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Carly Phoenix FBI Suspense Thriller #1
Cold Justice
When brilliant FBI Agent Carly Phoenix’s recklessness has her demoted to the Cold Case unit, she stumbles upon an unexpected opportunity to solve a case that others couldn’t—and finds herself in a deadly race against time as she stirs up dangers left unturned, shocked to realize there may just still be time to save the next victim….
In the grip of Chicago's frigid winter, a killer has turned victims into ice sculptures, and Carly Phoenix must meld her brilliance and instinct if she hopes to solve the case in time.
COLD JUSTICE (A Carly Phoenix FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) is the first novel in a new series by mystery and suspense author Taylor Stark.
The Carly Phoenix series is an intense and riveting thriller featuring a complex and troubled female protagonist. Brimming with suspense, unexpected turns, and a pulse-pounding tempo, this series ensures an enthralling experience that's bound to keep you turning pages late into the night. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Teresa Driscoll, and Lisa Regan are sure to fall in love.
Future books in the series are also available!
In the grip of Chicago's frigid winter, a killer has turned victims into ice sculptures, and Carly Phoenix must meld her brilliance and instinct if she hopes to solve the case in time.
COLD JUSTICE (A Carly Phoenix FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) is the first novel in a new series by mystery and suspense author Taylor Stark.
The Carly Phoenix series is an intense and riveting thriller featuring a complex and troubled female protagonist. Brimming with suspense, unexpected turns, and a pulse-pounding tempo, this series ensures an enthralling experience that's bound to keep you turning pages late into the night. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Teresa Driscoll, and Lisa Regan are sure to fall in love.
Future books in the series are also available!
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2024
701 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 11, 2024
Too many frivolous words.
Ok so Taylor is an English major, but damn, too !much description.
Too wordy. Ok plot, But enough with verbose.
Ok so Taylor is an English major, but damn, too !much description.
Too wordy. Ok plot, But enough with verbose.
September 25, 2024
It gets a bit better if you can make it through the first chapter. Over use of extensive description of the smallest of movements gets tiring. The author repeats the same action. Ex. Reading about how thin her coat was and the sound she makes walking in the snow did not need to be repeated two times. Also, there were inconsistencies in the story. Ex. Carly was from Chicago and knew the area, then later she doesn't. The book could have used a better editor.
The characters are FBI agents trying to figure out a cold case. The reader is sent down paths to many leads, each one as convincing as the last, but they do not pan out. The final lead is one that is so obvious the agents should have hit on it immediately.
The book read like a final paper done by a first year college student.
I gave a one star because the story line was ok.
The characters are FBI agents trying to figure out a cold case. The reader is sent down paths to many leads, each one as convincing as the last, but they do not pan out. The final lead is one that is so obvious the agents should have hit on it immediately.
The book read like a final paper done by a first year college student.
I gave a one star because the story line was ok.
September 23, 2024
One of the worst books I have ever read, jejeune, over-written, without an ounce of enticing plot, utterly predictable. I skimmed to the end because I had nothing else to do during a long flight. Why on earth did this lead to a series? Self-published probably.
August 13, 2024
The reckless pursuit of a subject nearly costing Carly Phoenix her life leads to her demotion to the Cold Case unit in Chicago. Determined to remain dedicated to her work, Carly delves into a 39-year-old case of a woman who was stabbed and then posed in the snow. Finding a connection with other cases, Carly realises she is now investigating a serial murderer.
I was nonplused when I hit Chapter 5 without getting to know the main character. There was much verbiage in terms of metaphoric description which neither moved the story along nor expanded on the main character's traits. Admittedly, I knew she was rash and reckless, but that seems to be the theme for all female FBI agents in current books.
The rest of my review involves events that occur later in the story, so I'll hide my remarks under a spoiler tag.
If you like slow-burn FBI procedurals, this might be the book for you.
I was nonplused when I hit Chapter 5 without getting to know the main character. There was much verbiage in terms of metaphoric description which neither moved the story along nor expanded on the main character's traits. Admittedly, I knew she was rash and reckless, but that seems to be the theme for all female FBI agents in current books.
The rest of my review involves events that occur later in the story, so I'll hide my remarks under a spoiler tag.
If you like slow-burn FBI procedurals, this might be the book for you.
October 11, 2024
This is my first book by Taylor Stark.
Cold Justice is a refreshing change of pace book from all the prior FBI suspense books (by various other authors I've read over the years). There is the typical trope of a dead family member. But this time it's not the sister of the FBI agent; it's someone else in Carly's family. In addition, the author does mention the deceased family member and her brother, but very rarely.
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars but with the errors contained in the book, I couldn't justify 5 stars. There were hard to skip over noticeable errors in this book. The most glaring on is on the first page of chapter one, "Carly" is mentioned twice - the second time Carly is misspelled as "Cary." Then there were a couple uses of an incorrect version of a word, i.e. "Due you .." instead of "Do you..." Plus several more errors. (Are there no proofreaders or copy editors any more???)
The errors are the only issue I have with Taylor Stark and Cold Justice.
The plot of Cold Justice is gripping. It also is about cold cases which requires less immediate action than active cases. Esp. in Cold Justice as the cold case Carly is assigned is 39 years cold.
Very good and enjoyable read. I plan on reading more Taylor Stark books (with hopefully less errors).
Cold Justice is a refreshing change of pace book from all the prior FBI suspense books (by various other authors I've read over the years). There is the typical trope of a dead family member. But this time it's not the sister of the FBI agent; it's someone else in Carly's family. In addition, the author does mention the deceased family member and her brother, but very rarely.
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars but with the errors contained in the book, I couldn't justify 5 stars. There were hard to skip over noticeable errors in this book. The most glaring on is on the first page of chapter one, "Carly" is mentioned twice - the second time Carly is misspelled as "Cary." Then there were a couple uses of an incorrect version of a word, i.e. "Due you .." instead of "Do you..." Plus several more errors. (Are there no proofreaders or copy editors any more???)
The errors are the only issue I have with Taylor Stark and Cold Justice.
The plot of Cold Justice is gripping. It also is about cold cases which requires less immediate action than active cases. Esp. in Cold Justice as the cold case Carly is assigned is 39 years cold.
Very good and enjoyable read. I plan on reading more Taylor Stark books (with hopefully less errors).
November 18, 2024
This was rather a good book! Really enjoyed it. Carly Phoenix works for the FBI but is rather a reckless character making errors and playing it solo, so she gets demoted and is moved across to a cold case unit in Chicago which is were she comes from. Her new boss is Michael Grayson, known as Gray for short, he seems a decent chap and they begin to trawl through cold cases and come across two suspicious similar deaths, two women who were found by trees around the lake and posed strangely as it pointing towards something. Both were stabbed 13 times. As they dig deeper Carly thinks they are serial killer deaths and they go and visit the sites, when they get back to the office Carly starts looking for other victims, and finds another 2, all poised by trees in the same area and all in winter and had been frozen, covered with ice. They weren't exactly on the ball, the police in Chicago.
Carly and Gray begin the manhunt for the serial killer. They work well as a team and he's a pretty good boss, lets her travel her own path and seems to be impressed with her reasoning, if a little hot headed. The ending was good too. This may well be a series I follow as I really liked the two leads.
Carly and Gray begin the manhunt for the serial killer. They work well as a team and he's a pretty good boss, lets her travel her own path and seems to be impressed with her reasoning, if a little hot headed. The ending was good too. This may well be a series I follow as I really liked the two leads.
December 15, 2025
A Gripping Mystery Buried in Extra Words
A Gripping Mystery Buried in Extra Words
I’ve rated this 3.5 stars ⭐️
Cold Justice was ultimately a good and engaging read. It blends mystery, personal growth, and suspense in a way that kept me at least somewhat on the edge of my seat. The storyline itself is intriguing, and I appreciated how the characters evolve as the plot unfolds.
That said, I struggled a bit with the author’s writing style. At times it felt overly wordy, with frequent use of large or complex vocabulary where simpler language would have been just as effective. There were moments that read like filler, which slowed the pacing for me. Although this is a relatively short book, it felt longer than it needed to because of that extra fluff.
Even with that critique, the mystery was compelling enough to keep me reading, and I did enjoy the overall concept. I plan to continue the series in hopes that the writing style becomes easier for me to settle into, because the story itself has real potential.
Overall, a solid read with an interesting plot, even if the writing style was not quite for me.
A Gripping Mystery Buried in Extra Words
I’ve rated this 3.5 stars ⭐️
Cold Justice was ultimately a good and engaging read. It blends mystery, personal growth, and suspense in a way that kept me at least somewhat on the edge of my seat. The storyline itself is intriguing, and I appreciated how the characters evolve as the plot unfolds.
That said, I struggled a bit with the author’s writing style. At times it felt overly wordy, with frequent use of large or complex vocabulary where simpler language would have been just as effective. There were moments that read like filler, which slowed the pacing for me. Although this is a relatively short book, it felt longer than it needed to because of that extra fluff.
Even with that critique, the mystery was compelling enough to keep me reading, and I did enjoy the overall concept. I plan to continue the series in hopes that the writing style becomes easier for me to settle into, because the story itself has real potential.
Overall, a solid read with an interesting plot, even if the writing style was not quite for me.
May 12, 2025
Cold Justice is the first book in this mystery, suspense, thriller series that is gripping and end-of-the-seat action-packed. The main protagonist, FBI Agent Carly Phoenix is good at here job but her tendency to go overboard with enthusiasm and verve gets her demoted to the Cold Case Division.
This division seems to fit her well since she is tenacious with her first case and will not back down until she solves it. She wants to see those responsible put to justice and give the long bereaving families some relief. This particular case is a murder of a young and successful woman. When Carly delves deeper into the evidence she discovers more murders that could be committed by the same perpetrator. She becomes supercharged and continues to push herself until she finds some surprising similarities that even her supervisor cannot ignore.
This was a thrilling beginning to this unputdownable series with an intriguing main protagonist. I look forward to more in this series from this talented author.
This division seems to fit her well since she is tenacious with her first case and will not back down until she solves it. She wants to see those responsible put to justice and give the long bereaving families some relief. This particular case is a murder of a young and successful woman. When Carly delves deeper into the evidence she discovers more murders that could be committed by the same perpetrator. She becomes supercharged and continues to push herself until she finds some surprising similarities that even her supervisor cannot ignore.
This was a thrilling beginning to this unputdownable series with an intriguing main protagonist. I look forward to more in this series from this talented author.
August 3, 2025
This is the first book I've read by this author. The author's easy-to-read writing style and vivid descriptions had me hooked from the start. Carly Phoenix, an FBI serial killer profiler, had multiple layers and a knack for finding her murderer. Pushing a little too hard and not sticking to the rules, she is demoted to solving cold cases in her hometown of Chicago.
The story is fast-paced, a page-turner with lots of twists and turns to throw you off as to who the killer is. It had me fooled till the ending. Carly has lots of grit, determination, and a profound ability to profile. I enjoyed the book as it led me down one rabbit hole after another. Can't wait to read more.
The story is fast-paced, a page-turner with lots of twists and turns to throw you off as to who the killer is. It had me fooled till the ending. Carly has lots of grit, determination, and a profound ability to profile. I enjoyed the book as it led me down one rabbit hole after another. Can't wait to read more.
October 18, 2025
good read
The storyline had holes in it but overall it was good. How in the world could someone imagine an ice museum that contained sculptures of living people who died grisly deaths? Would old nightclub/speak easies really keep guest lists of patrons from five decades ago? Shouldn’t some of the witnesses have died of old age or trauma instead of being hale and hardy to linger to be interviewed? These cops were very lucky in their investigations. Doesn’t speak well for the talents of our LEO’s of the past. But, it’s just a fictional story, no truth in it. Interesting and kept my attention. Good job.
