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Summer Heat Cold Blood
Danger can hide in plain sight.
After being injured while breaking up a gang fight in Auckland, Senior Constable Mitch Cramer temporarily transfers to New Zealand’s subtropical north, hoping for a quieter pace.
But just days before Christmas, things are far from quiet.
Thefts from local farms have rattled a once-trusting community. And Neve Jacobsen, a café owner still reeling from her husband’s sudden death, is receiving anonymous messages. Someone is watching her.
As Mitch digs deeper, he’s drawn into more than just a case. It’s clear Neve is being targeted, and the threat is more personal and more dangerous than either of them suspects.
A slow-burn mystery that asks how well you really know the people around you, especially when danger is closer than you think and falling for someone could put you both at risk.
After being injured while breaking up a gang fight in Auckland, Senior Constable Mitch Cramer temporarily transfers to New Zealand’s subtropical north, hoping for a quieter pace.
But just days before Christmas, things are far from quiet.
Thefts from local farms have rattled a once-trusting community. And Neve Jacobsen, a café owner still reeling from her husband’s sudden death, is receiving anonymous messages. Someone is watching her.
As Mitch digs deeper, he’s drawn into more than just a case. It’s clear Neve is being targeted, and the threat is more personal and more dangerous than either of them suspects.
A slow-burn mystery that asks how well you really know the people around you, especially when danger is closer than you think and falling for someone could put you both at risk.
330 pages, Paperback
Published July 10, 2025
About the author
K.V. Martins
7 books7 followersBased in the lush Far North of New Zealand, K.V. Martins writes accompanied by the song of a family of boisterous tūī birds outside her window. She writes historical fiction, ghost and gothic fiction, as well as poetry.
K.V. Martins writes for an online history encyclopedia. She has a B.A. (Hons) in History and also studied archaeology and Egyptology.
She writes in between taking her crazy smooth fox terrier for long walks.
K.V. Martins writes for an online history encyclopedia. She has a B.A. (Hons) in History and also studied archaeology and Egyptology.
She writes in between taking her crazy smooth fox terrier for long walks.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2025
I really enjoyed this multi-layered Mystery-Thriller.
First, author K.V.Martins takes you to the North Island of New Zealand to the Bark 'n Bite cafe, where Neve is trying to pick up the pieces of her life, continuing to run the cafe after her husband Neil's sudden death. I loved the setting and the author captures the qualities of New Zealand so I felt like I was there, far from my home in Canada.
Martins jumps right into the tension when some strange things begin to happen to further disrupt Neve's life, making it impossible to move on in her grief over Neil's demise. First, a newspaper clipping shows up in a manila envelope from a night that was special to her and Neil. Then, someone is whistling the tune of a country song that had special meaning to her and Neil. Is Neil back from beyond the grave? Is someone pretending to be him? If so, for what purpose?
If that weren't bad enough, crime has come to the small town of Romeril Bay, and it's beginning to affect those she knows and is close to.
This story gets more gripping by the moment. I loved the multiple characters and how the story followed their lives. Each character, from Neve to her best friend, Daisy, her elderly friend, Ruth, her sister, Heather, and even the characters that would touch Neve's life negatively, had gripping back stories. This story is multi-layered with lots of different storylines to chew on, which is my favourite kind of story. And of course, the author includes a sweet little fox terrier named Zoe and a handsome cat by the name of Java, sure to please both the dog- and cat-lovers alike.
Summer Heat Cold Blood kept me guessing right to the end. A thrilling read that I couldn't put down till the end, even in the face of my stinging dry eye, lol.
Great story-telling, great writing. I love this NZ author and can't wait to read the next one!
First, author K.V.Martins takes you to the North Island of New Zealand to the Bark 'n Bite cafe, where Neve is trying to pick up the pieces of her life, continuing to run the cafe after her husband Neil's sudden death. I loved the setting and the author captures the qualities of New Zealand so I felt like I was there, far from my home in Canada.
Martins jumps right into the tension when some strange things begin to happen to further disrupt Neve's life, making it impossible to move on in her grief over Neil's demise. First, a newspaper clipping shows up in a manila envelope from a night that was special to her and Neil. Then, someone is whistling the tune of a country song that had special meaning to her and Neil. Is Neil back from beyond the grave? Is someone pretending to be him? If so, for what purpose?
If that weren't bad enough, crime has come to the small town of Romeril Bay, and it's beginning to affect those she knows and is close to.
This story gets more gripping by the moment. I loved the multiple characters and how the story followed their lives. Each character, from Neve to her best friend, Daisy, her elderly friend, Ruth, her sister, Heather, and even the characters that would touch Neve's life negatively, had gripping back stories. This story is multi-layered with lots of different storylines to chew on, which is my favourite kind of story. And of course, the author includes a sweet little fox terrier named Zoe and a handsome cat by the name of Java, sure to please both the dog- and cat-lovers alike.
Summer Heat Cold Blood kept me guessing right to the end. A thrilling read that I couldn't put down till the end, even in the face of my stinging dry eye, lol.
Great story-telling, great writing. I love this NZ author and can't wait to read the next one!
December 16, 2025
As a fan of cosy mysteries, especially the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton, this slow-burn murder mystery is very well written and I hope we’ll hear more from Neve & Mitch. Set in a depiction of the small town where I live in the far north of New Zealand, the setting was well conceived and the cast of characters, varied and multi-layered. The dialogue was brilliant and set the pace of the story. The romance blossoming between our main protagonists added a sweetness to the proceedings. 4.5 stars.
September 23, 2025
Enjoyed this book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews