The Coldest Blood

Lieutenant Danielle Lewis #3

by J.S. Law

A savage murderer taunts the police from his cell.
Naval investigator Dani Lewis made her name by catching serial killer Christopher Hamilton, a master of manipulation who now lives to toy with the police. But when a stranger viciously attacks Dani, she fears Hamilton has one twisted game left to play.

As the case spirals out of control, Dani realises Hamilton's deadly grip reaches deeper than she ever knew. With her sanity and family in peril, Dani has no choice but to confront pure evil - even if it drags up the darkest secrets of the past.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published November 29, 2018

About the author

J.S Law joined the Royal Navy in 1993 as an apprentice and went on to serve for twenty years, the majority of that time spent in the Submarine Service. He rose through the ranks, taking a commission as an engineering officer in 2001, and serving as a Senior Engineer and Nuclear Reactor Plant Supervisor, where his responsibilities ranged from the safety and operation of the submarine’s nuclear power plant to hydraulic plants, fridges and toilets; it was the latter of these tasks that brought the majority of any pressure.

His final years in service were spent training future submariners in his role of Senior Lecturer in Nuclear Reactor Engineering.
Having written short stories and novels throughout his naval career, James completed an MA in Creative Writing at Portsmouth University shortly before leaving the navy in 2013, completing his debut novel, Tenacity, shortly afterwards.

James lives in Hampshire with his wife, Elaine, and two children. He spends what spare time he has riding his bike around the South Downs and travelling to Edinburgh to watch Scotland play rugby at Murrayfield stadium.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Coldest Blood, the third novel in the naval investigator Lieutenant Dani Lewis series, is another shocking and explosive addition to a fantastic series. Not for the faint of heart, this story is pretty gritty and there are gory and graphic details aplenty. Once you pick this up there's simply no putting it down, and the fast pace and action-packed plot propel you to the end in a single, nail-biting sitting. Dani is a strong female lead who is feisty and tough-as-nails; she needs to be given the male-dominated environment she finds herself in. It's evident throughout that many details have come from the time the author spent in the Royal Navy and gives the plot an air of authenticity. The vivid descriptions create a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, and Law is adept at ratcheting up the suspense throughout this dark, intense novel.

I feel strongly that these books work best if you read them chronologically as jumping in at the deep end with this third novel means there is a lot of information from the previous two that you are not privy to. That said, the author does a concise recap of important past happenings, however, I still believe to get the most satisfaction out of this series you need to start at the beginning. It's well worth your time. Roll on number four!

Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.
Well I’ve LOVED this series so far but The Coldest Blood is by far the best in my humble opinion- lots of things coming to a head, Dani in all sorts of trouble and a fast paced, barely let up plot that made me bang through it like a grasshopper on acid.
This author writes with such an absorbing prose that you are buried in the story from word one and from there both the heart and the action move on apace. The characters are beautifully engaging, I actually have a sneaky little liking for Chris Hamilton, serial killer, bane of Dani’s life. In this instalment that relationship is more twisted than ever and honestly it was entirely unpredictable and so well done.
J S Law has built such a beautiful mythology here, it is totally addictive, with an authentic feel to the Navy backdrop and a further fall into the threads from previous novels.
You’ll doubt your own mother by the time you are done with this. Fantastic.
Highly Recommended

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of The Coldest Blood, the third novel to feature Naval Police Officer Lieutenant Dani Lewis.

When a man attacks Dani in her home and gives her a message for her father, Taz, she realises that the serial killer she caught, Christopher Hamilton, has more reach than she ever thought. Trying to work through the maze of his manipulation she further realises that there is more at stake than a game of cat and mouse.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Coldest Blood which is a fast moving, rollercoaster of a read with plenty of twists and turns and a few shocks along the way. This is the first time I have entered Dani’s world so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by the grip of the plot. The basic premise of a serial killer manipulating events from behind bars is not particularly original but Mr Law puts his own slant on it and has produced a very readable, exciting novel. It is full of action with Dani at the centre but it also requires a fair amount of concentration to keep up with all the characters and their motivations.

The novel is essentially a dual between two strong characters, Dani Lewis and Christopher Hamilton. Dani is a dedicated investigator with a strong sense of right and wrong but, at times, looks like a puppet when faced with Hamilton’s plotting. It is, however, fatal to underestimate her because, a bit like The Terminator, she just keeps going. Hamilton, on the other hand, plays a long game and is smart enough to be several steps ahead at all times, basically your standard psychopath. I like the idea of his self justification expressed in letters to Dani. It allows Mr Law to present a version of the truth while leaving the reader to make their own evaluation and to expose Hamilton’s past in his own words.

The Coldest Blood is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in this series and although there is a bit of a recap for what has gone before, I would really recommend that you start from book one and read in order as there are things here that follow on from what happened in both previous books - more like an ongoing saga rather than a pure series of standalone stories connected by a series arc or two. With the goings on being a bit convoluted at times, I would imagine that it would be easier to follow given the whole background rather than relying on just a brief catch-up.
Dani is attacked in her own home by someone wanting to get a message to her father. There is something from his past that has reared its head into their present. Something that has also spilled into other connected people's lives. Something that connects with Dani's previous cases. Something that forces her to confront her nemesis, the currently incarcerated Chris Hamilton. Dani has other reasons to want to talk to him, more she needs to know from what has happened before. She needs answers to things that are uncomfortably closer to home than she would have liked. But after her previous outings as a Naval Investigative officer, she's skating on thin ice with her career already but with what happens next, her life could also be in danger.
I'm being deliberately oblique here as there is so much going on in this book that I fear spoilers would creep in if I went even just a little more specific. Less is definitely more in this review methinks. It's all interconnected with what has happened in the previous books, so much so that I am going to repeat my advice regarding reading them first.
As with previous books, the authors knowledge of the Navy really shines through in this book. I come from Navy stock myself thanks to both my parents so I do know a little more than most about the ins and outs. Yes, there's probably a bit of poetic license to keep things moving but, on the whole, it does all feel authentic. Living in Portsmouth myself, I also loved the trip round town I took during this book. I do always get a little excited when I read about places I know and, one the whole, the author has portrayed the city perfectly within the context of what happens in the book.
Dani herself is definitely a force to be reckoned with as she deals with blow after blow both mentally as well as physically in her determination to get to the truth, no matter how dark personally that truth is likely to be. She skirts the line quite a bit in this book, as she has done before, but she has her reasons and justifications for doing so. I also absolutely love the cat and mouse game she has with Hamilton, especially with his letters to her in this book which go a bit further to explaining some things, well... if you can trust the word of a manipulative criminal's mind.
All in all, a cracking addition to a series I already loved. Roll on the next one - whatever that may deliver! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and to he publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Coldest Blood is a highly enjoyable, fast paced drama. J.S Law packs a lot into this novel and keeps you gripped from beginning to end. I haven’t read the previous two books but was intrigued by the blurb when NetGalley offered this installment to readers. Thanks to some recaps peppered through the first few chapters it is possible for a new reader to understand and enjoy this book. However, I’m sure that it’s better to read them in order.

Christopher Hamilton is a fascinating character and I really enjoyed his little notes to Dani, a nice touch. Dani is a tenacious investigator but she is often a few steps behind her quarry. She is forced to use some dubious tactics in her pursuit of those involved and she is battling against unseen enemies. An excellent read - I will definitely look out for more books by this author.

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok but is this really the end? is this supposed to be a trilogy? because i don't mind if we get a book four with some sprinkle of happiness for dani, seriously. also something bothered me a bit going from book 2 to book 3 in a span of less than 36 hours that in previous book people call her dan or dany but in this one it turned to dani (which is the one i preferred tbh)but still the lack of consistency? hmm
but other than that, what a ride.

[D.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another triumph for J.S. Law with this third instalment in the Dani Lewis series is so absorbing that I felt physically tired reading it. These novels are so cinematic that I am astonished that the rights to this series have not yet been bought by Amazon or Netflix.

I was given an advance reader copy by the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

[June Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start, but soon warmed up, disappointed with the ending, perhaps there will be a sequel.