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Cold Comfort
In December, 2004, John Colucci was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. Declared incompetent at age 19, he was subsequently committed to a mental institution. In January, 2013, he is released to his sister, Laurie, to begin a new life...but someone wants to make sure he never gets the chance to live it. John's enemies include half the population of Kingsville, his home town. Even his brother-in-law is determined to see him returned to the institution. As John struggles to navigate his independence, he meets Caitlin Murphy, a young woman who changes his life. Surrounded by the solitude of Caitlin's lakefront cottage, supported by her and his new friend, Rev. Jack, he finds a reason to live. However, it isn't long before the nightmares begin again, shattering the peace and forcing John to fight for his life and what's left of his sanity. The hunt is on.
369 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2015
9 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 9, 2016
My review was posted as a comment so to save some time I am gonna say read my comment and I rated this book 5 well deserved stars i thought the writing style was amazing and loved the first person it really pulls you into the story! I loved the story I loved the fast paced flow of the book and I love the raw emotion I felt while reading it. Great job Ellen on such an amazing book!
July 28, 2016
This was a very good book! Not my normal genre but I loved it! It hooked me right at the beginning and never lost my interest.
July 20, 2020
Ok, so, I actually bought this one (rather than getting it "in exchange for an honest review" like so many of the books I've read lately) so I feel like I don't have to censor myself quite as much to protect the author's feelings. (I can't be the only one! And then when the author "likes" or comments on your review and you feel guilty because you see how much their book means to them... ugh.)
I found this while searching on here for a book with a similar title. I thought it sounded interesting so I put it on my Want to Read list. I found it on Audible yesterday and I thought, why not?
This was NOT what I expected at all. I was expecting a disturbing mystery. I got... I don't know, but not that. I'm not going to lie, I feel a little cheated.
It was more of a racy dysfunctional romance combined with a thin character study of someone with schizophrenia. It kept me listening because I wanted to know how it would end, and wow, was I disappointed. I may have rated this a little higher, except the ending just did not work for me. It was so abrupt and the tone didn't really match the rest of the story? I finished it thinking "huh" and wondering why I sat through this.
The characters were one dimensional and behaved in unbelievable ways. The romance was so unrealistic and so fast, I couldn't buy it. The killer was such a trope, and so was the brother-in-law.
The story... I don't know. It was all so far-fetched.
The best way I can explain it was that it read like a Wattpad story or the kind of thing you write in the tenth grade and keep in a shoebox under the bed. The concept was good, but the execution was not. Things just happened with no explanation or justification, and they happened instantly.
It could have used another thorough edit.
I found this while searching on here for a book with a similar title. I thought it sounded interesting so I put it on my Want to Read list. I found it on Audible yesterday and I thought, why not?
This was NOT what I expected at all. I was expecting a disturbing mystery. I got... I don't know, but not that. I'm not going to lie, I feel a little cheated.
It was more of a racy dysfunctional romance combined with a thin character study of someone with schizophrenia. It kept me listening because I wanted to know how it would end, and wow, was I disappointed. I may have rated this a little higher, except the ending just did not work for me. It was so abrupt and the tone didn't really match the rest of the story? I finished it thinking "huh" and wondering why I sat through this.
The characters were one dimensional and behaved in unbelievable ways. The romance was so unrealistic and so fast, I couldn't buy it. The killer was such a trope, and so was the brother-in-law.
The story... I don't know. It was all so far-fetched.
The best way I can explain it was that it read like a Wattpad story or the kind of thing you write in the tenth grade and keep in a shoebox under the bed. The concept was good, but the execution was not. Things just happened with no explanation or justification, and they happened instantly.
It could have used another thorough edit.
June 27, 2017
Cold Comfort will a captivate you from the very beginning as it weaves a web intricate details of suspense, murder, lies, deceit and schizophrenia.
John was aquitted eight years ago by reason of insanity for a heinous crime and was sent to a mental institution. Now he is in the care of his sister and her abusive husband, a cop.
Caitlin is a strong willed reporter who takes doesn't take crap from anyone. She helps John with his healing and in no time they wed. I loved the wedding ring incident!!
As the story unfolds with its twists and turns of a man not only dealing with his schizophrenia but also haunted by a stalker who is trying to kill him. I could feel John's pain as he is abused and bullied by the cops and the townspeople. I understood the voices in his head.
The author has written a fabulous story that will keep you intrigued to the very end! And the ending...Wow!!! I would definitely recommend this masterpiece by E. W. Abernathy and can't wait to read more by this amazing author.
John was aquitted eight years ago by reason of insanity for a heinous crime and was sent to a mental institution. Now he is in the care of his sister and her abusive husband, a cop.
Caitlin is a strong willed reporter who takes doesn't take crap from anyone. She helps John with his healing and in no time they wed. I loved the wedding ring incident!!
As the story unfolds with its twists and turns of a man not only dealing with his schizophrenia but also haunted by a stalker who is trying to kill him. I could feel John's pain as he is abused and bullied by the cops and the townspeople. I understood the voices in his head.
The author has written a fabulous story that will keep you intrigued to the very end! And the ending...Wow!!! I would definitely recommend this masterpiece by E. W. Abernathy and can't wait to read more by this amazing author.
January 8, 2019
I had no idea what this book was going to be about I had just saw this book was for free. I was surprised for being a free book how good it was. I loved the fact that this book was to me more of thriller type book. I loved how the author had you guessing on what really happened. The author did a really good job of helping you understanding what the main character is going through. I really recommend you read this book.
July 14, 2017
This was a real good book. Kept me interested
all through the book.
all through the book.
August 10, 2015
This book has heart. Will keep you emotionally involved until the very end!
I first would like to say it takes a lot for me to invest my time in a book. I love to read books, but if it doesn't suck me in I normally end up not finishing it. I started a Stephen King book and couldn't finish. I was introduced to this book on Facebook and decided to give it a go. From prologue to the first chapter I was hooked. I became emotionally involved when reading and immediately fell in love with John, the books heart. It is very brave to tackle the subject of mental illness and Abernathy delivers with her brilliant vision of John. She truly brings this character to life, you will be sucked out of your own reality as you venture threw Johns. As I read thru each chapter the brilliant first person writing that E.W possess will make you believe John isn't a character in the book, instead he will feel like a real man. Other characters such as Caitlin, Randy, Laurie, Rev Jack and even puppy Willie help bring the story to life and help, or some cases don't, Johns journey thru his own personal Hell. Every great story has a villain and this one does not disappoint. Randy will truly have your blood boiling at times, as he did mine. But what will send chills thru your spine will be the main villain who will remain nameless for I do not want to spoil the book, or has he/she been named yet? E.W Abernathy will keep you suspenseful, suspicious, questioning, heartbroken and guessing to the very last chapter, even the last word. This book is a wonderful suspense love story thriller that has heart and does not disappoint. After the last chapter I thought to myself what I'm going to do to hold me over for the sequel, as of yet I have not found anything nor do I believe I will. By far the best book I've ever read, and is on top of my favorites list.
I first would like to say it takes a lot for me to invest my time in a book. I love to read books, but if it doesn't suck me in I normally end up not finishing it. I started a Stephen King book and couldn't finish. I was introduced to this book on Facebook and decided to give it a go. From prologue to the first chapter I was hooked. I became emotionally involved when reading and immediately fell in love with John, the books heart. It is very brave to tackle the subject of mental illness and Abernathy delivers with her brilliant vision of John. She truly brings this character to life, you will be sucked out of your own reality as you venture threw Johns. As I read thru each chapter the brilliant first person writing that E.W possess will make you believe John isn't a character in the book, instead he will feel like a real man. Other characters such as Caitlin, Randy, Laurie, Rev Jack and even puppy Willie help bring the story to life and help, or some cases don't, Johns journey thru his own personal Hell. Every great story has a villain and this one does not disappoint. Randy will truly have your blood boiling at times, as he did mine. But what will send chills thru your spine will be the main villain who will remain nameless for I do not want to spoil the book, or has he/she been named yet? E.W Abernathy will keep you suspenseful, suspicious, questioning, heartbroken and guessing to the very last chapter, even the last word. This book is a wonderful suspense love story thriller that has heart and does not disappoint. After the last chapter I thought to myself what I'm going to do to hold me over for the sequel, as of yet I have not found anything nor do I believe I will. By far the best book I've ever read, and is on top of my favorites list.
July 12, 2016
Compelling, thrilling, deeply chilling story of a man who is supposed to have done a horrible crime but now that he's healed (or at least is on medication and so quite - nearly - maybe safe to bearound others) he gets out of the mental institution he lived for the last eight years. And we are forced to like him (at least I couldn't hate him at all!) and to root for him to get his life back on track even though there is this dreadful past and nothing at all could ever excuse that... I was struggling but I couldn't put the book down and the more I read the more I felt for him. It's a hard book, a very drastic book (not because of very graphic scenes, mostly you only got impressions but the cinema in my head was worse because of that) which made me cry and bite my nails and hold my breath and really really really be afraid for John, for Adam, for Caitlin... the end was hard. Oh boy, it was very hard. But so very fitting. Thriller suspense at its finest!
August 6, 2015
Taut and unrelenting, Cold Comfort snatches you up and never let's go. From clinical asylum rooms to cold streets, Abernathy, immerses the reader in a world that is all too real. Right out the gate, John Colucci is a both a challenging and rewarding protagonist. We're in his shoes with him as he struggles to reintegrate into his family and town when neither want him.
But as new dangers and old horrors threaten his safety and sanity emerge, so do new friends. Abernathy brings Reverend Jack and Caitlyn to life with the same fully formed intensity and honesty as our protagonist.
Abernathy's experience in the courts is evident without becoming academic. You can hear shoes scuff on the floors and smell the smell the janitor's cart in the halls. You can also feel the evil breathing down his neck.
But as new dangers and old horrors threaten his safety and sanity emerge, so do new friends. Abernathy brings Reverend Jack and Caitlyn to life with the same fully formed intensity and honesty as our protagonist.
Abernathy's experience in the courts is evident without becoming academic. You can hear shoes scuff on the floors and smell the smell the janitor's cart in the halls. You can also feel the evil breathing down his neck.
May 7, 2016
I attended a writer’s group years ago with E.W. (Ellen) Abernathy and always appreciated her smooth, readable style and punchy dialogue. In this suspense-thriller-with-a-heart, she goes beyond a simple genre tale to offer the well-wrought characters of John Colucci and a journalist who becomes his love-interest. For me, the strength of this novel was John, a schizophrenic young man who’s been institutionalized for a violent crime, hears voices, and is on medication. It’s quite a difficult task to have such a character as the first-person narrator and develop him in a realistic way, and Abernathy succeeds.
December 8, 2015
What a fantastic journey
The writing about schizophrenia alone makes this book worth reading . But then you throw in the storyline of the young man accused heinous crimes, and you have a fabulous front page news that unfolds in front of you . The twists and turns that this story takes and the heart ache that it draws from you. A book well worth reading and author definitely well worth following.
The writing about schizophrenia alone makes this book worth reading . But then you throw in the storyline of the young man accused heinous crimes, and you have a fabulous front page news that unfolds in front of you . The twists and turns that this story takes and the heart ache that it draws from you. A book well worth reading and author definitely well worth following.
February 23, 2016
Cold Comfort is a powerful story, an exploration of the intersections of mental health and law, and the ways that people are helped and harmed in the name of the public good. There was excellent plot tension and room for doubt. Red herrings had me second-guessing my own theories as I read. The ending didn't completely satisfy me, though it does fit. I recommend it for readers who like psychological thrillers and underdogs.
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May 11, 2017Wow is all I can say. I loved how this story sucks you in from the very beginning with the one sided story. There were times I wanted to shake the characters for Johns sake. This author really done her research and made the words just flow very well together. This is the first book I've read by this author and won't be the last!
September 12, 2015
Intense thriller that hooks you from the beginning. It's not my usual genre but it drew my interest since the author is local. Cold Comfort is a suspenseful crime drama dealing with schizophrenia. I could have done without some of the explicitly, but overall it's a great read.
February 3, 2016
This is a fantastic book. It does a great job dealing with the severity of mental illness and the snap judgments people make because of it. It's a great story. Definitely a page turner. I could barely put it down.
March 6, 2016
Addicting story
Once I started I couldn't stop. Good story line and I loved the characters. Such a wonderful job on johns character. Look forward to reading more of Abernathys books.
Once I started I couldn't stop. Good story line and I loved the characters. Such a wonderful job on johns character. Look forward to reading more of Abernathys books.
March 25, 2016
Fantastic!!
Wow! When I started this book, I really didn't know what I was getting into. It holds you and won't let go. Into the mind of John and all his troubles (for lack of a better word). A seriously fantastically creepy read!!
Wow! When I started this book, I really didn't know what I was getting into. It holds you and won't let go. Into the mind of John and all his troubles (for lack of a better word). A seriously fantastically creepy read!!
June 8, 2016
WOW! This is such a powerfully dark and twisted story. An in depth look into the mind of the mentally ill, or are they more sane than the normal people? Gut wrenching and unbelievable story that will leave you questioning life and human behavior long after you finish the story~
January 1, 2016
Powerful. Poignant. Dark, gut-wrenching, and traumatic. Cold Comfort is a tense, riveting page-turner that will haunt you long after you set it down.
August 6, 2016
Awesome book; great characters. I couldn't put it down (as evidenced by the fact that I finished the book in two days)!
April 23, 2016
Excellent book, well-written, stayed up half the night to finish this book, a real page-turner!!
April 22, 2017
I own the book as well as the audiobook but I LOVED the audiobook so much that I found myself wanting to listen to it more than read it. The narrator, Mark Sando did such a great job bringing John Colucci to life. At the core this is a mystery and it will have you guessing "who done it" until the very end. However I especially like that it gives the reader a birds eye view into the lives of people living daily with mental disorders and their loved ones and care takers. It shows some of the misconceptions and discrimination they have to deal with. This book is filled with emotion and heart along with they mystery and that is why I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews