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Cold City Streets
Brian Featherstone's money and power couldn't protect him. In the depths of Edmonton's winter, a killer leaves the oilman dead in a residential neighborhood. Legal aid lawyer Jessica Harper's client is found with the murder weapon, cash, and a drug-house full of reasons to be guilty. But Paul Sidney swears that somewhere in the shadows of an urban jungle, the real killer lurks. An ex-athlete wants a better life for his kid than he had in Detroit; Harper is exorcising demons; the victim's enemies want their pound of flesh. Did police jump the gun? Could a stock-market swindle play a part? Or is the accused playing Jessie for a fool?
Warning: this novel contains graphic language
Warning: this novel contains graphic language
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2016
27 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 23, 2017
LH Thomson’s Cold City contrasts Edmonton, Canada with Detroit, USA in an exciting mystery thriller starring Canadian legal aid lawyer Jessica Harper and former sports star Cobi Tate. Tate’s fall from grace has led him to some uninspiring occupations and places, but now he hopes to turn his life around by working for the good guys. Meanwhile Jessica needs to be sure just who the good guys are. A rich man has died. A poor man has the money and the murder weapon. And the plot thickens with the ice.
Jessie is a nicely drawn character, helping rather than judging those she meets, and putting to good use the lessons learned as a member of society’s minority First Nations. Cobi, from another minority, has other lessons and skills to use. And both have their histories, told with good timing and to good effect.
The dialog is convincing. Details of Edmonton’s environs and its court procedures feel vividly real. And swift scene changes keep the action exciting and the reader turning pages. Psychological profiles, woven into conversation, are interesting and informative. And the sense of a foreigner negotiating a place with different culture and customs feels very real to me.
Occasional odd word choices might be Canadian. But nothing could stop me enjoying this fast exciting read. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I offer my honest review.
Jessie is a nicely drawn character, helping rather than judging those she meets, and putting to good use the lessons learned as a member of society’s minority First Nations. Cobi, from another minority, has other lessons and skills to use. And both have their histories, told with good timing and to good effect.
The dialog is convincing. Details of Edmonton’s environs and its court procedures feel vividly real. And swift scene changes keep the action exciting and the reader turning pages. Psychological profiles, woven into conversation, are interesting and informative. And the sense of a foreigner negotiating a place with different culture and customs feels very real to me.
Occasional odd word choices might be Canadian. But nothing could stop me enjoying this fast exciting read. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I offer my honest review.
June 3, 2016
Fast-paced legal thriller with a strong sense of location
This is a legal thriller set on the streets of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The unusual setting works nicely for this story where the cold, the city streets and the vivid description bring a strong sense of place to the story.
Appropriately enough, the tale begins with a rich oilman’s body being dumped in the snow in a quiet city neighborhood. A quick investigation and the arrest of a local drug dealer soon follow. But that’s where things get complicated – the apparent slam dunk case is nothing like it appears to be on the surface.
Trying to get to the truth about what happened are the book’s protagonists: Jessica Harper, the legal aid attorney, and Cobi Tate, a washed out former pro ball player with some seamy underworld connections that Jessica hires as her new private investigator. To defend their client, they have to decide if the answers lie in with the rich and powerful or the dark underground world of crime and drugs. The two find themselves scouring the streets of Edmonton to discover the answers and the true killer’s identity. The story builds to an exciting and surprising climax that I did not see coming.
The two leads are an interesting pair. Cobi in particular is a fascinating true-to-life character with an interesting backstory. Like other reviewers, I would love to see more from these two. The chemistry is definitely there for a series.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a legal thriller set on the streets of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The unusual setting works nicely for this story where the cold, the city streets and the vivid description bring a strong sense of place to the story.
Appropriately enough, the tale begins with a rich oilman’s body being dumped in the snow in a quiet city neighborhood. A quick investigation and the arrest of a local drug dealer soon follow. But that’s where things get complicated – the apparent slam dunk case is nothing like it appears to be on the surface.
Trying to get to the truth about what happened are the book’s protagonists: Jessica Harper, the legal aid attorney, and Cobi Tate, a washed out former pro ball player with some seamy underworld connections that Jessica hires as her new private investigator. To defend their client, they have to decide if the answers lie in with the rich and powerful or the dark underground world of crime and drugs. The two find themselves scouring the streets of Edmonton to discover the answers and the true killer’s identity. The story builds to an exciting and surprising climax that I did not see coming.
The two leads are an interesting pair. Cobi in particular is a fascinating true-to-life character with an interesting backstory. Like other reviewers, I would love to see more from these two. The chemistry is definitely there for a series.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2016
Was a pretty good crime thriller. Interesting characters made for an enjoyable read. Ending was not telegraphed too son. As a writer Thomson shows more skill here than in his 9 Quinn books.
August 29, 2020
WOW, what a read! A complex, suspenseful novel with tension so thick that it felt palpable. The plot was intense, powerful and thrilling and held me captive all the way through! The characters fairly leaped off the page and felt very "real". Every setting was described in such a way as to make me feel like I was an actual bystander in that scene. Once I started reading this story, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down!
