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A Lee Callaway Mystery #1
The Cold Daughter
Can a father murder his only child?
As the morning sun rises over the quiet suburban neighborhood, a shocking discovery is made. The lifeless body of Kyla Gardener lies sprawled across her bed, her once-pristine white sheets now stained with the evidence of a brutal attack. She had been viciously stabbed multiple times, the killer's rage evident in every deep, jagged wound.
At the scene of the crime, investigators find Kyla's father, Paul, with bloodstains on his shirt and his fingerprints all over the murder weapon. But Paul has no memory of what happened that fateful night.
Enter Private Investigator Lee Callaway, who had been investigating Kyla's mother, Sharon, for her illicit affair with her yoga instructor. But when all evidence points to Paul as the killer, Callaway is forced to take on the case and unravel the complex web of lies and secrets surrounding the Gardener family.
As he delves deeper into the investigation, Callaway uncovers a trail of deceit and betrayal that leads him closer to the truth, and a final, shocking revelation that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.
Fans of James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and David Baldacci will love this bestselling series.
Praise for Thomas Fincham:
“James Patterson look out.”
“Thomas Fincham kept me up until almost 2am with this Lee Callaway novel.”
“Type faster Mr. Fincham!”
“I LOVE a good mystery and this is a good one. I TOTALLY ENJOYED the journey. I will definitely look for more books by Thomas Fincham.”
“Another good one by Mr. Fincham! I recently "discovered" his work and love his books! This book certainly did not disappoint.”
“It's beyond 5 stars once you get into the book it's Unstoppable total page-turner thank you Thomas Fincham.”
“Was up until 6 AM finishing this book because I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading more books by Mr. Fincham.”
“Deff. Patterson style, kept me on the edge of my seat, going to read rest of series.”
“Thank you so much Mr Fincham.”
“This is my first Fincham book, but certainly not the last!”
As the morning sun rises over the quiet suburban neighborhood, a shocking discovery is made. The lifeless body of Kyla Gardener lies sprawled across her bed, her once-pristine white sheets now stained with the evidence of a brutal attack. She had been viciously stabbed multiple times, the killer's rage evident in every deep, jagged wound.
At the scene of the crime, investigators find Kyla's father, Paul, with bloodstains on his shirt and his fingerprints all over the murder weapon. But Paul has no memory of what happened that fateful night.
Enter Private Investigator Lee Callaway, who had been investigating Kyla's mother, Sharon, for her illicit affair with her yoga instructor. But when all evidence points to Paul as the killer, Callaway is forced to take on the case and unravel the complex web of lies and secrets surrounding the Gardener family.
As he delves deeper into the investigation, Callaway uncovers a trail of deceit and betrayal that leads him closer to the truth, and a final, shocking revelation that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.
Fans of James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and David Baldacci will love this bestselling series.
Praise for Thomas Fincham:
“James Patterson look out.”
“Thomas Fincham kept me up until almost 2am with this Lee Callaway novel.”
“Type faster Mr. Fincham!”
“I LOVE a good mystery and this is a good one. I TOTALLY ENJOYED the journey. I will definitely look for more books by Thomas Fincham.”
“Another good one by Mr. Fincham! I recently "discovered" his work and love his books! This book certainly did not disappoint.”
“It's beyond 5 stars once you get into the book it's Unstoppable total page-turner thank you Thomas Fincham.”
“Was up until 6 AM finishing this book because I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading more books by Mr. Fincham.”
“Deff. Patterson style, kept me on the edge of my seat, going to read rest of series.”
“Thank you so much Mr Fincham.”
“This is my first Fincham book, but certainly not the last!”
- GenresThriller
344 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
About the author
Thomas Fincham
79 books160 followerspen name for Mobashar Qureshi
THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married with two kids, and he lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of LEE CALLAWAY series, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.
THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married with two kids, and he lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of LEE CALLAWAY series, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 10, 2026
This book series focuses on a private investigator named Lee Callaway. The first case involves a father accused of murdering his daughter. The police are convinced he did it based on evidence. However, the P.I. thinks there is something missing.
"Kyla Gardener’s dead body is found in her bed one early morning. She had been stabbed multiple times. Her father, Paul, has blood stains on his shirt and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Paul has no memory of what happened.
Kyla’s mother, Sharon, was not at home when the murder occurred. She was having an affair with her yoga instructor. Private Investigator Lee Callaway was also at the Gardener residence on the night of the murder. He had been following Sharon at the behest of his client, Paul.
When all evidence points to Paul as the murderer, Callaway takes on the case to prove his innocence. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a web of lies, secrets, and deceit." synopsis copied
"Kyla Gardener’s dead body is found in her bed one early morning. She had been stabbed multiple times. Her father, Paul, has blood stains on his shirt and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Paul has no memory of what happened.
Kyla’s mother, Sharon, was not at home when the murder occurred. She was having an affair with her yoga instructor. Private Investigator Lee Callaway was also at the Gardener residence on the night of the murder. He had been following Sharon at the behest of his client, Paul.
When all evidence points to Paul as the murderer, Callaway takes on the case to prove his innocence. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a web of lies, secrets, and deceit." synopsis copied
September 8, 2024
The overall concept of the book wasn’t bad. But the development of the book was oddly paced. It seemed to go from very slow to very fast and back again. The concepts that seasoned detectives would do very little actual investigating and no real follow up is far fetched. I realized pretty early on that their suspect was totally wrong and evidence seemed planted. And to top it off to find a suspect who appeared intoxicated/hung over and not to run a toxicology report is absurd. It could have been a great read, but was just okay. It was a quick, easy read and I don’t regret reading it. It’s just not one I’d be interested in rereading. And while I got books 1-3 for free on kindle unlimited as a bundle I’m not sure I’ll read the second and third ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
This Book Was All Over The Place...
As the first in a planned series, this book seemed to ramble all over the place for me. I never could buy into Detective Holt being so singularly obsessed with the guilt of the accused. I just didn't see anything in the "evidence" that would convince even the most inexperienced officer to be so convinced of his guilt. At any rate - I may try another book in the series and give the author another chance - sometimes it takes a bit to get your footing. Needs more show than tell...
As the first in a planned series, this book seemed to ramble all over the place for me. I never could buy into Detective Holt being so singularly obsessed with the guilt of the accused. I just didn't see anything in the "evidence" that would convince even the most inexperienced officer to be so convinced of his guilt. At any rate - I may try another book in the series and give the author another chance - sometimes it takes a bit to get your footing. Needs more show than tell...
September 23, 2025
I enjoyed this book. First time reading this author and I liked his flawed characters particularly the character of Lee Calloway, private investigator. I liked the tenacity of the lead detective who is able to admit he is wrong in the end.
I read for escapism and this novel was simply written but easy to follow. I was impressed also that it was independently published. I will be reading more novels by Mr. Fincham!
I read for escapism and this novel was simply written but easy to follow. I was impressed also that it was independently published. I will be reading more novels by Mr. Fincham!
August 28, 2025
At first, I wasn't too impressed with the main character. Lee Callaway, but eventually I began to admire his tenacity and detective skills. The same goes for the book: For about the first half, I found it lacking in "oomph" power, but then things got interesting and eventually all the facts came out in a logical, realistic manner.
February 7, 2024
The lead investigator was infuriating. It was almost hard to read. They said twice they finally had motive. I connected dots in the investigation faster than Dee and Dum. I just wanted to forward the book to see who did it. It felt rushed in the end. It was....ok.
December 22, 2025
This was not a bad book, but it was a slow build up and then all of a sudden... SOLVED. The one thing I liked about the book were the small chapters, yes there are a lot in the book but they are only 4 - 6 pages long.
Did Not Finish
July 8, 2026This book said it was the first in a series. I love books like that. So I started reading it. I got about 50 pages in and figured out that there is way too much information being given for this to be a first book. I felt like I was reading book 3 or 4 with how much of an information dump there was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
My new favorite detective! 🕵️ can’t wait for his next case.
September 23, 2025
This book comes with a lot of surprises, that’s all I am going to say.
January 14, 2026
Stumbled across this series today. A great who dunnit book. Would definitely recommend. I'm sure I will read the whole series!
Did Not Finish
August 15, 2026I read this book under another title by the same author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews