Gone Cold

Becca Thorn #1

by Rylie Dark

As a child, she was rescued from a brainwashing cult. Now, FBI Agent Becca Thorn hunts killers in dark places that exist outside of regular society.

When a series of drowning victims are found arranged in macabre religious displays, FBI Agent Becca Thorn is thrust into a twisted game of cat and mouse with a serial killer. As she delves deeper, Becca must navigate a web of deception before more lives are claimed–or risk becoming the next victim herself.
GONE COLD is book #1 in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed mystery and suspense author Rylie Dark, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

A page-turning and harrowing psychological thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured female protagonist, Becca Thorn is a riveting mystery series, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2024

About the author

Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting),of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting).

Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK

ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER

FIRST, MURDER (Book #1)

SECOND, DEATH (Book #2)

THIRD, ENVY (Book #3)

FOURTH, LUST (Book #4)

FIFTH, WRATH (Book #5)

HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

BEHIND YOU (Book #1)

BESIDE YOU (Book #2)

AFTER YOU (Book #3)

WATCHING YOU (Book #4)

JUDGING YOU (Book #5)

TARA STRONG MYSTERY

GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1)

GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2)

GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3)

GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4)

GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5)

SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ONLY MURDER (Book #1)

ONLY RAGE (Book #2)

ONLY HIS (Book #3)

ONLY ONCE (Book #4)

ONLY SPITE (Book #5)

ONLY MADNESS (Book #6)

MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SEE HER RUN (Book #1)

SEE HER HIDE (Book #2)

SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3)

SEE HER VANISH (Book #4)

SEE HER GONE (Book #5)

SEE HER DEAD (Book #6)

CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NO WAY OUT (Book #1)

NO WAY BACK (Book #2)

NO WAY HOME (Book #3)

NO WAY LEFT (Book #4)

NO WAY UP (Book #5)

NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6)

MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

TOO LATE (Book #1)

TOO CLOSE (Book #2)

TOO FAR GONE (Book #3)

TOO LOST (Book #4)

TOO BROKEN (Book #5)

Reviews

[Grațian · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL;DR
I do not recommend this book, read my extensive section if you need more information.

My Scoring System
I have five things I look for in a book, if the book checks all five it's a 5/5 stars book, if it checks none it's a 1/5 stars and everything else is a combination:

✓ - Main Story: Pretty boring, there were constant "we need to do x, it might helps us see the bigger picture". Where I was "wait, where are you getting that from?" or "Okay, that's a little far fetched there.". It's hard to describe but while reading this book I knew I was reading a crime story that was written by someone.

X - Side Stories (if it applies): The trauma of our main protagonist I didn't believe it, she just lived in a cult for her first nine years and she keeps talking about it like she suffered her whole life and had to "deprogram" from that cult's teachings. I don't think teaching a child of nine years of age to think differently is such a behemoth of a task honestly.

X - Characters: Boring as well I did not believe Becca's trauma as she's constantly having nightmare and everything she sees reminds her of her previous life. The constant "it's over now, that life is gone" while still being trapped in the past and unable to let go or move on is frustrating.

✓- Setting/Ambiance: Nothing stands out, cool open forests and scenery though.

X - Ending: Nothing unexpected happened, no "Ohhh he's the one?". No, the criminal is just some random who never had any connection or seen the main protagonist. So when it got resolved I was left unsatisfied.


Extensive Review
I'm sitting at my desk, my figure casting a long shadow over the table from the barely opened blind. I need to write a review for Gone Cold, I feel a chill down my spine and my heart skips a beat at the thought. I decide to get up and open the blind more, exposing myself to the dawn sun. My heart skips a beat at the golden hour rays that make me squint as my eyes try to adjust at the abrupt contrast in lighting. I open the window and the cold breeze sends a chill down my spine. As I turn back I see my entire body casting a long shadow over the room now. Typing steadily on my keyboard, each word a grim reminder of the story and it's characters, without warning I get chills over my spine as I try to push those thoughts away. Reading the epilogue and seeing how the author has more than twenty other books is enough to send a chill down my spine and my heart skips a beat imagining myself reading more of these stories. While reviewing what I typed I see my long shadow that was cast on the wall nodding in unison with me, agreeing with my thoughts. We looked at each other, staring silently as the birds outside are in constant battle with each other chirping away their feelings. I see the shadow going away slowly fading with each second more and more as if saying he's had enough and cannot be with me anymore. All I can do is watch and let him go, I cannot stop him for I have no more control over him as he has over me. The moment he's completely gone a chill ran down my spine, as if I just lost a brother. The long shadow that was cast on my room is no longer there, was this a response from reading the book or am I loosing my sanity? A chill ran down my spine as I look back at the window. Ah today's going to be cloudy.

That was not a joke, I'm just getting into reading and I mainly read science fiction but in my 30 books read I've never seen this happening. This book has twenty-seven chapters, by chapter three I was already telling myself "Okay, what is going on with the "Casting a long shadow over..." and "Becca's heart skipped a beat" and "felt a chill down her spine"?". It's so annoying that I could not get to enjoy the story which is already pretty boring but I cannot tell you how many times I rolled my eyes reading one of those three sentences over and over and over and over. There's a part where it says "chill ran down her spine" and literally two paragraphs down it says it again.

I don't have crazy standards but I swear I've never had this problem with any other book I've read which makes me assume that this was a poorly written book. The story was not interesting, we all know that your protagonist is just as good as your villain, and when your villain is just some random being evil for the sake of it, it makes your protagonist boring as well. The villain had no connection with our protagonist never even seen her so when they finally meet it's nothing special.

The banter between the main protagonists was fine, when the author didn't get a chance to describe casting shadows or chills running down spines or skipping heartbeats I was enjoying reading it. They felt like two people in a conversation not just two imaginary characters talking to each other.

I don't want to be mean or hurt the author but seeing how she's written so many books I will assume she's gotten better in her later books so this review shouldn't matter that much. This is honestly how I felt. I don't want to read a book I don't enjoy and I'm sure the author doesn't want that either.

To those "reviews" that I saw at the end of the book getting quoted did not read the same book as I. They're talking about how this book has amazing twists which it has none, saying "I never guessed who the murdered was" yeah that's because he's some random without any connection to anyone so of course you can't guess him.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becca Thorn is an FBI agent plagued by her past which at the same time casts doubts it gives her strength to pursue the wrongdoers. She is also franticly looking for her sister, at least she believes she has a sister, who used to live with her in the religious compound. In Gone Cold Becca and Jack will be searching for a killer who goes after women who gave up their religious beliefs. Although it has a good storyline the narrative is somewhat repetitive (the agents praising one another or giving support to each other, for example). Despite the previous comments, it's a good start to a new series.
I thank Ms. Dark for this ARC.

[Theo S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow was there a lot of repetition for such a short book. If I have to read “casting long shadows” again I’ll lose it lol.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series feels different than some of her others. It still has the trademark missing female family member, but it is interesting that the adoptive father believes the missing sister is imaginary. I’ve read quite a few of these type of books and while a lot of them have some religious aspects this one was very deeply ingrained to the point that the FBI agent came from a cult.

The one thing I didn’t like is how upset/angry she got when her partner didnt immediately believe her when she didn’t think they had the killer in custody. In 2 years of working together they’ve never disagreed on a case? Never had splintering paths of what they believed to be the right next step? And the fact that she went ahead, alone, to prove her point is so typical of a female lead when her partner/other people don’t immediately believe that she knows better than everyone. If the main character in this book were a man, then the final scenes of how the killer was found and caught would never have been written that way.

[Rebecca Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Cold by Rylie Dark kicks off the Becca Thorn FBI series, and it’s got a lot going for it if you're into fast-paced thrillers. Becca, the main character, is dealing with the baggage of her ex-cult. There's this personal angle that makes the story feel more intense. You can tell from the start that Becca’s not just a tough agent — she’s got depth, with real emotional struggles that make her feel human. The suspense is solid, and Rylie Dark knows how to keep the tension building. There are twists and turns, and if you like FBI procedural stuff, this book delivers that too. That said, if you read a lot of crime thrillers, some parts of the plot might feel a bit formulaic — it's got a few tropes that will seem familiar. But Becca’s character holds it together, and she’s interesting enough that you’ll want to see where the series goes next. If you enjoy thrillers with strong female leads and a good mix of action and psychology, it’s worth a shot. It's in the same lane as Blake Pierce or James Patterson, so if you’re into those, you’ll enjoy Gone Cold.

[Avid · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 🌟 rating, but not possible, so I rounded up.

The audio reading wanted me to quit BEFORE knowing how boring the book itself was. Anytime some attempts to make every sentence of the book sound dramatic, you've lost me. ie: The little boy ran into the park to play fetch with his new puppy. (This is not in the book, only an example. ) This would be read with such angst, worry, and trepidation in the story, but there's no reason. 🤷‍♀️ Then, when something does happen , the voice pitch should matter... it remains exactly the same. If the boy were to get kidnapped in my example above, you'd never know by the tone of the voice. It's the same as when they played in the park.

The story I would give probably a 3 🌟 rating. It was okay. It barely met my standards, but if I read it instead of listening to an audio, I think the overall story had substance, a good plot, and okay characters.

Recommended only if NOT audio 👍

[Pamela Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone Cold

No vulgar language. No explicit sex. Several descriptions of murder and death. Rated R for content. Cults are discussed and their way of living as are zealots and others who leave religions for strong beliefs. The storyline is current with what you would find in a news article today. The writer based her research in a state where cults are commonly heard of and discussed. Witchcraft isn’t as commonly brought up in today’s cult situations as I know of but with zealots and mental illness it could be possible. I enjoyed the book with the main female protagonist having first hand knowledge of her cases by being in a cult. I question her age at the time as to how much knowledge she would have retained as an adult. And her imagination as it comes out at the end of the book. Interesting read .

[Cg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, this was very poorly written and not editorially reviewed to catch many errors. On just about every page the author is locked into word phrases and multiple repetitions to...make book longer or simply a new writer??

It is SO easy to use 'find and replace' to rephrase repeated thoughts instead of limited grammer. This was NOT an enjoyable read. In addition the 'partner' in the book who is said to be the senior agent of the two never contributes to the investigation and acts unintelligently, so why have him in the book? I am more interested in substance in my plots and characters.

[Susi Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so Becca grew up in a cult, we get it, no need to turn every situation into her past.
Becca has green eyes, we know this because we are told several times, twice in one chapter!
Chills run up her spine... Regularly
Dark shadows are cast... All the damn time
And just incase you didn't know, the walls at the station are cool😉
Boring characters, no ambiance, Not one of the best starts to a new series.

[Mary Lou Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ AND REPEAT

Yes, some repeating of facts keeps the reader from feeling lost in a complicated plot, but repeating main plot frame points every other page is trite, boring, and insulting. However, it's not just plot points, it is also descriptions. The shadows are always growing, her green eyes, etc.
Somebody please give this author a thesaurus.

[Mel Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started so promisingly, but was a big disappointment. Casting eerie shadows was a phrase used so much, it was annoying. The storyline had potential but it went no where. Very badly written. Made me wonder if AI wrote it. Repetitive phrasing, characters that don't fit, random bits of info that relate to nothing. Save yourself time, skip this one.

[Uraveragemuggle · Rating 1 out of 5]

My heart absolutely breaks rating this so low but it just wasn't for me.
I think a large reason I didn't love it is because I live in the state where the book takes place. I have never read a book that takes place in my home state but this one definitely didn't hit the mark for me.

[Jodi Kenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb!

High praise from someone who doesn't usually take the time to write it! I am glad I got the first one and will proceed from here.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 6/24

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively quick and easy read, following a well established FBI agent style. Nothing really to criticize but nothing too exciting either.

[Helen Skegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical FBI murder
Was ok but nothing special

[Nina Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different but good.

[Sanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

becca sure did a lot of recalling and remembering of her past and the first divine

[Shirley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very not well written. The use of so many adjectives should be forbidden.

[Janell Hartzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escaping a cult has lasting effects.

[Michelle Willms · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and needed research

Author needed more knowledge about procedures. So much was just unbelievable. Also, plot was thin. Author repeated entire sentences. Very frustrating.