If you are looking for a book that will keep you up, feverishly swiping the pages WAY past your bedtime, then this is DEFINITELY the one for you!
If you are looking for a book that will keep you up, feverishly swiping the pages WAY past your bedtime, then this is DEFINITELY the one for you!
July 14, 2017
According to ASIN, this is the book I read. But the one I read was titled "Cold City: A Gripping Suspense Thriller"
Although grittier than I usually go for, I quite liked the main character. 3.5 i think
Although grittier than I usually go for, I quite liked the main character. 3.5 i think
May 4, 2017
Terrible
Awful awful book, please do not waste your time. Poorly written, I stopped reading 1/3 in. Tough to follow and boring plot.
Awful awful book, please do not waste your time. Poorly written, I stopped reading 1/3 in. Tough to follow and boring plot.
October 20, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.
January 10, 2023
Exciting mystery that will keep your interest until the last page. Fast paced with well balanced characters that draw you in. Ready for more.
March 11, 2017
Not Kindle Unlimited, Oh got this as freebie somewhere and reviewed it, blah blah blah, as if that matters; I either like a book or I don't, and that's what the bloody rating system is supposed to be for.
Cold City Streets
The Rough Side (Brett Harrison Mysteries #1)
Abigail Deane and the Demon's Gate (Abigail Deane #1) - Abigail Deane and The Sapphire's Curse (Abigail Deane #2)
Terrible People Doing Terrible Things
The Antique Hunters - The Process Server - The Rough Side
Buried in Benidorm (Max Castillo Mystery, #1) - Vendetta in Valencia (Max Castillo Mystery #2) - Suicide in Salobrena (Max Castillo Mystery #3)
Maximum Max: The First Three Max Castillo Mysteries (Max Castillo Mystery, #1-3)
Revenge in Ronda (Max Castillo Mystery #4)
Quinn Checks In (Liam Quinn Mysteries #1) - Quinn Gets His Kicks (Liam Quinn Mysteries #2) - Quinn and the Deadly Diner (Liam Quinn Mysteries #2.5) - Quinn Goes West (Liam Quinn Mysteries #3) - Quinn & The Vanishing Bride (Liam Quinn Mysteries #4) - Quinn Gets the Blues (Liam Quinn Mysteries #5) - Quinn & The Dead Man's Daughter (Liam Quinn Mysteries #6) - Quinn Slips the Noose (Liam Quinn Mysteries #7) - Quinn Goes to Jail (Liam Quinn Mysteries #8) - Quinn Gets Hitched (Liam Quinn Mysteries #9)
Cold City Streets
The Rough Side (Brett Harrison Mysteries #1)
Abigail Deane and the Demon's Gate (Abigail Deane #1) - Abigail Deane and The Sapphire's Curse (Abigail Deane #2)
Terrible People Doing Terrible Things
The Antique Hunters - The Process Server - The Rough Side
Buried in Benidorm (Max Castillo Mystery, #1) - Vendetta in Valencia (Max Castillo Mystery #2) - Suicide in Salobrena (Max Castillo Mystery #3)
Maximum Max: The First Three Max Castillo Mysteries (Max Castillo Mystery, #1-3)
Revenge in Ronda (Max Castillo Mystery #4)
Quinn Checks In (Liam Quinn Mysteries #1) - Quinn Gets His Kicks (Liam Quinn Mysteries #2) - Quinn and the Deadly Diner (Liam Quinn Mysteries #2.5) - Quinn Goes West (Liam Quinn Mysteries #3) - Quinn & The Vanishing Bride (Liam Quinn Mysteries #4) - Quinn Gets the Blues (Liam Quinn Mysteries #5) - Quinn & The Dead Man's Daughter (Liam Quinn Mysteries #6) - Quinn Slips the Noose (Liam Quinn Mysteries #7) - Quinn Goes to Jail (Liam Quinn Mysteries #8) - Quinn Gets Hitched (Liam Quinn Mysteries #9)
April 10, 2016
Cold City Streets 11
L.H. Thompson
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
278 Pages
Rating Four stars out of five. Posted 4/10/2016
Jessica Harper, legal aid lawyer, is the lead character.
Cobi Tate, ex-football player, now an underpaid investigator for Jessica is the co-protagonist.
More than half of the other characters are antagonist to some degree, or simply not nice folks
Paul Sidney, peddles pot, accused of murdering a respected and wealthy oil company official.
The plot for Cold City Streets is great. The author is a good story teller, and that is reflected in his writing. Jessie is a Legal Aid attorney who deals primarily with the dregs of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's low life society. She takes on the defense of a murder suspect because none of the criminal defense attorneys will touch it. The police have a suspect who deals dope and was caught with the murder weapon on his person and a large amount of cash. It's a slam dunk case and the police are positive Paul Sidney is guilty.
Jessie's office is strapped for money, but she needs an investigator to run down leads to build a defense case for Paul. In steps Cobi Tate, a big tough ex-quarterback from Detroit. He grew up in rough neighborhoods and was no stranger to the rough and tumble street action, even though his dad was a police detective.
Back story and conflict are provided by glimpses into Jessie and Cobi's past that explores their parental relationships as well as Cobi's attempt to maintain ties to his five year old son and ex-wife.
The story is interesting and the action filled pace is fast as Cobi runs down leads to extract information from mostly unfriendly suspects and acquaintances. Throw in quirky, tough characters from the local underworld and there are plenty of options for surprising twist and turns.
Although the editing is above average in most respects, there are other issues to drag the story down. Scene locations and character switches sometimes occur without warning the reader with at least a blank line between them. At one point a serious continuity glitch occurs when several scenes occur in the evening and into the night, and then it's suddenly afternoon and the sun is shining. However, there was no explanation for how the story advanced so fast.
Still, I can highly recommend this captivating story and rate it a high four stars out of five.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
L.H. Thompson
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
278 Pages
Rating Four stars out of five. Posted 4/10/2016
Jessica Harper, legal aid lawyer, is the lead character.
Cobi Tate, ex-football player, now an underpaid investigator for Jessica is the co-protagonist.
More than half of the other characters are antagonist to some degree, or simply not nice folks
Paul Sidney, peddles pot, accused of murdering a respected and wealthy oil company official.
The plot for Cold City Streets is great. The author is a good story teller, and that is reflected in his writing. Jessie is a Legal Aid attorney who deals primarily with the dregs of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's low life society. She takes on the defense of a murder suspect because none of the criminal defense attorneys will touch it. The police have a suspect who deals dope and was caught with the murder weapon on his person and a large amount of cash. It's a slam dunk case and the police are positive Paul Sidney is guilty.
Jessie's office is strapped for money, but she needs an investigator to run down leads to build a defense case for Paul. In steps Cobi Tate, a big tough ex-quarterback from Detroit. He grew up in rough neighborhoods and was no stranger to the rough and tumble street action, even though his dad was a police detective.
Back story and conflict are provided by glimpses into Jessie and Cobi's past that explores their parental relationships as well as Cobi's attempt to maintain ties to his five year old son and ex-wife.
The story is interesting and the action filled pace is fast as Cobi runs down leads to extract information from mostly unfriendly suspects and acquaintances. Throw in quirky, tough characters from the local underworld and there are plenty of options for surprising twist and turns.
Although the editing is above average in most respects, there are other issues to drag the story down. Scene locations and character switches sometimes occur without warning the reader with at least a blank line between them. At one point a serious continuity glitch occurs when several scenes occur in the evening and into the night, and then it's suddenly afternoon and the sun is shining. However, there was no explanation for how the story advanced so fast.
Still, I can highly recommend this captivating story and rate it a high four stars out of five.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
December 17, 2016
I owe this author an apology for the lateness of my review. He sent this book to me at the end of May by email, and I had agreed to review it within a month. However, my computer died...and one thing led to another...and here I am six months later.
I rated this book as a 3* read primarily to the lack of cohesion, especially early in the book. What I mean is that in one paragraph I would be reading about the legal aide lawyer and then the next it would be the cops with no connection offered. This felt disjointed to me. A simple device of..."In the meantime, across town..." would have sufficed to connect the two. There were also typos that should have been caught with proofreading and an occasional verb tense issue. That said, overall I liked the book. The story was interesting and included several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
I think this book and, by extension, the author has potential. I would certainly read another book to see if the literary mishaps continue or were just a fluke of a quickly written novel.
I rated this book as a 3* read primarily to the lack of cohesion, especially early in the book. What I mean is that in one paragraph I would be reading about the legal aide lawyer and then the next it would be the cops with no connection offered. This felt disjointed to me. A simple device of..."In the meantime, across town..." would have sufficed to connect the two. There were also typos that should have been caught with proofreading and an occasional verb tense issue. That said, overall I liked the book. The story was interesting and included several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
I think this book and, by extension, the author has potential. I would certainly read another book to see if the literary mishaps continue or were just a fluke of a quickly written novel.
May 19, 2016
This was a very good mystery set in Edmonton, Alberta. It concerns the murder of a wealthy investor whose body is found in the wrong part of town. It's snowing hard and few clews are found. A drug dealer living on the street makes an easy target and an easy closure to the case for police. Enter Jessica Harper, a legal aid lawyer, and her newly hired investigator, exfootball player Cobi. With her mother holding down the office, the pair work the case, risking their lives to find the truth. The characters were well portrayed and there was plenty of action. Only quibble is the transition between chapters was a bit confusing a couple of times. Further adventures with this pair would be welcome.
This book was a gift from the author requesting a review in exchange. Thank you and hope you write more. Good, interesting characters.
This book was a gift from the author requesting a review in exchange. Thank you and hope you write more. Good, interesting characters.
March 17, 2016
An important new legal thriller with a crusading heroine at its center that you can’t help but root for. When accused murderer Paul Sidney’s attorney advises him to take a plea deal, he throws himself at the mercy of Edmonton lawyer Jessica Harper, who runs a legal aid clinic downtown. Harper is understandably skeptical. Is Sidney guilty, or was he really stupid enough to pick up the weapon used to kill an oil executive on a cold city street and run from the police?
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
July 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It gets your attention with page 1 and continues to keep you intrigued till the end. Would love to see more of Cobi and Jess.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews