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Darkness the Color of Snow: A Gripping Psychological Thriller of Dark Secrets and Vengeance in a Small Town
Like No Country for Old Men and Snow Falling on Cedars, a haunting, suspenseful, and dazzlingly written novel of secrets, corruption, tragedy, and vengeance from the author of Crazy Heart—the basis of the 2009 Academy Award-winning film—an electrifying crime drama and psychological thriller in which a young cop becomes the focal point for a community’s grief and rage in the aftermath of a tragic accident.
Out on a rural highway on a cold, icy night, Patrolman Ronny Forbert sits in his cruiser trying to keep warm and make time pass until his shift ends. Then a familiar beater Jeep Cherokee comes speeding over a hill, forcing the rookie cop to chase after it. The driver is his old friend turned nemesis, Matt Laferiere, the rogue son of a man as beaten down as the town itself.
Within minutes, what begins as a clear-cut arrest for drunk driving spirals out of control into a heated argument between two young men with a troubled past and ends in a fatal hit and run on an icy stretch of blacktop.
As the news spreads around town, Police Chief Gordy Hawkins remains certain that Ronny Forbert followed the rules, at least most of them, and he’s willing to stand by the young cop. But a few manipulative people in town see opportunity in the tragedy. As uneasy relationships, dark secrets, and old grievances reveal themselves, the people of this small, tightly woven community decide that a crime must have been committed, and someone—Officer Ronny Forbert—must pay a price, a choice that will hold devastating consequences for them all.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2015
About the author
Thomas Cobb
84 books66 followersBrutal and deft, laced with both violence and desire, Shavetail plunges into the deepest of human urges."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
August 31, 2023
I mean how much of any one guy belongs to himself and how much belongs to the team? I mean we’re all free individuals, only we’re not. We can’t just do what we want, I mean, look, I can drive a hundred and ten down the wrong side of the road because I’ve got free will, no? No. Something of me belongs to the world or the country or the town or something. I mean I have to do what’s best for it. I mean I have to. I’m not a hundred percent free. Add that part of myself that is free is that way because of the town or country or whatever.When rookie cop Ronny Forbert pulls over his old buddies for speeding, it should have just been a pain in the neck. Instead, the leader of the pack, well past inebriated, refuses to accede, struggles to avoid being cuffed, falls into the icy road and winds up a prime sample of road pizza when a speeding vehicle launches him head-first into the back end of his own jeep. The cop did nothing wrong. The road stain created his own demise. Scratch one asshole. Addition by subtraction. Right? Not so fast. Righteousness be damned. There are opportunities to be seized, agendas to be taken care of, and if a decent rookie officer is in danger of being gutted in the process, well, hey, that’s just business, nothing personal.
Thomas Cobb - from The Examiner
Lydell, New York is a remnant of what once was, an aging rust-belt town with its best days in the rearview. Local manufacturing has left for cheaper pastures, taking with it large volumes of hope.
The mother’s house is a little north of the grandmother’s. That makes it a little more upscale. When he gets there, there’s a car parked in the middle of the front lawn, minus hood and engine, and the shingled house is in need of paint or stain, but the porch isn’t buckled. It’s what passes for upscale in these parts.Police Chief Gordy Hawkins may be a bit of a relic as well. Not just for being a prime candidate for retirement, but for maintaining some sense of honor, decency and community in a world of me-ism and values that do not look past the next quarter. He had brought Forbert in to the force, rescuing him from a youthful wrong turn, and maintains a fatherly connection to the young man. Chief Gordy is an extremely engaging character. I was very much reminded of Robert Taylor as Longmire, or why not double down with Jeff Bridges?
Martin Glendenning, president of the town council, a lawyer, and as oily a character as you are likely to encounter, is a different sort. Police? We doan need no steenking police. He has been trying to get rid of the local PD for some time, and turn over policing responsibilities to the state. He worships at the altar of tax cuts, and not having too much local police authority around, poking into his questionable business dealings would be a lovely part of that.
“We’ve become the enemy,” Pete says. “They resent that our service isn’t free. They don’t see what we do for them. They only see that they have to pay us. We’re so far below cable TV and Internet porn, they can’t even see us anymore.”The story of Officer Forbert’s travails, particularly his growing self-doubt, and the portrait Thomas Cobb paints of this small town, are compelling in and of themselves.
“There’s a whole new ideology that government, in any form, is an unnecessary evil,” Gordy says. “There’s nothing that’s looked at without suspicion. Used to be, everyone kind of pulled together. Now it’s everyone pulling in separate directions.
Cobb, the author of Crazy Heart among other works, knows how to make characters real, knows how to make you feel for them, and knows how to portray place. This is a very moving tale. He is most at home writing about his beloved southwest and has great affection for the cowboy. It is not hard to see in Darkness… a small town sheriff up against the corrupt eastern bankers, particularly when the baddies employ local thugs to do some of their dastardly deeds. But the location speaks to a more contemporary form of conflict.
The larger element here is Lydell as a microcosm of the nation and the time, the conflict between individual wants and civic, communal responsibility. How do communities respond to tough times? Where does community end and the individual begin? Cobb is not offering solutions to what ails. He has written a story about how an unfortunate event is twisted by the unscrupulous, vain and greedy to serve their own ends, to the detriment of the rest of us. He offers praise of honor, seeing clearly that the values of a bygone age are threatened by the new age of self. Chief Gordy is a beacon of light in a bleak landscape, a true hero in place where winter has already arrived.