The storyline had holes in it but overall it was good. How in the world could someone imagine an ice museum that contained sculptures of living people who died grisly deaths? Would old nightclub/speak easies really keep guest lists of patrons from five decades ago? Shouldn’t some of the witnesses have died of old age or trauma instead of being hale and hardy to linger to be interviewed? These cops were very lucky in their investigations. Doesn’t speak well for the talents of our LEO’s of the past. But, it’s just a fictional story, no truth in it. Interesting and kept my attention. Good job.
December 31, 2024
Carly Phoenix doesn’t play by the rules. As a member of the FBI that doesn’t put the right face in front of the camera, so she gets transferred from the BAU to cold-cases in her hometown of Chicago. Amidst familiar streets, she latches onto a cold case and then realizes it shares similarities to others. Will she find justice for the women in her case files or more empty dust?
I wanted to like this book. Some of the flashbacks were disturbingly focused, but overall another draft would have helped work out some of the inconsistencies that frustrated me as a reader.
I wanted to like this book. Some of the flashbacks were disturbingly focused, but overall another draft would have helped work out some of the inconsistencies that frustrated me as a reader.
January 2, 2025
Cold Justice
Taylor Stark
Wow!
This is a well-crafted story with clues hidden under dust and scattered in time. It takes a brilliant mind to put all the puzzle pieces together. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Taylor Stark
Wow!
This is a well-crafted story with clues hidden under dust and scattered in time. It takes a brilliant mind to put all the puzzle pieces together. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
July 19, 2025
THe story premise was good, but too many inconsistencies. First it was 30 years ago, and then they are asking where people were 40 years ago. The first 2 deaths were 6 months apart and both frozen outdoors, which would not be possible (as that would make them Nov and May). Then they were Nov. '85 and Feb. '86 (3 months). When questioning about Feb. 86 murder they ask where people were late in '86. The air conditioner kicks on in the office giving her a chill, but when she goes outside she is crunching in the snow. They need to keep the story line consistent.
October 8, 2025
I liked the premise. I liked the plot. I didn't like all the descriptions and mostly scanned the book. The premise is an old one though....rogue agent demoted to another department and then makes good there. The hunt for the killer was a good enough plot, but some parts were left hanging...like the mob boss who Carly vowed to do something about. Good enough read, and maybe good enough to go for a second book....but I won't be searching for it. If I come across it, I will grab it. Worth a second chance.
August 12, 2024
A cold case needs to be solved
FBI agent Carly Phoenix had just been demoted and reassigned. She isn't happy about been back home but she is here to catch a killer. Can she find solve this cold case that has been waiting decades to be solved? She knows that she can't fail and she will do whatever she has to. Carly knows that she will find the killer she needs to close these cold cases. But how far will she go? A good read
FBI agent Carly Phoenix had just been demoted and reassigned. She isn't happy about been back home but she is here to catch a killer. Can she find solve this cold case that has been waiting decades to be solved? She knows that she can't fail and she will do whatever she has to. Carly knows that she will find the killer she needs to close these cold cases. But how far will she go? A good read
August 17, 2024
Brilliant
What a fantastic read, Carly and Gray make a fantastic team, however I think that the FBI superiors are asshants! I think that Carly and Grey make them look a wee bit better. I hope that Carly stays where she is! Well done Taylor, a brilliant start to a promising start to Carly Pheonix.
What a fantastic read, Carly and Gray make a fantastic team, however I think that the FBI superiors are asshants! I think that Carly and Grey make them look a wee bit better. I hope that Carly stays where she is! Well done Taylor, a brilliant start to a promising start to Carly Pheonix.
August 19, 2024
Well Crafted Mystery
I enjoyed reading this well crafted mystery. Taylor Stark use of words created clear pictures of the setting, Chicago,, and workings of Carly Phoenix's thinking. Stark made me feel as if I was acquainted with Carly as a friend. If you like words that paint pictures this book is for you.
I enjoyed reading this well crafted mystery. Taylor Stark use of words created clear pictures of the setting, Chicago,, and workings of Carly Phoenix's thinking. Stark made me feel as if I was acquainted with Carly as a friend. If you like words that paint pictures this book is for you.
