In From the Cold

The Carlin Series #1

by Rose Robbins

"Abuse wears many faces - some subtle, some violent, but all dangerous and destructive."Tess Brancyk is a young mother of two who seems to have an idyllic life. But hidden within her family is a secret that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear. Is Tess losing her grip on reality, or could her husband Mark be manipulating everything around her for his own dark purpose? Fear and lies become a way of life until finally, she must tear her family apart in order to survive.But what if "the worst that could happen" is the beginning of a journey into true love and happiness? In the process, Tess must question her judgment, her beliefs and her very identity.

Genres: Drama, Romantic Suspense

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Hello, I'm Rose Robbins, and I'm a words addict. I love words, whether they are in a book, a newspaper, a text message, or scrawled on a bathroom wall. Sometimes when I am at a friend's home, I see something with words on it, like a letter or something personal, and I can't help reading it. It's not because I am a snoop, I swear! It's just that I really can't resist words on a page or screen. They MUST be read!
Happily, I have settled on a way to safely satisfy my constant craving for words - I write them myself. I still love reading things at other people's houses, but now if I wake in the night jonesing for some words, I can just create some to get myself through another day.

Reviews

[Robert Bidinotto · Rating 5 out of 5]

In from the Cold is a gripping story, by turns haunting, harrowing, and ultimately, heroic.

It's the tale of Tess, a young woman with small children who finds herself trapped in a marriage with a sociopath. The horror sneaks up on you: The tale starts with the ordinary, banal, even boring details of Tess's marriage, outside friendships, activities, etc. Only a few things seem a bit "off" about her handsome husband Mark: he's strongly opinionated and a bit of a control freak, yes, but doing nothing particularly outrageous.

But as time passes, Mark becomes -- or reveals himself to be -- something far, far more sinister than merely "opinionated" or "controlling." He is a cold-blooded psychological sadist, deviously manipulative, taking pleasure in acquiring, then exercising, total power over his unsuspecting wife. Behind her back, he methodically, insidiously undermines her reputation among all their mutual family and friends -- then with police, pastors, psychologists, and even her own parents. His goal: to make her appear to be emotionally unstable and a bad mother, so that he can hold her tattered reputation over her head should she ever try to leave him, then try to get custody of the children she loves.

And so he weaves a web for complete control...

I have studied criminal psychopathology and sociopaths during years of journalistic investigations of the criminal justice system. The depiction of Mark is one of the most bone-chillingly realistic portraits of a deviously cunning sociopath that I have ever encountered. How he manipulates reality even in casual conversations is beyond creepy. You will not believe the extremes to which he is willing to go to dominate another human being. Mark's characterization ought to go into psychological textbooks under the topic of "psychopathology."

After six years of "marriage," Tess finds herself trapped in a hell of increasing brutality and terrifying insanity. Her reputation destroyed, her self-esteem and self-confidence smothered in the Kafka-esque unreality Mark has created all around her, Tess fears for her life and for her children's safety.

And yet...and yet, she still maintains a tenacious, if tentative, grip on reality -- just enough of a hand-hold to start her on the long, frightening climb toward liberation, and, eventually, a new and happy life.

This is not the kind of fiction I normally read, but I am glad that I have. Rose Robbins has great gifts as a natural-born storyteller, gifts of characterization and narrative power that sweep aside as irrelevant the occasional rawness of technique that is to be expected from any first-time novelist.

Anyone who has had to deal with an abuser, or who finds himself/herself in an abusive relationship (personal or professional) with a manipulator, will find this book eye-opening and enlightening -- but also encouraging. In from the Cold may give him or her the insight and inspiration they will need to follow Tess's courageous path to self-liberation and, finally, to self-fulfillment.

One thing it will give to any reader, however, is a compelling, gripping story. This is a dazzling debut. I can't wait for more fiction from the keyboard of Rose Robbins.

--Robert Bidinotto, author,

HUNTER: A Thriller (#1 Kindle "Mystery & Thriller" bestseller)
BAD DEEDS: A Dylan Hunter Thriller (May 2014)

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In From The Cold is the story of how a young woman rebuilds her life after leaving an abusive marriage.
As other reviewers have noted, what makes this story so chilling is that the abuse Tess endures is so banal: while there are some episodes of humiliating physical contact, the majority of the abuse Tess' husband Mark inflicts is psychological; his constant belittling of her has made her doubt her ability to make decisions for herself. Fortunately, Tess has some sense of self left, and when her husband unapologetically violates her privacy, she starts to realize that he is the problem, not her.
Many women in abusive relationships report isolation that perpetuates itself as the abuse continues. Tess is connected to a religious community, but the values of her church reinforce her husband's belief that he should be in charge of her very soul. To make matters worse, he has told not only fellow churchgoers but also her family that Tess is mentally unstable. In the end, Tess has no choice but to make plans to flee. And then the story really starts.
The story is ultimately about a woman who learns to love and trust herself after spending a lifetime being told that she was essentially worthless. I was moved by the realism of the young woman's situation, and anyone who has ever dealt with a manipulative person will applaud Robbins for so accurately portraying what those interactions feel like.

[Vanda Bromwich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a Christian woman in an abusive relationship and how she deals with it.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

the story of how some people see the Lord and how they use that to convince the wife's that they should be able to control on there minds and bodies.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Thoughtfully story sculpted about abuse and what it takes to move beyond the situation.

[Monica Sarff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting read

Wonderfully complex characters seeking g answers in complicated lives. Soul searching for answers and waiting for God to answer in a way they understand.