Review first posted – 4/17/2015
Publication date – 8/18/2015
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal and FB pages
A short story by Cobb – I’ll Never Get out of This World Alice
February 20, 2019
My father used to say that people are like goats. What they can't eat, they shit on.
this is a decent smalltown crime novel that is much closer in tone to russell banks than to cormac mccarthy. although it is being compared to No Country for Old Men, it's definitely neither as violent nor as nihilistic as that book. it does involve crime, but crime on the very smallest scale - DUI, farm equipment theft, adolescent vandalism and arson - this is low-level stuff that has high impact on the community, but we're not even close to mccarthy's brand of casual assassination and suitcase-full-of money scenarios.
it opens with a bizarre accident that none of its participants could have predicted, but one that doesn't seem farfetched at all - it's a great scene detailing the unexpected consequences of what should have been a routine traffic violation that ends in a man's death.
but in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and tensions are high with old resentments and political agendas, neither the stop nor the fallout is gonna be routine.
cobb does a really good job setting the stage - a young patrolman making a call that ended badly, his relationship to the dead man whose troublemaking shenanigans have long plagued the town, and the grizzled police chief who took a chance on reforming a hooligan into a lawman. throw in all the various pressures, both political and social, affecting the situation, where the event is twisted to serve the ambitions of opportunistic people, and you got yourself a real powderkeg of intrigue. i'm glad that i was reading this while making my way through friday night lights, because they both do the smalltown values and behind-the-scenes manipulation really well, where individuals get steamrolled by these tiny political machines.
overall, this is well-crafted and it has a really strong sense of character and psychological density. i just didn't think the ending was satisfying.
also, the epilogue didn't add much to the story and seemed flat with its "and that's how we wrap it up, folks!" feel. but it's a good story, and i never felt annoyed while reading it; there just wasn't anything particularly special about it. i probably read too many books like this to be a good judge of it - it suffers by comparison, but i think most people who aren't overexposed to books like this will like it more than i did.
3.5
come to my blog!
this is a decent smalltown crime novel that is much closer in tone to russell banks than to cormac mccarthy. although it is being compared to No Country for Old Men, it's definitely neither as violent nor as nihilistic as that book. it does involve crime, but crime on the very smallest scale - DUI, farm equipment theft, adolescent vandalism and arson - this is low-level stuff that has high impact on the community, but we're not even close to mccarthy's brand of casual assassination and suitcase-full-of money scenarios.
it opens with a bizarre accident that none of its participants could have predicted, but one that doesn't seem farfetched at all - it's a great scene detailing the unexpected consequences of what should have been a routine traffic violation that ends in a man's death.
but in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and tensions are high with old resentments and political agendas, neither the stop nor the fallout is gonna be routine.
cobb does a really good job setting the stage - a young patrolman making a call that ended badly, his relationship to the dead man whose troublemaking shenanigans have long plagued the town, and the grizzled police chief who took a chance on reforming a hooligan into a lawman. throw in all the various pressures, both political and social, affecting the situation, where the event is twisted to serve the ambitions of opportunistic people, and you got yourself a real powderkeg of intrigue. i'm glad that i was reading this while making my way through friday night lights, because they both do the smalltown values and behind-the-scenes manipulation really well, where individuals get steamrolled by these tiny political machines.
overall, this is well-crafted and it has a really strong sense of character and psychological density. i just didn't think the ending was satisfying.
also, the epilogue didn't add much to the story and seemed flat with its "and that's how we wrap it up, folks!" feel. but it's a good story, and i never felt annoyed while reading it; there just wasn't anything particularly special about it. i probably read too many books like this to be a good judge of it - it suffers by comparison, but i think most people who aren't overexposed to books like this will like it more than i did.
3.5
come to my blog!
October 7, 2016
Ronny Forbert is a rookie patrolmen on a small rural police force. On a cold winter night, he's parked in his ancient Crown Vic, running radar, when a vehicle comes down the road, speeding and with one headlight out. Ronny hits the lights and gives chase, only to have his heart sink when he recognizes the vehicle as it pulls to the side of the road.
The driver is Matt Laferiere. In the Jeep with Matt are three other members of his posse; all four are drunk and stoned. Ronny knows this crew all too well because he used to run with them. At one time, he and Matt were close to being best friends, but then Ronny saw the light and determined to make something of himself. He joined the police force and now is face-to-face with an ex-friend who has become his bitter enemy.
Ronny tries to play it by the book, but Laferiere is having none of it. He resists arrest; the two men struggle and a tragedy occurs. Ronny is briefly suspended from the force as a matter of form, but it seems clear that he did nothing wrong. But this is a small town, down on its heels, and there are people in town with their own agendas who attempt to exploit this situation for their own advantage. Ronny Forbert gets caught up in the middle of it all and before long, things have escalated in a way that no one wanted or could have foreseen.
This is a beautifully written, very atmospheric book. The setting is very well detailed and the characters are deftly drawn. The story has the ring of larger truths and the reader feels if he or she has been helicoptered into this community to watch this tragedy play out all around you. A great read.
The driver is Matt Laferiere. In the Jeep with Matt are three other members of his posse; all four are drunk and stoned. Ronny knows this crew all too well because he used to run with them. At one time, he and Matt were close to being best friends, but then Ronny saw the light and determined to make something of himself. He joined the police force and now is face-to-face with an ex-friend who has become his bitter enemy.
Ronny tries to play it by the book, but Laferiere is having none of it. He resists arrest; the two men struggle and a tragedy occurs. Ronny is briefly suspended from the force as a matter of form, but it seems clear that he did nothing wrong. But this is a small town, down on its heels, and there are people in town with their own agendas who attempt to exploit this situation for their own advantage. Ronny Forbert gets caught up in the middle of it all and before long, things have escalated in a way that no one wanted or could have foreseen.
This is a beautifully written, very atmospheric book. The setting is very well detailed and the characters are deftly drawn. The story has the ring of larger truths and the reader feels if he or she has been helicoptered into this community to watch this tragedy play out all around you. A great read.
May 26, 2015
This review is based on an e-galley provided through the generosity of William Morrow & Company and Edelweiss. Darkness the Color of Snow is due to publish on August 18, 2015.
The Hook - The premise of the story. Please read my comments.
The Line – ”WHEN IT ALL COMES down, the human body ia a frail thing in world of things that are strong, fast and very unfrail.”
The Sinker – If Darkness the Color of Snow had been a debut I would have been more forgiving and rated this higher. The plot premise was first rate but the execution of said didn’t quite live up to my expectation. It certainly did not remind me of either No Country for Old Men or Snow Falling on Cedars as the blurb promised.
In high school Ronny Forbert hangs out with the bad boys. He loves feeling part of something even if he’s thumbing his nose at society. Alcohol and bad judgment lead to the burning down of the town gazebo. If not for Police Chief Gordy Hawkins all four young men would have ended up in jail with records that could have ruined their future lives. The reprieve and mentoring by the Chief change the path Ronny Forbert is going down and he eventually becomes a policeman himself. Not so his former buddies.
On another fateful night he pulls over a car for speeding. He recognizes the Jeep Cherokee and thinks Shit."
The third if; if the ringleader, Matt Laferiere, had only shut his mouth Forbert probably would have let them all go with a warning. Though they had been drinking, they were close to home, it was cold and icy and it wasn’t worth the hassle to arrest them. Instead, push comes to shove literally; one of them ends up in the road. A car comes over the rise and someone dies. The car flees the scene, hit and run and consequences for all.
You’ll have to read the book for the rest of the story.
The Hook - The premise of the story. Please read my comments.
The Line – ”WHEN IT ALL COMES down, the human body ia a frail thing in world of things that are strong, fast and very unfrail.”
The Sinker – If Darkness the Color of Snow had been a debut I would have been more forgiving and rated this higher. The plot premise was first rate but the execution of said didn’t quite live up to my expectation. It certainly did not remind me of either No Country for Old Men or Snow Falling on Cedars as the blurb promised.
In high school Ronny Forbert hangs out with the bad boys. He loves feeling part of something even if he’s thumbing his nose at society. Alcohol and bad judgment lead to the burning down of the town gazebo. If not for Police Chief Gordy Hawkins all four young men would have ended up in jail with records that could have ruined their future lives. The reprieve and mentoring by the Chief change the path Ronny Forbert is going down and he eventually becomes a policeman himself. Not so his former buddies.
On another fateful night he pulls over a car for speeding. He recognizes the Jeep Cherokee and thinks Shit."
The third if; if the ringleader, Matt Laferiere, had only shut his mouth Forbert probably would have let them all go with a warning. Though they had been drinking, they were close to home, it was cold and icy and it wasn’t worth the hassle to arrest them. Instead, push comes to shove literally; one of them ends up in the road. A car comes over the rise and someone dies. The car flees the scene, hit and run and consequences for all.
You’ll have to read the book for the rest of the story.
January 5, 2017
I enjoyed the ride! Full of everything I look for in a book on a 5 star level. From the first nail biting chapter to the unbelievable and unexpected end, I was page turning like mad! Set in the winter with some "going back into the past", I felt, saw, heard, tasted everything the author intended for us in this endeavor.
Set in a town, I would hope to never live in or encounter. Full of morons with the exception of the police department. A young cop "rookie" (with an "if'y" past) becomes the talk of the town. On Tv, in the newspaper and deff in the town hall meetings. What happens to this cop is very unfair and I totally felt for him the whole time. A terrible accident involving this young cop and a bunch of punks he pulls over one snowy night, changes the town and his life forever.
I hope this doesn't ever happen in real life, but it is very possible, given the right kind of people with the right kind of personality.
I highly recommend this!
Set in a town, I would hope to never live in or encounter. Full of morons with the exception of the police department. A young cop "rookie" (with an "if'y" past) becomes the talk of the town. On Tv, in the newspaper and deff in the town hall meetings. What happens to this cop is very unfair and I totally felt for him the whole time. A terrible accident involving this young cop and a bunch of punks he pulls over one snowy night, changes the town and his life forever.
I hope this doesn't ever happen in real life, but it is very possible, given the right kind of people with the right kind of personality.
I highly recommend this!
July 22, 2015
Actual rating: 3. This is a new book and I don't wish to discourage anyone from reading it. A perfectly good book written almost too simply for my taste. Not a writer or poet's flourish anywhere to be found. I don't have a single valid complaint. It held my attention, it just didn't thrill me.
October 7, 2015
What really did happen the night of the accident?
Ronny kept asking himself over and over if it was his fault or if Matt caused his own death. Ronny and Matt had been friends throughout high school but now Ronny was a police officer and Matt was still the trouble-making kid he had always been.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW takes the reader from present day back to Ronnie and Matt's high school days letting us in on their antics and how they fell apart and where they are today.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW also touches on the topic of small towns and the way corruption can occur with its officials.
I truly did not like Martin who was the head of the town council. He was a corrupt official who was doing illegal things but made himself appear to be the good guy to the public.
Ronny was a sweet kid who seemed to always get the short end of the deal.
Matt was not a nice person and someone who caused Ronny grief during their teenage years as well as their adult years.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW was a tense read, but very good. I am actually going to classify it as a psychological thriller. The situation and the characters kept me glued to the pages but also had me nervous for the decisions the characters made.
I was trying to figure out the significance of the title of DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW and came up with the idea that the book had dark things happening in the small town of Lydell and the snow that was always falling made it an emotionally cold place to live.
Let me know what you think of the book and the significance of the title if you read the book.
I did enjoy the read. I live in a small town, and wonder what goes on here that we don't know about. :) 4/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Ronny kept asking himself over and over if it was his fault or if Matt caused his own death. Ronny and Matt had been friends throughout high school but now Ronny was a police officer and Matt was still the trouble-making kid he had always been.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW takes the reader from present day back to Ronnie and Matt's high school days letting us in on their antics and how they fell apart and where they are today.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW also touches on the topic of small towns and the way corruption can occur with its officials.
I truly did not like Martin who was the head of the town council. He was a corrupt official who was doing illegal things but made himself appear to be the good guy to the public.
Ronny was a sweet kid who seemed to always get the short end of the deal.
Matt was not a nice person and someone who caused Ronny grief during their teenage years as well as their adult years.
DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW was a tense read, but very good. I am actually going to classify it as a psychological thriller. The situation and the characters kept me glued to the pages but also had me nervous for the decisions the characters made.
I was trying to figure out the significance of the title of DARKNESS THE COLOR OF SNOW and came up with the idea that the book had dark things happening in the small town of Lydell and the snow that was always falling made it an emotionally cold place to live.
Let me know what you think of the book and the significance of the title if you read the book.
I did enjoy the read. I live in a small town, and wonder what goes on here that we don't know about. :) 4/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
September 9, 2025
"It’s been an odd life, I guess, but a good one, all in all. Don’t know where I’m going with this. Except that you get through things. You think you’re not going to, but you do.”
There is a lot to get through in this story lots of it sad, in this my second novel by Thomas Cobb, it appears that the author tends to create complex characters who have been slapped around by life a bit. In this particular story it all begins with a traffic stop on a snowy night, made by rookie Patrolman Ronny Forbert. The car Ronny stops is driven by the drunken local bully Matt Laferiere who's joined by three of his equally impaired friends. What follows is a horrible accident that becomes the catalyst for the inevitable events that will turn a small town into a den of grievances, suspicions, and ultimately more tragedy with unimaginable consequences.
There is a lot to get through in this story lots of it sad, in this my second novel by Thomas Cobb, it appears that the author tends to create complex characters who have been slapped around by life a bit. In this particular story it all begins with a traffic stop on a snowy night, made by rookie Patrolman Ronny Forbert. The car Ronny stops is driven by the drunken local bully Matt Laferiere who's joined by three of his equally impaired friends. What follows is a horrible accident that becomes the catalyst for the inevitable events that will turn a small town into a den of grievances, suspicions, and ultimately more tragedy with unimaginable consequences.
July 14, 2015
Glad I'm done with that one. What a waste! I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. It's dry, the characters are 2 - dimensional, and the ending? A total waste. I do have to admit that it lures you in. It's boring, but I still wanted to know how it ended. It was a jumble of flash-backs that seemed to be out of order mixed with a plot that was more political drama than the psychological thriller it claimed to be. The opening wasn't bad, and the town council meeting scene near the end was infuriating enough to be a bit exciting, but there were a lot of inaccuracies in how the police work was done and it was over all an impossible plot with maybe two characters that were half way decent. Oh, and I almost forgot about that side plot, but it's okay, because the author did, too. I hate to be this negative, I really did want to like this book. I just couldn't, which is strange because it really did draw me in. I was compelled to find out how it ended, then disappointed when I did. I'm sorry to say that I won't be recommending this one to anyone.
(please note that this is a review of an advanced reader copy, and there is always the possibility that changes and improvements will be made to the final edition.)
(please note that this is a review of an advanced reader copy, and there is always the possibility that changes and improvements will be made to the final edition.)
November 6, 2015
A run-of-the-mill mystery...not a page turner. Ronny Forbert is a young police officer in the small town of Lydell in upstate NY. When out on patrol one evening he pulls over a car for going 20 miles over the speed limit on a slippery night. When he gets to the car, he realizes that the occupants of the car are some of his 'friends' from high school. The leader of the group is Matt Laferiere , whose group, Ronny sorta belonged to in high school. When he asks Matt to get out of the car, there is a struggle when Ronny tries to handcuff him. Ronny slips and Matt is thrown into the road where is hit by another car driving too fast coming up the hill. Matt is impaled on the rear of his own vehicle ....and killed.
Now there will be an investigation whether it was an accident or did Ronny give Matt a push towards the car. The next part of the book goes back and forth into the history of this group of guys and the girl, Vanessa who both Matt and Ronny admire.
Unfortunately the pace is so slow that it really throws off the story.And the ending was a real disappointment !
Now there will be an investigation whether it was an accident or did Ronny give Matt a push towards the car. The next part of the book goes back and forth into the history of this group of guys and the girl, Vanessa who both Matt and Ronny admire.
Unfortunately the pace is so slow that it really throws off the story.And the ending was a real disappointment !
December 2, 2015
"It's terrible coffee, old and reheated, bitter as regret."
October 13, 2021
I need to be better at updating as I finish books and go along but this one was pretty good!! I enjoyed it and read it all in one sitting, the only thing is I found the ending a little unsatisfactory. It almost felt forced and rushed?
February 14, 2017
I'm somewhat conflicted about rating this book. It began strong and would have been a four star story but for some overly repetitive tropes. The young patrolman, Ronny Forbert, starts out as a sympathetic character but devolves right along with his fragile self esteem as the crooked, politically driven town council leader uses an unfortunate accident to his advantage and throws Ronny under the bus. The police chief, Gordy, is the most likable character in the story and is the moral center therein.
The premise was brilliant, the concept sound, and the writing well done. But one too many time shifts into the past to establish the history Ronnie shares with the accident victim and their buddies wears thin and I found myself losing empathy for them all.
A very worthy read that could have been even better with tighter editing.
The premise was brilliant, the concept sound, and the writing well done. But one too many time shifts into the past to establish the history Ronnie shares with the accident victim and their buddies wears thin and I found myself losing empathy for them all.
A very worthy read that could have been even better with tighter editing.
July 7, 2015
Full disclosure: I won an ARC of this book from GoodReads. This is the first novel by Thomas Cobb that I've read and it scared the crap outt of me. Yes. Had nightmares. Very well written, in fact couldn't put it down, a page turner til the very end. This book depicts how any one person's life and actions can affect so many others, especially in a small town. A true psych thriller with a stunning ending. Definitely a book I would recommend.
February 15, 2016
The beauty of this mystery novel lies not in what happened, but in its aftermath of the event and the way in which the citizens of the small town color those events, based on their own self-interests and perceptions. The story opens on a rookie officer who's just about at the end of his shift when a car full of drunks comes speeding along the highway on a snowy road, where black ice is a factor.
When the officer stops the vehicle, he realizes it's a group of his estranged friends from high school, the town bad boys, who've been drinking beer and smoking pot. They've got a broken headlight and have been traveling far too quickly for such treacherous conditions. As soon as rookie Police Officer Ronny Forbert pulls them over, however, he knows he's in for trouble.
Leader of the pack Matt Laferiere is not prepared to go willingly, and as he and Ronny get into a tussle over handcuffs, another car comes speeding along and ends up hitting Laferiere. The underlying question that pervades the mystery: Was it an unfortunate accident, or did Ronny intentionally push him into the pathway of the oncoming driver?
As the novel progresses, it flashes between the present circumstances (a town divided by what they believed to have happened) and the past, which led to the two friends becoming estranged (a coming-of-age story of boys struggling to cope with their impoverished lives, which offer little hope for the future). Throughout this seesaw, readers come to an understanding of all the steps that led to this point. While Ronny and Matt may have chosen two different paths, ultimately they end up in the same hopeless place.
Still, for all that occurs, this is a remarkably beautiful novel. Its author is Thomas Cobb, who also penned "Crazy Heart," the basis for the Oscar nominated film featuring Jeff Bridges. Like the movie, this book is filled with remarkable, fully developed characters whose lives will break your heart. Cobb shows what it's like to be vulnerable in the face of so many people deciding the facts who don't even know them, and political leaders bending the town's consensus to their own desires. The ending --when it comes -- can only be tragic, yet expected.
Review first appeared on ReviewingtheEvidence.com.
When the officer stops the vehicle, he realizes it's a group of his estranged friends from high school, the town bad boys, who've been drinking beer and smoking pot. They've got a broken headlight and have been traveling far too quickly for such treacherous conditions. As soon as rookie Police Officer Ronny Forbert pulls them over, however, he knows he's in for trouble.
Leader of the pack Matt Laferiere is not prepared to go willingly, and as he and Ronny get into a tussle over handcuffs, another car comes speeding along and ends up hitting Laferiere. The underlying question that pervades the mystery: Was it an unfortunate accident, or did Ronny intentionally push him into the pathway of the oncoming driver?
As the novel progresses, it flashes between the present circumstances (a town divided by what they believed to have happened) and the past, which led to the two friends becoming estranged (a coming-of-age story of boys struggling to cope with their impoverished lives, which offer little hope for the future). Throughout this seesaw, readers come to an understanding of all the steps that led to this point. While Ronny and Matt may have chosen two different paths, ultimately they end up in the same hopeless place.
Still, for all that occurs, this is a remarkably beautiful novel. Its author is Thomas Cobb, who also penned "Crazy Heart," the basis for the Oscar nominated film featuring Jeff Bridges. Like the movie, this book is filled with remarkable, fully developed characters whose lives will break your heart. Cobb shows what it's like to be vulnerable in the face of so many people deciding the facts who don't even know them, and political leaders bending the town's consensus to their own desires. The ending --when it comes -- can only be tragic, yet expected.
Review first appeared on ReviewingtheEvidence.com.
September 21, 2015
Small town, full of good ol boys and political pull. A good police chief, a young man makes a mistake and suffers for it. The human condition...greed and power, never goes away.
August 5, 2017
Didn't work for me. I liked it for, say, 80% of the book, but
January 28, 2019
This book doesn't have the highest ratings, but I thought it was amazing. It is a terribly sad story, really got me in the feelers. I will definitely be reading Crazy Heart, one of the author's other books.
July 10, 2024
I liked the storyline in the beginning but the ending was just blah, but I also guess that’s why the book is titled what it is.
May 20, 2022
While in his cruiser on a cold and freezing night officer Ronny Forbert sees a jeep coming over the
hill going too fast. He stops the vehicle on suspicion of drunk driving. There is a scuffle with the driver. The driver slips on the ice. Just then, a car driving too fast hit the man and does not stop.
The guy dies.
As the investigation proceeds the car in question is found. Meanwhile the family of the deceased blames Officer Forbert. They want him to pay. Officer Forbert is really feeling the heat in all of this and fears he might lose his job.
On a moment of impulse Officer Forbert finds his accusers and shoots the three of them.
He fell to the fulcrum of a community's grief and rage.
hill going too fast. He stops the vehicle on suspicion of drunk driving. There is a scuffle with the driver. The driver slips on the ice. Just then, a car driving too fast hit the man and does not stop.
The guy dies.
As the investigation proceeds the car in question is found. Meanwhile the family of the deceased blames Officer Forbert. They want him to pay. Officer Forbert is really feeling the heat in all of this and fears he might lose his job.
On a moment of impulse Officer Forbert finds his accusers and shoots the three of them.
He fell to the fulcrum of a community's grief and rage.
June 7, 2015
Ronny Forbert is the rookie cop in his home town police force. Raised by an alcoholic dad, Ronny did not have much guidance as a kid and in high school, had finally found a place to belong in the "wrong group," sliding rather easily into illegal activities, but not always liking it. He was salvaged from that road to nowhere good by the local police chief, who had offered the boys a chance to work off a charge of vandalism. The other boys believed Forbert had confessed too quickly and did not appreciate the chance to "work off" a crime of arson that they clearly had committed.
A few years later, he no longer runs with those guys, but they haven't left town either. So on one dark, cold night in Lydell, New York, Ronny is the officer clocking cars coming over the hill around midnight, going to or from the casino across the state line. He sees a one-headlight car coming over the hill. As he pulls behind it and hits the lights, he has the sinking realization that it is the car of Matt Laferiere, the leader of the hoods he used to hang out with. Ronny intends to be professional, to give them a warning and let them go, but Matt has clearly been drinking. He denies it sarcastically while Ronny's flashlight plays across the open container in the back. The scenario rapidly goes down hill with Matt refusing to humble himself before this "pussy loser with a badge."
Later the more experienced cops would say that the only thing Ronny did wrong was not to call for back up, but it all happened so fast. Ronny asked them all to exit the car; Matt pushed so hard on the door with his shoulder that it hit Ronny in the hip and knocked him to the ground. Ronny knew that the door sometimes was hard to open, but he felt he was being forced to take action. He tried to handcuff Matt, but Matt did not intend to go quietly. He was pulling away from Ronny, refusing to offer his other arm, when he slipped on the black ice and fell into the path of an oncoming car. Matt's body went airborne and his head rammed his own rear bumper. Dead instantly.
The story is not so much what happened that night, but what the town does with the story. Everyone has an angle, it seems. The head of the Town Council, a slick operator if ever there was one, sees an opportunity to go after the whole Police Department. If he can get rid of the salary drain
on the town budget, the city has more money and he has less supervision of his shady activities. The State Police can do everything the local boys can, he rationalizes. Matt's parents believe it is murder; that Ronny has been holding a grudge against their son and pushed him in front of a car. The head of the Town Council encourages this thinking, as it serves his own purposes.
Thomas Cobb switches from present time to past to fill in the back story, which helps build the drama and the tension as we learn more about specific people and the history they have together. There are some very interesting characters here, some likable, and some suspenseful moments along the way. Though we are watching hope for a positive outcome spiraling down the drain, every fiber of one's being is pulling against it. This is a well written tale of suspense and tragedy. Sometimes it just doesn't come together like one would hope.
I received an E-copy of this book from Edelweiss. The expected publication date is July 29, 2015.
A few years later, he no longer runs with those guys, but they haven't left town either. So on one dark, cold night in Lydell, New York, Ronny is the officer clocking cars coming over the hill around midnight, going to or from the casino across the state line. He sees a one-headlight car coming over the hill. As he pulls behind it and hits the lights, he has the sinking realization that it is the car of Matt Laferiere, the leader of the hoods he used to hang out with. Ronny intends to be professional, to give them a warning and let them go, but Matt has clearly been drinking. He denies it sarcastically while Ronny's flashlight plays across the open container in the back. The scenario rapidly goes down hill with Matt refusing to humble himself before this "pussy loser with a badge."
Later the more experienced cops would say that the only thing Ronny did wrong was not to call for back up, but it all happened so fast. Ronny asked them all to exit the car; Matt pushed so hard on the door with his shoulder that it hit Ronny in the hip and knocked him to the ground. Ronny knew that the door sometimes was hard to open, but he felt he was being forced to take action. He tried to handcuff Matt, but Matt did not intend to go quietly. He was pulling away from Ronny, refusing to offer his other arm, when he slipped on the black ice and fell into the path of an oncoming car. Matt's body went airborne and his head rammed his own rear bumper. Dead instantly.
The story is not so much what happened that night, but what the town does with the story. Everyone has an angle, it seems. The head of the Town Council, a slick operator if ever there was one, sees an opportunity to go after the whole Police Department. If he can get rid of the salary drain
on the town budget, the city has more money and he has less supervision of his shady activities. The State Police can do everything the local boys can, he rationalizes. Matt's parents believe it is murder; that Ronny has been holding a grudge against their son and pushed him in front of a car. The head of the Town Council encourages this thinking, as it serves his own purposes.
Thomas Cobb switches from present time to past to fill in the back story, which helps build the drama and the tension as we learn more about specific people and the history they have together. There are some very interesting characters here, some likable, and some suspenseful moments along the way. Though we are watching hope for a positive outcome spiraling down the drain, every fiber of one's being is pulling against it. This is a well written tale of suspense and tragedy. Sometimes it just doesn't come together like one would hope.
I received an E-copy of this book from Edelweiss. The expected publication date is July 29, 2015.
August 4, 2015
How can an entire life unravel in a split second? Is it possible for a single moment in time to cast out a ripple effect that grows from a tiny shimmer to a tidal wave that crashes and destroys everything in its path? Could it have been stopped, contained? Was there ever any choice?
At the heart of Cobb’s book is young rookie police office Ronnie Forbert and one fateful night that changed his life forever. A routine traffic stop leaves Forbert’s old friend Matt Leferiere dead. Was it an accident, or did Ronnie kill his old friend? The Chief of Police stands by Ronnie, while the dead boy’s parents accuse Ronnie of deliberately killing their son. As the investigation proceeds, the local media uncovers a witness who swears that Officer Forbert killed Leferiere. Did a witness actually see this, or is this a misguided attempt to grab five minutes of fame? What really happened that night? When a political firestorm erupts, it becomes clear that the truth may no longer matter, and that justice is just a word.
Cobb does a masterful job of delving into small town politics where everyone knows everyone, slights are never forgotten, and grudges die hard. What makes this novel shine is the author’s ability to bring the town and its people alive. These are not mere characters on a page. They become people the reader likes, loathes, understands and ultimately wants to see redeemed.
This is a book to read slowly and savor. Buy this book and prepare to be immersed in Cobb’s small town of Lydell, New York.
Scheduled for publication August 18th, 2015
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
At the heart of Cobb’s book is young rookie police office Ronnie Forbert and one fateful night that changed his life forever. A routine traffic stop leaves Forbert’s old friend Matt Leferiere dead. Was it an accident, or did Ronnie kill his old friend? The Chief of Police stands by Ronnie, while the dead boy’s parents accuse Ronnie of deliberately killing their son. As the investigation proceeds, the local media uncovers a witness who swears that Officer Forbert killed Leferiere. Did a witness actually see this, or is this a misguided attempt to grab five minutes of fame? What really happened that night? When a political firestorm erupts, it becomes clear that the truth may no longer matter, and that justice is just a word.
Cobb does a masterful job of delving into small town politics where everyone knows everyone, slights are never forgotten, and grudges die hard. What makes this novel shine is the author’s ability to bring the town and its people alive. These are not mere characters on a page. They become people the reader likes, loathes, understands and ultimately wants to see redeemed.
This is a book to read slowly and savor. Buy this book and prepare to be immersed in Cobb’s small town of Lydell, New York.
Scheduled for publication August 18th, 2015
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
February 17, 2016
On a cold winter night in a small town in New England, small town cop Ronny Forbert pulls over a car full of old acquaintances for speeding and driving with a broken headlight. The driver, Matt Laferiere, is intoxicated, belligerent, and fights with the officer, and during the struggle he falls and is struck and killed by a hit and run driver. So begins Darkness the Color of Snow, a terrific psychological drama set in the dead of winter in the cold of the town of Lydell (which I believe is a fictional town but I could be mistaken).
It is a small town, and everybody has a history with everyone else. That’s the thing with growing up in a place like that, and why it is normally a good idea to leave. Ron and Matt used to be friends, Ron’s girlfriend used to be Matt’s, the Police Chief used to mess around with a lady that raises goats…everywhere, history. There are no secrets, and everyone remembers the person you were in high school, which works out for some and not for others.
The police department in this small town faces the existential threat of being disbanded in favor of patrol by State Police. Politics in this town are controlled by Town Council President Martin Glendenning, who is a slippery fellow and an opportunist who sees this latest incident with the local Police as a chance to get rid of the Police force once and for all.
This isn’t my usual cup of tea, but it’s pretty excellent nonetheless. I can relate to the bleakness of the New England winter, the desperation of the small town, the entrapment of misguided career choices. This book succeeds because it captures all of that and makes the most of it. Awesome book.
It is a small town, and everybody has a history with everyone else. That’s the thing with growing up in a place like that, and why it is normally a good idea to leave. Ron and Matt used to be friends, Ron’s girlfriend used to be Matt’s, the Police Chief used to mess around with a lady that raises goats…everywhere, history. There are no secrets, and everyone remembers the person you were in high school, which works out for some and not for others.
The police department in this small town faces the existential threat of being disbanded in favor of patrol by State Police. Politics in this town are controlled by Town Council President Martin Glendenning, who is a slippery fellow and an opportunist who sees this latest incident with the local Police as a chance to get rid of the Police force once and for all.
This isn’t my usual cup of tea, but it’s pretty excellent nonetheless. I can relate to the bleakness of the New England winter, the desperation of the small town, the entrapment of misguided career choices. This book succeeds because it captures all of that and makes the most of it. Awesome book.
June 15, 2016
I won this book for free from the Goodreads Free Book Giveaway contest. I'm a bit mixed about this book. An internal struggle. Part of me really liked this book. I found the story pretty interesting and the evolution of people from childhood into adulthood strangely satisfying, especially since we've all at one time or another thought about friends we used to have and how the decisions that we've made formed our lives. This story is about that journey we all face and how sometimes you grow apart from your childhood friends and venture into frenemy territory.
Ronny Forbert was a small town guy, hanging out with the wrong crowd having fun, until one fateful night they made the wrong choice and got busted by the police. Fast forward a few years and now Ronny is a cop in the same town, but his former friends are still the same--refusing to grow up and being comfortable as losers in life. Hence, the fateful night that brings them back together when Ronny pulls them over and not everyone lives to see the morning.
Now if I stopped there, this book would have garnered a 4, but the other part of me, the side that's won, can't stand the way this novel ended. I feel cheated and the ending pretty much felt like pure crap to me. I went from really enjoying this story to wanting to toss it in a shredder. I've always had a problem with authors that can tell a magnificent story only to get sloppy at the end. It reeks of laziness and contempt for the reader, IMO. And that's where I am now. A story I enjoyed right up until the very end.
Ronny Forbert was a small town guy, hanging out with the wrong crowd having fun, until one fateful night they made the wrong choice and got busted by the police. Fast forward a few years and now Ronny is a cop in the same town, but his former friends are still the same--refusing to grow up and being comfortable as losers in life. Hence, the fateful night that brings them back together when Ronny pulls them over and not everyone lives to see the morning.
Now if I stopped there, this book would have garnered a 4, but the other part of me, the side that's won, can't stand the way this novel ended. I feel cheated and the ending pretty much felt like pure crap to me. I went from really enjoying this story to wanting to toss it in a shredder. I've always had a problem with authors that can tell a magnificent story only to get sloppy at the end. It reeks of laziness and contempt for the reader, IMO. And that's where I am now. A story I enjoyed right up until the very end.
December 19, 2015
On a snowy night in a small town, a young police officer named Ronny Forbert pulls over a drunk driver named Matt Laferiere and attempts to make an arrest. In an ensuing physical struggle between Forbert and Laferiere, the drunk driver stumbles into the blacktop of a mountain road and is hit and killed by an oncoming car.
What begins as a clear case of an accidental hit and run in the first couple of pages spirals into a tale of corruption, lies, and small town politics. As the police department led by a veteran police chief named Gordy Hawkins stands behind Forbert, the townsfolk, led by a dubious councilman, begin to suspect Forbert of misconduct and make a move to fire him.
Ayeee....to go beyond this bit of info is to completely give away the plot. "Darkness the Color of Snow," however, is a tense read. The action fully engrosses you after the first several pages and it never lets up until the end. There is a lot of backstory in this book (I repeat: a lot of backstory) and connections between the characters in this book to make you question the "official" account of what occurred on the road in the first pages.
Do read this, though. It's not just the story of an accident, but an interesting examination of what happens as small towns die and jobs are scarce, and the levels of desperation that people go to, and what they are willing to believe in the face of official "facts." Great reading!
What begins as a clear case of an accidental hit and run in the first couple of pages spirals into a tale of corruption, lies, and small town politics. As the police department led by a veteran police chief named Gordy Hawkins stands behind Forbert, the townsfolk, led by a dubious councilman, begin to suspect Forbert of misconduct and make a move to fire him.
Ayeee....to go beyond this bit of info is to completely give away the plot. "Darkness the Color of Snow," however, is a tense read. The action fully engrosses you after the first several pages and it never lets up until the end. There is a lot of backstory in this book (I repeat: a lot of backstory) and connections between the characters in this book to make you question the "official" account of what occurred on the road in the first pages.
Do read this, though. It's not just the story of an accident, but an interesting examination of what happens as small towns die and jobs are scarce, and the levels of desperation that people go to, and what they are willing to believe in the face of official "facts." Great reading!
May 16, 2016
Everyone's life is fragile. We think we have a plan, we follow our plans and try to move forward, and then situations change unexpectedly and, for the most part, in ways that are far beyond our control.
In small towns, (or small states) our paths intersect with the others who share our locale. Each of those others also have a plan, and sometimes our meeting is a collision that changes our paths, our plans and our lives. Politics, revenge, love, jealousy, anger, all have their place in thwarting our plans, despite our best intentions and our best efforts.
Officer Ronny Forbert has spent the past few years following the path to his goal: to serve as a member of the police force in Lydell, and eventually to become the Chief of Police. Police Chief Gordon Hawkins is trying to find a new path after the loss of his wife. Thomas Cobb tells their stories around the repercussions following a fatal accident, which will force one of them to abandon his future, and the other to find it.
From the very beginning, this story had me hooked. The ending shocked me. Good job, Thomas Cobb!
In small towns, (or small states) our paths intersect with the others who share our locale. Each of those others also have a plan, and sometimes our meeting is a collision that changes our paths, our plans and our lives. Politics, revenge, love, jealousy, anger, all have their place in thwarting our plans, despite our best intentions and our best efforts.
Officer Ronny Forbert has spent the past few years following the path to his goal: to serve as a member of the police force in Lydell, and eventually to become the Chief of Police. Police Chief Gordon Hawkins is trying to find a new path after the loss of his wife. Thomas Cobb tells their stories around the repercussions following a fatal accident, which will force one of them to abandon his future, and the other to find it.
From the very beginning, this story had me hooked. The ending shocked me. Good job, Thomas Cobb!
July 19, 2015
I found this to be a fascinating read. The writing is good and the plot is tight. During the set-up, I was prepared to criticize Mr. Cobb for his light development of the characters. After finishing the book, I spent the rest of the evening thinking about it, and I realized that he did not really have to put any more development of his own, because he used such strong archetypes. Without giving away plot points, the setting of the story is middle america a town in decay. Almost all of us have spent time in small towns and know the feel of the town diner and the regulars you would meet there. This novel plays to that, allowing us to supplement the spare writing with our own knowledge. I think there is a mastery of writing there that I have not often seen before.
There are twists to this book and the characters often made decisions I was not personally fond of but I considered the trip worthwhile and the story memorable.
If you like thought provoking stories, you should like this one!!
All the best,
Jay
There are twists to this book and the characters often made decisions I was not personally fond of but I considered the trip worthwhile and the story memorable.
If you like thought provoking stories, you should like this one!!
All the best,
Jay
July 20, 2015
Won this from the Goodreads First Reads program. I'd never read Thomas Cobb before (though I enjoyed the movie version of his novel Crazy Heart), but now that I have, I'll be looking for more. This is barely a crime novel (a DUI and the theft of some farming equipment is about as serious as it gets), but Cobb hooks you through his characters and his version/description of small town & rural life is spot on. Even though the novel is set in Vermont and I live in the Midwest, I felt like I knew these characters and this setting intimately. I liked how much of the novel is told through dialogue. When I got to about 10 pages from the end, I thought How is this going to get wrapped up in 10 pages? But the last 7 pages threw me for a loop and blew me away. Should I have seen it coming? Maybe. But I didn't.
July 5, 2015
I won an ARC. Out on his regular patrol Ronald stops a group of wild kids for speeding/drinking, etc on a cold night. The driver happens to be someone he had been friends with during his early years. Ronald growed up and made something of his self and become a cop, but his friend just as wild now as in the past. He has no respect for Ronald now and don't get out of the jeep when told to. When he starts to handcuff him a scuffle starts.
Ronald is given 5 days with no pay, after the horrible accident when the driver was run over by a hit and run driver. The story then really drags out for those 5 days.
This book is one that really shows how lies can change lots of lives. I really didn't like the way the book ended. But don't want to tell too much to spoil for others.
Ronald is given 5 days with no pay, after the horrible accident when the driver was run over by a hit and run driver. The story then really drags out for those 5 days.
This book is one that really shows how lies can change lots of lives. I really didn't like the way the book ended. But don't want to tell too much to spoil for others.
September 16, 2015
This is an enjoyable, "small" crime fiction novel that I best describe as being a book where the good people try to do good things and the right things while those of lesser qualities try to prevent them from doing so mainly by being themselves.
The characters all know each other and for years. The story opens with an accidental death that takes on different meanings depending upon the perspectives of others and at times, for the use of different characters and their selfish motives.
The characters all know each other and for years. The story opens with an accidental death that takes on different meanings depending upon the perspectives of others and at times, for the use of different characters and their selfish motives.
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