September 24, 2024
Excellent read, the character development was on the fly, so you got to know (and care) about the characters as the story unfolded. Although the story went back in time for some of the chapters (one chapter per character), the story was still moving along at a good pace. Well worth a read if you haven't already.
February 13, 2025
Heart breaking
When Carly Phoenix, once a top notch FBI agent, finds herself in trouble for her actions, and is demoted and reassigned to the cold cases division, all seems lost but she soon finds strength and a new vision, thanks to her new partner, and between them set out to discover facts about a 40 year old mysterious and bizarre murder.
When Carly Phoenix, once a top notch FBI agent, finds herself in trouble for her actions, and is demoted and reassigned to the cold cases division, all seems lost but she soon finds strength and a new vision, thanks to her new partner, and between them set out to discover facts about a 40 year old mysterious and bizarre murder.
August 19, 2024
I wanted to give this a 2 stars bc it was pretty mediocre and the writing/conversations were repetitive but it did hold my attention enough to read it all in one day so I guess I can’t be that critical
September 4, 2024
Ice cold dead !
A new twist for an old story line. A well written story and page turner for sure. A first read by this author but certainly not the last, will be looking for more of Starks books!
A new twist for an old story line. A well written story and page turner for sure. A first read by this author but certainly not the last, will be looking for more of Starks books!
September 17, 2024
2.7 / 5
she was good! a little underwhelming, didn’t turn my world upside down but was a fun and intriguing mystery!
i didn’t feel any connection to carly or gray as characters but the case was good to follow - writing style didn’t really do it for me either.
she was good! a little underwhelming, didn’t turn my world upside down but was a fun and intriguing mystery!
i didn’t feel any connection to carly or gray as characters but the case was good to follow - writing style didn’t really do it for me either.
September 30, 2024
Good read.
I nearly stopped reading the book but so glad I did not. What a story. The beginning started with overly descriptive sentences which was over the top. Afterwards the author stopped doing that and the book became nice reading.
I nearly stopped reading the book but so glad I did not. What a story. The beginning started with overly descriptive sentences which was over the top. Afterwards the author stopped doing that and the book became nice reading.
November 28, 2024
She is a women on the edge
Carly Phoenix is an FBI Agent. She has been demoted for not following rules. She's a top agent and has been sent to work cold case's . This is a fast pace story that will keep your interrst.
Carly Phoenix is an FBI Agent. She has been demoted for not following rules. She's a top agent and has been sent to work cold case's . This is a fast pace story that will keep your interrst.
November 30, 2024
Great story
Wow, this was a great story with so many twists and turns dead ends left turns right turns before we found the killer!! The author did a great job of keeping the reader connected to the book. I will be reading the next in the series.
Wow, this was a great story with so many twists and turns dead ends left turns right turns before we found the killer!! The author did a great job of keeping the reader connected to the book. I will be reading the next in the series.
January 2, 2025
This was a free book on Amazon and it was a good cold case story. It is the 1st book of a series and I might continue to read more of the books. It contained a couple typos and that does drive me crazy though!!
January 4, 2025
Quick and easy read, nothing too special really. Seemed to follow the classic formula of FBI agent transferred, solves case and has some personal drama to deal with as well. Decently written but I just wasn’t that interested overall.
May 3, 2025
Personally the book came up short for me. I felt the author over used description, at the repeating descriptions of the weather and how the characters felt internally. It wasn’t bad…I just expected more.
November 6, 2025
good story
I really liked this mystery of cold cases. Carly is a good cop with good instincts. I liked the fact that there was no tension between her and the old cop, Gray. They worked well together.
I really liked this mystery of cold cases. Carly is a good cop with good instincts. I liked the fact that there was no tension between her and the old cop, Gray. They worked well together.
November 12, 2025
I enjoyed the story about the cold cases.
My only issue is: How were these murders not linked after the second or third or fourth? Yes, the murders were over time but the display of the bodies should have rung bells in the cop minds.
My only issue is: How were these murders not linked after the second or third or fourth? Yes, the murders were over time but the display of the bodies should have rung bells in the cop minds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews