such that she felt she was hideous; she couldn’t bear the thought of people looking at her; talking about her. But with her return home, the seven year old disappearance of her best friend Casey Grant became media and police interest once again. The police wanted Dana to be able to tell them that the same person had taken Casey. But with her brain injury, she was unable to remember – even if she wanted to. Slowly and with the help of her counsellor, Dana realized that a goal to aim for would be good for her – so she became determined to find out what had happened to Casey once and for all…
The internet became her friend, and gradually little pieces of her memory returned – but with Dana searching for the truth, was she putting herself in danger? Because surely there was someone out there who knew what had happened to Casey? And that someone wouldn’t want the secrets of the past to come to the fore…
Wow! I haven’t read a Tami Hoag thriller in a while and I’d forgotten how GOOD she is! I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Cold Heart – intense, thrilling and heart pounding, it is a definite page-turner. The fast paced plot was gripping and I couldn’t put it down. I have no hesitation in recommending this novel very highly. An excellent read!
February 20, 2025
“From the dawn of time to the end of time, the world would never run short of cold, cold hearts.”
Tami Hoag has created a number of very interesting pieces to the foundation underlying the plot of COLD, COLD HEART. Dana Nolan, a rising TV personality as a respected and talented news anchor is kidnapped by a serial killer. Despite gruesome torture and sadistic mental abuse, she actually manages to escape confinement and kill her erstwhile rapist and murderer. But her brain, suffering from the traumatic injury inflicted by her captor, has shut down her recollection of the event and, in the process, the memories of much of her life and relationships. In the course of her recovery, Nolan crosses paths with John Villante, an old school friend suffering PTSD as a result of his war experiences and now recently discharged. Villante was considered a possible suspect in the unsolved disappearance (and probable murder) of Casey Grant, one of Dana Nolan’s young school friends, many years earlier.
COLD, COLD HEART is a gritty, suspenseful, engaging, and convincing serial killer thriller built around an informative series of “essays” on the realities and the science of physical, medical, and psychological treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The details of that information are presented in a style that is entertaining, informative and never patronizing or pedantic without being intrusive or getting in the way of the character and plot development that one would expect of a top quality suspense or psychological thriller. Hoag’s afterword explaining that she herself has suffered from this kind of injury adds a good bit of colour and credibility to the novel.
It should be noted that COLD, COLD HEART makes some very cogent, thought-provoking observations on the USA’s less than stellar treatment of its armed forces veterans.
”… good enough to send to war, then cast aside like everything else that was disposable in American society.”
I’m a continuing Tami Hoag fan and have no problem recommending COLD, COLD HEART with two thumbs up.
Paul Weiss
Tami Hoag has created a number of very interesting pieces to the foundation underlying the plot of COLD, COLD HEART. Dana Nolan, a rising TV personality as a respected and talented news anchor is kidnapped by a serial killer. Despite gruesome torture and sadistic mental abuse, she actually manages to escape confinement and kill her erstwhile rapist and murderer. But her brain, suffering from the traumatic injury inflicted by her captor, has shut down her recollection of the event and, in the process, the memories of much of her life and relationships. In the course of her recovery, Nolan crosses paths with John Villante, an old school friend suffering PTSD as a result of his war experiences and now recently discharged. Villante was considered a possible suspect in the unsolved disappearance (and probable murder) of Casey Grant, one of Dana Nolan’s young school friends, many years earlier.
COLD, COLD HEART is a gritty, suspenseful, engaging, and convincing serial killer thriller built around an informative series of “essays” on the realities and the science of physical, medical, and psychological treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The details of that information are presented in a style that is entertaining, informative and never patronizing or pedantic without being intrusive or getting in the way of the character and plot development that one would expect of a top quality suspense or psychological thriller. Hoag’s afterword explaining that she herself has suffered from this kind of injury adds a good bit of colour and credibility to the novel.
It should be noted that COLD, COLD HEART makes some very cogent, thought-provoking observations on the USA’s less than stellar treatment of its armed forces veterans.
”… good enough to send to war, then cast aside like everything else that was disposable in American society.”
I’m a continuing Tami Hoag fan and have no problem recommending COLD, COLD HEART with two thumbs up.
Paul Weiss
December 29, 2014
Dana Nolan has everything going for her – she is young, attractive, intelligent and has recently started a job as a newscaster – when she is abducted by a serial killer. The man, nicknamed Doc Holiday, plans to make her his ninth victim, but Dana manages to escape. However, survival is not that easy; Dana has suffered severe brain injuries, she has scars – both visible and unseen – and the killer has marked her forever. Now, she has to adjust to being a new Dana and to cope with her memory loss, panic attacks and a life which has been changed forever. She returns to her family home, in the small town of Shelby Mills, with her over protective mother, Lynda, and step father, aspiring politician Roger. Also back in Shelby Mills are two men that Dana used to know well – her first boyfriend, Tim Carver, now a deputy in Liddell County , and John Villante, ex-military, who also suffered a brain injury while in the army and who now has a dead end job and a bed, of sorts, in the house of his begrudging, abusive father. Villante was the boyfriend of Dana’s best childhood friend, Casey Grant, who went missing seven years ago. Dana’s experiences brings back the memories of Casey and, gradually, she begins to investigate what happened all those years ago.
The author manages to create a really exciting thriller in the pages of this book, with a fast moving plot and some great characters. Dana is forced to confront not only what happened, but her young self and the way the press – the profession she had aspired to work for – treat her now she is a victim. Along with retired detective, Dan Hardy, who has never forgotten Casey Grant, Dana has to consider what really happened on that day so long ago. Did she argue with her best friend? Did she lie? Who can she really trust? A very enjoyable and exciting read – I have never read anything by Tami Hoag before, but I am sure I will explore her back catalogue, as I enjoyed this very much. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
The author manages to create a really exciting thriller in the pages of this book, with a fast moving plot and some great characters. Dana is forced to confront not only what happened, but her young self and the way the press – the profession she had aspired to work for – treat her now she is a victim. Along with retired detective, Dan Hardy, who has never forgotten Casey Grant, Dana has to consider what really happened on that day so long ago. Did she argue with her best friend? Did she lie? Who can she really trust? A very enjoyable and exciting read – I have never read anything by Tami Hoag before, but I am sure I will explore her back catalogue, as I enjoyed this very much. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
May 7, 2017
This supposed thriller is in no way thrilling. Without the prologue about the serial killer and wondering whether Dana Nolan, the protagonist, would escape him, the book had zero suspense. And of course she escapes, otherwise there would be no story!
So the setup is that Dana has escaped from a serial killer by killing him. She spent months in recovery and had to relearn everything. When she finally returns home, she is harassed by the media. For Dana, who used to be a reporter, the shoe is now on the other foot. But this is not her only woe. As she reconnects with her childhood days, she remembers that her best friend had disappeared just like she had. Her own experiences gives her the impetus to seek out what happens to Casey. But someone does not want her to discover anything of a case whose trail has gone cold.
The plot had enormous scope and I have seen similar plots being executed in a much better way. But I found most of the characters in this book irritating. Dana acts like a little bitch, screaming and shouting her way through the book. Her mother really got on my nerves with her overbearing protectiveness to the extent of making the lives of other people miserable. Then there is Aunt Frankie, who is basically just a bitch. Roger is selfish, but otherwise seems normal to me, but he is the designated villain somehow. Detective Hardy is creepily weird. John Villante was the best character, but I don't see the point of having him in the book at all.
The book leaves the reader with an unsatisfactory ending. raising more questions than it solves.
None of it hangs together well. The plotting is shoddy and the conclusion leaves a lot to be desired. But if you want to learn anything about PTSD or TBI, it's chock full of information. Yeah, it's THAT boring.
So the setup is that Dana has escaped from a serial killer by killing him. She spent months in recovery and had to relearn everything. When she finally returns home, she is harassed by the media. For Dana, who used to be a reporter, the shoe is now on the other foot. But this is not her only woe. As she reconnects with her childhood days, she remembers that her best friend had disappeared just like she had. Her own experiences gives her the impetus to seek out what happens to Casey. But someone does not want her to discover anything of a case whose trail has gone cold.
The plot had enormous scope and I have seen similar plots being executed in a much better way. But I found most of the characters in this book irritating. Dana acts like a little bitch, screaming and shouting her way through the book. Her mother really got on my nerves with her overbearing protectiveness to the extent of making the lives of other people miserable. Then there is Aunt Frankie, who is basically just a bitch. Roger is selfish, but otherwise seems normal to me, but he is the designated villain somehow. Detective Hardy is creepily weird. John Villante was the best character, but I don't see the point of having him in the book at all.
The book leaves the reader with an unsatisfactory ending. raising more questions than it solves.
None of it hangs together well. The plotting is shoddy and the conclusion leaves a lot to be desired. But if you want to learn anything about PTSD or TBI, it's chock full of information. Yeah, it's THAT boring.
December 2, 2022
DNF at 23%.
This novel started off with a bang - the main character saving herself from a serial killer. Then...... almost 100 pages of her in recovery, her anxious mom coddling her, random characters that never returned to the plot. I found it tedious to get through and I ended up really not liking the mother due to how overbearing she was. You'd think the health care professionals would limit the interaction the mom has with the daughter due to all of the freak outs while they are together. You don't continuously upset a person with a TBI. Yeesh. When I stopped reading, I could not make out how the novel was going to turn into a thriller since the serial killer died a few pages in.
I generally enjoy Tami Hoag novels and am looking forward to the next one on my bookshelf. I will be donating Cold Cold Heart to a local CBOs "bookstore" that fundraises for their programing.
This novel started off with a bang - the main character saving herself from a serial killer. Then...... almost 100 pages of her in recovery, her anxious mom coddling her, random characters that never returned to the plot. I found it tedious to get through and I ended up really not liking the mother due to how overbearing she was. You'd think the health care professionals would limit the interaction the mom has with the daughter due to all of the freak outs while they are together. You don't continuously upset a person with a TBI. Yeesh. When I stopped reading, I could not make out how the novel was going to turn into a thriller since the serial killer died a few pages in.
I generally enjoy Tami Hoag novels and am looking forward to the next one on my bookshelf. I will be donating Cold Cold Heart to a local CBOs "bookstore" that fundraises for their programing.
January 16, 2015
"Where there is life, there is hope"
Yah....but not in this book, sorry. I honestly do not know if it was because I was coming off a Tess Gerritsen high and her books pack a wallop or it truly was the most draggy book I have ever read.
This book had a great start. Then chapter after chapter, again and again it was the same shit over and over.....No new details, nothing to keep me interested.
Read chapter 1-6 maybe then a bit more near the end and you will be satisfied. I really wanted it to be a good one, it has great intent to keep the reader going it just fell flat.
2.5 stars and seriously Goodreads get your act together and start allowing readers to put in half stars!!!
Yah....but not in this book, sorry. I honestly do not know if it was because I was coming off a Tess Gerritsen high and her books pack a wallop or it truly was the most draggy book I have ever read.
This book had a great start. Then chapter after chapter, again and again it was the same shit over and over.....No new details, nothing to keep me interested.
Read chapter 1-6 maybe then a bit more near the end and you will be satisfied. I really wanted it to be a good one, it has great intent to keep the reader going it just fell flat.
2.5 stars and seriously Goodreads get your act together and start allowing readers to put in half stars!!!
May 8, 2016
A journalist is almost killed by a serial killer and returns with PTSD to her hometown to open up old wounds unexpectedly and recover from her trauma.
This is a tale about communities and how they can isolate us and inflict heartbreak.
The narrator did a great job on the character voices and mannerisms.
MY GRADE: B plus to A minus.
This is a tale about communities and how they can isolate us and inflict heartbreak.
The narrator did a great job on the character voices and mannerisms.
MY GRADE: B plus to A minus.
August 30, 2022
3.5 rating
There is no explanation for evil. Bad things happen. They don't happen for a reason. We have to deal with them the best we can. It doesn't help to have someone try to tell you there is some kind of greater plan."
Dana Nolan was a promising TV reporter until a notorious serial killer kidnapped her. After narrowly escaping death, Dana moves back to her hometown in the hopes of healing. Not long after she returns, the unsolved case of her missing best friend is reopened. Viewed through a dark lens of PTSD, Dana tries to look back at her past to help solve her friend's case. Old loved ones and friends are now suspects in her eyes and the truth she unravels may shock this small town to it's core.
*This was a solid thriller, but I was left feeling that there should have be more to the story. 😕 I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Julia Whelan ❤.*
There is no explanation for evil. Bad things happen. They don't happen for a reason. We have to deal with them the best we can. It doesn't help to have someone try to tell you there is some kind of greater plan."
Dana Nolan was a promising TV reporter until a notorious serial killer kidnapped her. After narrowly escaping death, Dana moves back to her hometown in the hopes of healing. Not long after she returns, the unsolved case of her missing best friend is reopened. Viewed through a dark lens of PTSD, Dana tries to look back at her past to help solve her friend's case. Old loved ones and friends are now suspects in her eyes and the truth she unravels may shock this small town to it's core.
*This was a solid thriller, but I was left feeling that there should have be more to the story. 😕 I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Julia Whelan ❤.*
July 21, 2015
COLD COLD HEART by TAMI HOAG
What an extraordinary book! I've been following this author for more than 10 years and her books still amaze me.
Dana is young woman, working on being an investigative journalist when she is abducted by the serial killer she is writing about. This is one really really sick individual. Dana, being the ninth victim, is used as a punching bag, raped, carved up like a turkey dinner, and had knees and hands and head battered by a hammer. She is more dead than alive.
When she is thrown into the back of a van, she somehow manages to get her hands on a screwdriver and drives it into the driver's head.
And then the real story begins. She wakes up in the hospital with no memory. All her injuries will heal in time, but she has suffered a severe brain injury. Her short term memory seems to be intact, although she has to thoroughly search for the words she wants.
(At one point in the story, she asks her mother... have you seen my feet? Mom says yes, dear...they are on the bottom of your legs. Dana says no... not feet ... the things that go on your feet. Mom says ...socks? Yes! that's it!)
After a year of therapy she is taken home by her mother and step-father who is a politician running for office, but Dana isn't the pretty young woman with a sweet nature she was before living through her nightmare.
She has forgotten how to be polite .. she says whatever comes to mind whether its appropriate or not. She works very hard at trying to remember things from her past. She accidentally discovers that her best friend in the world was also abducted when the girls were right out of high school and never seen or heard from again.
How could she forget the person who was closer than a sister to her? She begins to investigate, stirring up a lot of emotions from people close to her.
Dana thinks of herself as "After Dana"..... somehow diminished by the things she has endured. But I see her journey as a sign of strength. She forces herself to do the things that scare her the most in her quest to find what happened to her friend.
And there are many viable suspects. Her step-father who is hiding something. Her friend's boyfriend and his father, who is just plain creepy. Dana's highs school boyfriend who is now in law enforcement. The detective, now retired and dying from cancer, who has a room, literally a shrine, dedicated to her friend .. the one case he never solved.
And when she comes too close to figure out what happened to her friend, she finds herself in danger once again.
Excellent reading .... 5 stars!
What an extraordinary book! I've been following this author for more than 10 years and her books still amaze me.
Dana is young woman, working on being an investigative journalist when she is abducted by the serial killer she is writing about. This is one really really sick individual. Dana, being the ninth victim, is used as a punching bag, raped, carved up like a turkey dinner, and had knees and hands and head battered by a hammer. She is more dead than alive.
When she is thrown into the back of a van, she somehow manages to get her hands on a screwdriver and drives it into the driver's head.
And then the real story begins. She wakes up in the hospital with no memory. All her injuries will heal in time, but she has suffered a severe brain injury. Her short term memory seems to be intact, although she has to thoroughly search for the words she wants.
(At one point in the story, she asks her mother... have you seen my feet? Mom says yes, dear...they are on the bottom of your legs. Dana says no... not feet ... the things that go on your feet. Mom says ...socks? Yes! that's it!)
After a year of therapy she is taken home by her mother and step-father who is a politician running for office, but Dana isn't the pretty young woman with a sweet nature she was before living through her nightmare.
She has forgotten how to be polite .. she says whatever comes to mind whether its appropriate or not. She works very hard at trying to remember things from her past. She accidentally discovers that her best friend in the world was also abducted when the girls were right out of high school and never seen or heard from again.
How could she forget the person who was closer than a sister to her? She begins to investigate, stirring up a lot of emotions from people close to her.
Dana thinks of herself as "After Dana"..... somehow diminished by the things she has endured. But I see her journey as a sign of strength. She forces herself to do the things that scare her the most in her quest to find what happened to her friend.
And there are many viable suspects. Her step-father who is hiding something. Her friend's boyfriend and his father, who is just plain creepy. Dana's highs school boyfriend who is now in law enforcement. The detective, now retired and dying from cancer, who has a room, literally a shrine, dedicated to her friend .. the one case he never solved.
And when she comes too close to figure out what happened to her friend, she finds herself in danger once again.
Excellent reading .... 5 stars!
March 4, 2015
What happens when you're young and full of potential & everything comes crushing down in one moment? More on the point, what happens when you're an up and coming reporter and you're kidnapped by a seriel killer who tortures, rapes, and gets under your skin? What happens when you're forced to kill him in order to be saved?
That happened to Dana Nolan, who's the only surving victim, and last one, of a serial killer. She killed him when he was driving and like we all know psychopaths tend to be very confident of themselves, leaving around objects that they think their victims cannot reach to. But she did, and she killed him but along with him she almost killed herself when the car crushed.
After 9 months she comes out of a rehabilitation center with memory problems and some slurring while speaking. She goes back to live with her mother and step-father. While doing so she comes to face to face with the past. Seeing people who hadn't been in her life for years & years. She relieves the memory of her best-friend who went missing when she was in senior year & she tries to put the pieces together in order to find out what happened to her friend all those years ago.
It's very interesting to read because Dana is a very troubled gal and suffers from PTSD and tries to adapt to the new person she is. It's intriguing to read how a person who's been through so much feels and how they go through phases, or resufe to deal with their issues and end up more hurt than they want to be.
While this is very nice-built, fast-paced, intriguing and etc. It was predictable to the point that I was sure of the killer by halfway through and then I just waited for it all to unravel. But I give it a 3-star rating because of its characters, I loved Dana and how strong she is and how she manages to cope with everything she's thrown. She's a fighter, this one. And also, I loved the prose and narrating. Tami Hoag does a very good job at captivating feelings and shaping good characters.
Altogether, I'll say this was a good read and I recommend it to those who love a good read without having any big twist coming in the view.
That happened to Dana Nolan, who's the only surving victim, and last one, of a serial killer. She killed him when he was driving and like we all know psychopaths tend to be very confident of themselves, leaving around objects that they think their victims cannot reach to. But she did, and she killed him but along with him she almost killed herself when the car crushed.
After 9 months she comes out of a rehabilitation center with memory problems and some slurring while speaking. She goes back to live with her mother and step-father. While doing so she comes to face to face with the past. Seeing people who hadn't been in her life for years & years. She relieves the memory of her best-friend who went missing when she was in senior year & she tries to put the pieces together in order to find out what happened to her friend all those years ago.
It's very interesting to read because Dana is a very troubled gal and suffers from PTSD and tries to adapt to the new person she is. It's intriguing to read how a person who's been through so much feels and how they go through phases, or resufe to deal with their issues and end up more hurt than they want to be.
While this is very nice-built, fast-paced, intriguing and etc. It was predictable to the point that I was sure of the killer by halfway through and then I just waited for it all to unravel. But I give it a 3-star rating because of its characters, I loved Dana and how strong she is and how she manages to cope with everything she's thrown. She's a fighter, this one. And also, I loved the prose and narrating. Tami Hoag does a very good job at captivating feelings and shaping good characters.
Altogether, I'll say this was a good read and I recommend it to those who love a good read without having any big twist coming in the view.
March 2, 2017
Dana Nolan's life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer. She does survive her ordeal, but not without a traumatic brain injury. After ten months in the hospital, she has returned to her childhood home. Dana doesn't remember her time in the killer's hands. She also doesn't remember large portions of her past. When she remembers that her best friend, Casey Grant, disappeared seven years ago right after their high school graduation, Dana delves into the mystery of what exactly happened to her.
I've read many of Tami Hoag's suspense novels. This one is totally different than the others. Dana's brain injury has changed her from the girl who grew up in a small Indiana town. She sometimes uses the wrong words. She sometimes says the first thing that pops into her mind. She becomes obsessed with Dana's disappearance. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped by a deranged killer just like Dana was? Much of the book is Dana comparing herself, pre-injury versus post-injury. It was an interesting story, but I thought the suspense portion was lacking. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
I've read many of Tami Hoag's suspense novels. This one is totally different than the others. Dana's brain injury has changed her from the girl who grew up in a small Indiana town. She sometimes uses the wrong words. She sometimes says the first thing that pops into her mind. She becomes obsessed with Dana's disappearance. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped by a deranged killer just like Dana was? Much of the book is Dana comparing herself, pre-injury versus post-injury. It was an interesting story, but I thought the suspense portion was lacking. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
February 27, 2025
10/ 2025
CORAZÓN HELADO
Mi experiencia con este libro ha sido un poco montaña rusa 😊.
El comienzo me pareció súper intrigante y prometedor, con la escena de un asesino en serie y su última víctima, pero pronto descubrimos que dicha premisa no se corresponde con el verdadero foco de acción y nos vamos a otro asunto, uno bastante menos interesante que el prometido y que estaba presentado, además, con un ritmo muuuy pausado y elementos repetitivos que me hicieron desear abandonar la lectura. Si no lo hice fue por superar el reto de este mes de Amamos la novela negra, el thriller y la literatura de género .
Pero puedo asegurar que durante unas cien páginas apenas pasaba nada y el estilo tampoco me terminaba de convencer.
Superada esa parte y ya comprendiendo el tipo de historia que tenía delante, empezó a ganar interés y velocidad, y me descubrí bebiéndome la mitad del libro porque no podía dejar de leer y sospechaba de todos, hasta del traductor 😂.
Al final me ha gustado muchísimo y le daría un notable alto.
CORAZÓN HELADO
Mi experiencia con este libro ha sido un poco montaña rusa 😊.
El comienzo me pareció súper intrigante y prometedor, con la escena de un asesino en serie y su última víctima, pero pronto descubrimos que dicha premisa no se corresponde con el verdadero foco de acción y nos vamos a otro asunto, uno bastante menos interesante que el prometido y que estaba presentado, además, con un ritmo muuuy pausado y elementos repetitivos que me hicieron desear abandonar la lectura. Si no lo hice fue por superar el reto de este mes de Amamos la novela negra, el thriller y la literatura de género .
Pero puedo asegurar que durante unas cien páginas apenas pasaba nada y el estilo tampoco me terminaba de convencer.
Superada esa parte y ya comprendiendo el tipo de historia que tenía delante, empezó a ganar interés y velocidad, y me descubrí bebiéndome la mitad del libro porque no podía dejar de leer y sospechaba de todos, hasta del traductor 😂.
Al final me ha gustado muchísimo y le daría un notable alto.
August 16, 2015
Three Stars
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Tami Hoag fans, please don’t hate me. This one just didn’t work for me. The more books I read and the more authors and genres I experience, the higher my expectations have become. My expectations of this book were raised even higher by quotes of praise on the book jacket like “Cannily plotted and peppered with some of the sharpest dialogue in the business” or “Outstanding! Tami Hoag continues to set the standard for excellence in her genre” or “Gripping.” Don’t get me wrong this was a very interesting story but I just didn’t feel it.
Minnesota detectives Nikki Liska and San Kovac are astonished. The box truck had crashed into a light pole at Loring Park, the male driver dead from a screw driver plunged through his temple into his brain. But even more surprising was the near dead woman in the back of the van, appearing more like a Walking Dead zombie than a human being. Fractured skull to the point her head was misshapen and asymmetrical, severe facial fractures including a smashed right orbital, broken fingers and ribs and a shattered knee cap. She is unrecognizable. Her face was craved into a permanent frown. The number nine was etched deep in her flesh from her collar bone to the midpoint between her breasts.
She was supposed to be dead, victim number nine. The deep ligature marks on her wrists and ankles indicated she was bound and tortured just like the other victims of serial killer Frank Fitzgerald. Young, attractive, bubbly, enthusiastic, fledgling Minneapolis on-air television newscaster Dana Nolan had been found! After six months at the Hennepin County Medical Center, she returns to her childhood home in Shelby Mills, Indiana to continue her physical and psychiatric therapy. Now there are two Danas!
Before Dana – The young, perky, energetic and career- driven, enthusiastic, naïve Dana. She was well liked by the station staff, mentored by her producer. She had potential. The Beauty!
After Dana – Zero potential, broken, The Beast. Physically deformed from severe beatings; psychologically traumatized from days of rape and torture; suffering from severe PTSD and brutal anxiety attacks. Severe skull and brain trauma has changed her personality along with her outlook on the world and the people in it. She thinks differently, she speaks without a filter and struggles to regain her memories although she refuses to recall thoughts and images of her abductor … until she has too.
Living with her mother Lynda and step father Roger Mercer in Shelby Mills, she struggles against the debilitation of brain trauma to recover her coordination, her ability to remember simple things like how to get from her room to the bathroom and back, and the memories of Before Dana. Family pictures and her high school year book trigger some strange but seemingly disconnected flashbacks of memories, like a movie of someone else’s life. Casey Grant her best friend in high school. Casey Grant disappeared seven years ago, the summer after graduation. Casey Grant disappeared forever, Dana came back. Her brain twists and churns – Casey Grant!
Vague recollections and disjointed memories flood her head when the pizza delivery arrives. John Villante has returned to his childhood home in Shelby Mills too, another brain trauma victim. He is a violent man just like his father John “Mack” Villante, Sr. He is abused and demeaned by his father, abandoned by his mother when he was eight years old. The military has channeled John’s rage into his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IED explosion scrambled his brain. He left the service on a psych discharge and suffers from depression, PTSD and has turned to self-medication to ease his anxiety. When he delivers the pizza, Dana’s brain becomes an electrical storm of emotions and anxiety. She remembers him. She remembers Casey.
The current Shelby Falls deputy sheriff was the golden boy of high school when Casey vanished and the detective who handled the original case has long since retired but still keeps track of any new case developments. John’s return to Shelby Mills stirs up Dana’s memories and suspicions. As Dana slowly regains emotional stability and resurrects and reconstructs memories of Casey’s disappearance, the confluence of old high school love and betrayal and the return to Shelby Mills of folks involved in those high school relationships leads to some very interesting discoveries and revelations.
Has the making of a spine tingling, nail biting tale right? It wasn’t for me and that’s why I landed on a half-hearted rating of three stars. No doubt a very alluring and entertaining story but my emotional engagement with any of characters was nil. And the big twist at the end was kinda lame.
“What?” you scream in disbelief. “No sympathy for a woman who endured and survived such heinous physical violence?” you implore. Just the opposite, I am way, way too emotional but frankly I was never allowed to get emotional. I felt Dana’s abduction, abuse, head trauma and subsequent PTSD could have been treated with more intensity and vigor. I think if the author let me experience flashbacks of instances with her abductor or forced me to share some of Dana’s pain and anguish during her captivity I would have been far more engaged and empathetic. Perhaps the absence of flashbacks was meant to dramatize the effects of brain trauma. That’s something!
My other observation is that by book’s end, despite her severe brain trauma, Dana acts like a sharp minded detective able to synthesize so many disparate bits and pieces of information into an accurate view of acts committed. That just felt like a stretch to me.
I do applaud the author for raising the physical and mental health issues related to concussions and brain trauma. In the author’s note at the back of the book, Hoag shares her personal experience with traumatic brain injury when at age ten she was thrown from a horse, hitting her head on the street. She suffered a mild traumatic brain injury that was never diagnosed and to this day she suffers from headaches of varying frequency and intensity.
Overall a very good story but I just didn't feel this one. Or my expectations are way too high! Three Stars.
July 11, 2016
Really enjoy Tami Hoag's style of writing.
Though I figured this one out, I still felt the characters and their development was top notch. Plus there were a few surprises along the way. Well done characters and several plots that are interwoven. My second book by this author, and I will likely be reading them all.
Though part of the Kovac and Liska series, this is arguably a stand alone as the detectives only make brief cameo appearances in the beginning of the book.
TBI and PTSD and their implications are explored which adds a layer of interest. As a physical therapist, I have at least briefly worked with patients who've suffered a traumatic brain injury, and I felt Hoag did a great job of portraying the challenges that these people face. Good stuff.
Though I figured this one out, I still felt the characters and their development was top notch. Plus there were a few surprises along the way. Well done characters and several plots that are interwoven. My second book by this author, and I will likely be reading them all.
Though part of the Kovac and Liska series, this is arguably a stand alone as the detectives only make brief cameo appearances in the beginning of the book.
TBI and PTSD and their implications are explored which adds a layer of interest. As a physical therapist, I have at least briefly worked with patients who've suffered a traumatic brain injury, and I felt Hoag did a great job of portraying the challenges that these people face. Good stuff.
December 4, 2021
2.75. I chose this audio book purely because of Julia Whelan's narration. I have found that she tends to have impeccable taste in books that she narrates, given that they are all 4 stars or over so far for me. Well, unfortunately her expert narration did not save this book. This is my first by the author and I concede that she writes well with detailed descriptions of the scenes and people within. However, as other readers have pointed out, there were subplots that led nowhere, there were some annoying repetitions, and frankly, it was pretty obvious who did what. Also, why on earth did everyone think there was a link between Casey's death and Doc Holliday?
June 29, 2024
I read this 2 years ago and it was so good.
April 4, 2015
Tami Hoag's novel does a good job explaining the difficulty a person has in dealing with a traumatic brain injury. In the author notes at the end of the story, the author explains that she suffered from this injury herself validating the reality of the story.
Dana Nolan is an upcoming TV news anchor and is kidnapped by a serial killer nicknamed Doc Holiday. She's tortured and mentally abused but manages to kill her abductor and escapes her confinement. The remainder of the story deals with Dana attempting to regain her memory and to find the person who killed her best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared seven years ago.
As Dana returns home from her rehabilitation, she encounters John Valenti. He's discharged from the military and suffers PTSD from his military experiences. John used to date Casey Grant in high school and was interviewed when Casey disappeared but he was not charges.
Dana has a manner in dealing with her injury and in her attempt to learn what happened to Casey, Dana divides her memory in two. After Dana are the events after her abduction and before Dana is everything else.
There are a number of red herrings and plot surprises.
The characters are fully developed and the story has nice suspense. I think the struggle of Dana and of John dealing with their brain injuries and not giving up provide a good lesson for others dealing with brain injuries or other medical issues.
Dana Nolan is an upcoming TV news anchor and is kidnapped by a serial killer nicknamed Doc Holiday. She's tortured and mentally abused but manages to kill her abductor and escapes her confinement. The remainder of the story deals with Dana attempting to regain her memory and to find the person who killed her best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared seven years ago.
As Dana returns home from her rehabilitation, she encounters John Valenti. He's discharged from the military and suffers PTSD from his military experiences. John used to date Casey Grant in high school and was interviewed when Casey disappeared but he was not charges.
Dana has a manner in dealing with her injury and in her attempt to learn what happened to Casey, Dana divides her memory in two. After Dana are the events after her abduction and before Dana is everything else.
There are a number of red herrings and plot surprises.
The characters are fully developed and the story has nice suspense. I think the struggle of Dana and of John dealing with their brain injuries and not giving up provide a good lesson for others dealing with brain injuries or other medical issues.
January 29, 2015
I was thrown a bit at the start of this one. We had Liska and Kovac interacting with Dana, then all of a sudden they were gone. I kept waiting for them to show up and do their police thing, however this wasn't about them, this was Dana's journey. It might have helped had I read the blurb about the book, but this author is an auto read for me so I didn't bother.
I felt for Dana, for her to live through what she did was a miracle in itself. I hated how Dana struggled with life in the aftermath. I thought Dana had a good way to deal with things, Before Dana and after Dana. I also liked how she knew she was a different person, that even as she got frustrated at herself she didn't let it get her too far down.
I found the whole mystery a bit boring, mostly because I guessed the bad guy and why pretty early on. What kept me reading was Dana uncovering things and how her brain worked in new ways. I really liked this after Dana, liked that she didn't have a filter and said things that needed to be said. I also liked that at the end she helped someone who needed it, someone who was sort of like her, someone before Dana would never have given a chance to.
I felt for Dana, for her to live through what she did was a miracle in itself. I hated how Dana struggled with life in the aftermath. I thought Dana had a good way to deal with things, Before Dana and after Dana. I also liked how she knew she was a different person, that even as she got frustrated at herself she didn't let it get her too far down.
I found the whole mystery a bit boring, mostly because I guessed the bad guy and why pretty early on. What kept me reading was Dana uncovering things and how her brain worked in new ways. I really liked this after Dana, liked that she didn't have a filter and said things that needed to be said. I also liked that at the end she helped someone who needed it, someone who was sort of like her, someone before Dana would never have given a chance to.
January 25, 2015
This was a good book. Also a fast read. Despite the fact that I found the intensity level lacking some. I thought it would have been higher. The characters were middle of the road. Nothing too special about them. Also not too many twists or turns in the plotline. Fans of mystery stories will probably figure out the whole story fairly early into the story. The obvious choice had too many clues pointing at them to make you really believe it was them.
I was really interested in Dana and what she had survived with her ordeal. Yet I was saddened when I realized that it had nothing to do with the story. Although I was greatful that Dana had a story behind her. It did make her a strong character and added depth to her. Besides the intensity that I talked about, if the rest of the characters had been more engaging I would have liked this book better. Still I am happy with it and do look forward to reading the next book by this author.
I was really interested in Dana and what she had survived with her ordeal. Yet I was saddened when I realized that it had nothing to do with the story. Although I was greatful that Dana had a story behind her. It did make her a strong character and added depth to her. Besides the intensity that I talked about, if the rest of the characters had been more engaging I would have liked this book better. Still I am happy with it and do look forward to reading the next book by this author.
May 15, 2018
I remember when Tami Hoag wrote romances. Long road from there.
I loved the Oak Knoll series as well as the Kovac & Liska series. This has a touch of Kovac and Liska but not enough.
This is the story of Dana's recovery, the last victim of the Doc Holliday serial killer and her attempts to solve the disappearance of her best friend in high school.
Depressing, graphic, violent, way too many unpleasant characters with too many subplots that were dropped.
Audio version was done well with the exception of some of the male voices.
I loved the Oak Knoll series as well as the Kovac & Liska series. This has a touch of Kovac and Liska but not enough.
This is the story of Dana's recovery, the last victim of the Doc Holliday serial killer and her attempts to solve the disappearance of her best friend in high school.
Depressing, graphic, violent, way too many unpleasant characters with too many subplots that were dropped.
Audio version was done well with the exception of some of the male voices.
April 19, 2021
This story was interesting but the book was much too long. I guessed several things that came out in the end. All in all, I like this author and will definitely read more by her.
January 1, 2016
Talented Tami Hoag, delivers COLD COLD HEART, with a likable heroine with PTSD and TBI, for a roller coaster page-turner crime suspense, leaving you guessing the identity of a brutal and clever mystery killer.
Dana Nolan was a beautiful, successful, and promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. She has recently survived a horrible tragedy; lucky to be alive, and suffering from physical, psychological, and emotional scars. Her mind still does not work correctly and her smells, food interests, and overall personality has changed somewhat. She also struggles to remember routine tasks as she searches for the right words. Currently reading about Doc Holiday in The 9th Girl.
Leaving her disfigured and panic stricken, she returns home to heal and try and stay out of the public eye, as everyone wants an interview to learn of all the horrific details, and she wants to forget them, not relive them.
Upon returning, her mom is overbearing and protective and soon finds out her former best friend, Casey Grant went missing and Dana was one of the last people to see her. She becomes obsessed with solving the mystery and tracks down the cop who worked on the case and he is a little freaky (but funny), and he wants her to help him solve the case. However can she trust him?
A multi-layered riveting thriller, we also meet another character, John Villante, who suffers from a head injury while serving in Iraq, and dealing with PTSD. He had a horrible childhood with a monster for a father, was the high school football hero, and happened to date her best friend, Casey who went missing years ago.
Poor John cannot catch a break, no matter where he turns, he cannot keep a job, due to his past and connections with his dad. Everyone suspects him for any crime which turns up, looking for a suspect to blame. Loved the dog, his new companion.
In addition, her dad died years ago and her mom is married to Roger, which is running for political office. She does not trust his motives and there is some sort of connection with him and her missing friend. Her mom is caught in the middle between ongoing fights between Roger and Dana.
We also meet Dana’s old boyfriend, who is now on the police force. From Texas he is quite the charmer and seems to want to spend time with Dana as he is always around; however, she is not interested in a relationship, but does want answers surrounding her friend, since they were all friends at the same time, when her friend goes missing.
There are numerous suspects, and Tami keeps you guessing as to who is evil or good; trustworthy or not. Dana is afraid to reveal too much to anyone as they could be the bad guy. As she gets closer to the truth, the danger intensifies, leaving you page-turning into the night, to learn the fate of this array of characters.
I listened to the audiobook and Julia Whelan delivered an outstanding performance. What I enjoyed about Tami’s writing is her crisp narrative, vivid descriptions, and she does not take you out on a limb and leave you. Every person is integral to the overall storyline. She peels back layer by layer with precision with enough humor to keep it engaging. I also enjoy strong emotional human dynamics mixed with my murders, drawing you into the character’s personal life. Loved Dana’s and John's character - hope we hear from Dana again, in the future.
Loved the book! Shocker guys, COLD COLD HEART, was my first book by Hoag; ironic since she is in my own backyard (we both reside in Palm Beach County). If not presently traveling in NC for a work consulting project, would be home and could meet her in person, as she tours some of our local spots in the Palm Beach area, promoting this book.
As usual, I seem to start with new releases and work my way backward. Finding many of the new women’s fiction books are crossing over many genres with suspense, crime, mystery, thrillers and drama – FUN, FUN. A perfect mix.
On a side note: Enjoyed Tami’s personal story of TBI, as also highlighted in Lisa Garner’s new upcoming, Crash and Burn, I just finished. Very intriguing, and sure this can be frustrating and debilitating.
Delighted to discover this newfound author, Tami Hoag, no stranger to the female crime thriller audience, as a bestselling author. Have already purchased her other audiobooks in the series and look forward to reading more; she has been added to my favorite author list!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Dana Nolan was a beautiful, successful, and promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. She has recently survived a horrible tragedy; lucky to be alive, and suffering from physical, psychological, and emotional scars. Her mind still does not work correctly and her smells, food interests, and overall personality has changed somewhat. She also struggles to remember routine tasks as she searches for the right words. Currently reading about Doc Holiday in The 9th Girl.
Leaving her disfigured and panic stricken, she returns home to heal and try and stay out of the public eye, as everyone wants an interview to learn of all the horrific details, and she wants to forget them, not relive them.
Upon returning, her mom is overbearing and protective and soon finds out her former best friend, Casey Grant went missing and Dana was one of the last people to see her. She becomes obsessed with solving the mystery and tracks down the cop who worked on the case and he is a little freaky (but funny), and he wants her to help him solve the case. However can she trust him?
A multi-layered riveting thriller, we also meet another character, John Villante, who suffers from a head injury while serving in Iraq, and dealing with PTSD. He had a horrible childhood with a monster for a father, was the high school football hero, and happened to date her best friend, Casey who went missing years ago.
Poor John cannot catch a break, no matter where he turns, he cannot keep a job, due to his past and connections with his dad. Everyone suspects him for any crime which turns up, looking for a suspect to blame. Loved the dog, his new companion.
In addition, her dad died years ago and her mom is married to Roger, which is running for political office. She does not trust his motives and there is some sort of connection with him and her missing friend. Her mom is caught in the middle between ongoing fights between Roger and Dana.
We also meet Dana’s old boyfriend, who is now on the police force. From Texas he is quite the charmer and seems to want to spend time with Dana as he is always around; however, she is not interested in a relationship, but does want answers surrounding her friend, since they were all friends at the same time, when her friend goes missing.
There are numerous suspects, and Tami keeps you guessing as to who is evil or good; trustworthy or not. Dana is afraid to reveal too much to anyone as they could be the bad guy. As she gets closer to the truth, the danger intensifies, leaving you page-turning into the night, to learn the fate of this array of characters.
I listened to the audiobook and Julia Whelan delivered an outstanding performance. What I enjoyed about Tami’s writing is her crisp narrative, vivid descriptions, and she does not take you out on a limb and leave you. Every person is integral to the overall storyline. She peels back layer by layer with precision with enough humor to keep it engaging. I also enjoy strong emotional human dynamics mixed with my murders, drawing you into the character’s personal life. Loved Dana’s and John's character - hope we hear from Dana again, in the future.
Loved the book! Shocker guys, COLD COLD HEART, was my first book by Hoag; ironic since she is in my own backyard (we both reside in Palm Beach County). If not presently traveling in NC for a work consulting project, would be home and could meet her in person, as she tours some of our local spots in the Palm Beach area, promoting this book.
As usual, I seem to start with new releases and work my way backward. Finding many of the new women’s fiction books are crossing over many genres with suspense, crime, mystery, thrillers and drama – FUN, FUN. A perfect mix.
On a side note: Enjoyed Tami’s personal story of TBI, as also highlighted in Lisa Garner’s new upcoming, Crash and Burn, I just finished. Very intriguing, and sure this can be frustrating and debilitating.
Delighted to discover this newfound author, Tami Hoag, no stranger to the female crime thriller audience, as a bestselling author. Have already purchased her other audiobooks in the series and look forward to reading more; she has been added to my favorite author list!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
September 16, 2016
This was so much fun that I almost burst into tears at the grocery store because of the emotions involved in the climactic final scenes.
It's been years since I've read Tami Hoag so I had forgotten how much I like her work. This was a particularly interesting one because it deals with a woman with PTSD and a Traumatic Brain Injury, along with a vet who also has a TBI. Apparently Hoag was thrown from a horse and had a very delayed diagnosis of TBI. She also has a friend who was a vet and has the same condition. So all of this got poured into a fascinating story.
The book opens with the main character, Dana, in the back of a van with a serial killer at the wheel. He needs to make a point that a victim that was attributed to him was not actually his victim so he kidnaps the journalist covering the story to make his point. This would be Dana. She manages to escape him despite the severe trauma he's inflicted on her. As Dana tries to cope with both PTSD and a TBI, she tries to put the pieces of her life together by investigating the disappearance of the friend that led her into journalism in the first place.
Of course there are many suspects and I suspected so many people that I couldn't really help but be "right" at the end if you only look at the one bad guy (that's gender neutral, by the way) compared to all of the good guys (also gender neutral) that I suspected that were not involved.
There was a really great story in this. Not only did it very effectively pull my emotional strings, we also get the POV of a woman who's been through a kind of hell that should have left her a hollowed out zombie. We get to see her fight for her life and who she is. And along the way we get a hell of a suspense/mystery/thriller about what really happened when she was 18 and her best friend disappeared. This was a relaxing and very enjoyable way to spend 7.75 hours of my time ;)
It's been years since I've read Tami Hoag so I had forgotten how much I like her work. This was a particularly interesting one because it deals with a woman with PTSD and a Traumatic Brain Injury, along with a vet who also has a TBI. Apparently Hoag was thrown from a horse and had a very delayed diagnosis of TBI. She also has a friend who was a vet and has the same condition. So all of this got poured into a fascinating story.
The book opens with the main character, Dana, in the back of a van with a serial killer at the wheel. He needs to make a point that a victim that was attributed to him was not actually his victim so he kidnaps the journalist covering the story to make his point. This would be Dana. She manages to escape him despite the severe trauma he's inflicted on her. As Dana tries to cope with both PTSD and a TBI, she tries to put the pieces of her life together by investigating the disappearance of the friend that led her into journalism in the first place.
Of course there are many suspects and I suspected so many people that I couldn't really help but be "right" at the end if you only look at the one bad guy (that's gender neutral, by the way) compared to all of the good guys (also gender neutral) that I suspected that were not involved.
There was a really great story in this. Not only did it very effectively pull my emotional strings, we also get the POV of a woman who's been through a kind of hell that should have left her a hollowed out zombie. We get to see her fight for her life and who she is. And along the way we get a hell of a suspense/mystery/thriller about what really happened when she was 18 and her best friend disappeared. This was a relaxing and very enjoyable way to spend 7.75 hours of my time ;)
December 23, 2014
I'm new to Tami Hoag and I'm afraid on the strength of this novel I probably won't be rushing out to buy anymore.
The idea is excellent, Dana has survived a serial killer and has now returned to her hometown to recover and rebuild her life. Whilst she is there she begins to reinvestigate the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Casey. She is suffering from PTSD and mild brain damage and her memories of her previous life are sketchy, a situation not helped by the fact that her hometown is populated by a host of suspicious characters each as unpleasant as the next. Unfortunately that doesn't make it difficult to spot the real bad guy a mile off which makes the ending a bit of a let down. By the way I'm not giving much away by saying 'bad guy' the female characters in this book are all loving carers or victims another small irritant.
It was a good premise for a story and I was quite enjoying it until about half way when I started to get tired of Dana not knowing who to trust and who to believe (hint, if someone keeps telling you to stop investigating a murder there's usually a good reason!)In the end I finished it in the hope of a surprise that never came, but on the plus side the dog was still alive.
The idea is excellent, Dana has survived a serial killer and has now returned to her hometown to recover and rebuild her life. Whilst she is there she begins to reinvestigate the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Casey. She is suffering from PTSD and mild brain damage and her memories of her previous life are sketchy, a situation not helped by the fact that her hometown is populated by a host of suspicious characters each as unpleasant as the next. Unfortunately that doesn't make it difficult to spot the real bad guy a mile off which makes the ending a bit of a let down. By the way I'm not giving much away by saying 'bad guy' the female characters in this book are all loving carers or victims another small irritant.
It was a good premise for a story and I was quite enjoying it until about half way when I started to get tired of Dana not knowing who to trust and who to believe (hint, if someone keeps telling you to stop investigating a murder there's usually a good reason!)In the end I finished it in the hope of a surprise that never came, but on the plus side the dog was still alive.
June 4, 2017
2 Stars for the first part, 4 Stars for the last 170 pages.
If the reader can manage to trudge through the slightly dry and sloooow moving first 200 pages; they will be (finally) rewarded with a pretty darn good thriller/murder mystery. I appreciate the author's meticulous research into TBI, but it slowed the pacing to a crawl and was ultimately TMI.
The book ended a little abruptly and seemed unfinished. I would have liked an epilogue on Dana and John's recovery from their individual traumatic brain injuries; and an update to the reader on these characters lives.
If the reader can manage to trudge through the slightly dry and sloooow moving first 200 pages; they will be (finally) rewarded with a pretty darn good thriller/murder mystery. I appreciate the author's meticulous research into TBI, but it slowed the pacing to a crawl and was ultimately TMI.
The book ended a little abruptly and seemed unfinished. I would have liked an epilogue on Dana and John's recovery from their individual traumatic brain injuries; and an update to the reader on these characters lives.
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