A killer is on the loose...and he leaves a calling card at every murder scene.
Though a blizzard has isolated Eagle Mountain, Trooper Ryder Stewart is attempting to track a murderer who's claimed two victims. Then he's tasked with ensuring veterinarian Darcy Marsh is not the third. The gorgeous lawman must earn Darcy's trust despite her traumatic past...and resist his romantic feelings for her. But can he find the elusive killer before the killer finds Darcy?
Cindi Myers worked as a newspaper reporter, travel agent and medical clinic manager before turning to writing full time. She's written both historical and contemporary romance, as well as dozens of short stories and nonfiction articles. Cindi thinks writers have the best job in the world.
Former president of San Antonio Romance Authors, Cindi is a member of Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc., and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
She and her husband and their two dogs live in the mountains Southwest of Denver. When she's not caught up in creating new characters and stories, Cindi enjoys reading, quilting, gardening, skiing and hiking. She's also in demand as a speaker, teaching workshops and making presentations to both local and national writing groups.
I'm used to Harlequin Intrigue having mini-series where some plot strands are left dangling for the subsequent books. But not in a case like this, where most of the book is about the Ice Cold Killer murdering women, and then doesn't tell us who the killer is. Not acceptable for me! That's obviously going to be the most important part of the story I would want to learn about. Why would I want to read two more books where I know a killer isn't going to be captured or identified at the end? Does the small town of Eagle Mountain really have that many psychos running around to justify four books?
The plot involves, as mentioned, the Ice Cold Killer. He duct tapes his victims' hands and feet and slits their throats. The first victim is the best friend of Darcy March. They had set up a vet practice in Eagle Mountain, and Darcy is devastated by her friend's death. She meets the hero, trooper Ryder Stewart, when he delivers the news to her. Two more women are quickly murdered, and sinister incidents happening to Darcy has Ryder convinced that she is next on the list. (Despite the previous victims never having been stalked). Of course, he takes it upon himself to protect her.
It's a fast-paced story, with some good suspenseful set-pieces, but the romance is flat, and Darcy (despite her past involving being raped) and Ryder are really quite forgettable as heroine and hero. Indeed, only moments after finishing the book, I had to check out the back cover blurb to remind myself what their names were! Not an encouraging sign.
Biggest sin of all, of course, is that the book's most major, important storyline isn't even resolved. Big no no for me. I won't bother with books 2 and 3 due to a pause in my Intrigue subscription, but it turns out I have book 4 in my collection, so I'll read that, and actually get the answer to the storyline that should have been provided in this one!
I liked the characters, and the suspense plot was decent. The romance seemed rushed and barely explored. It felt like it went from first date to "I love you" with nothing in between. The building of the romance suffered in the attempt to develop an elaborate plot. In the end, the HEA was not believable because of too little exploration of why the H and h connected beyond more than physical attraction.
I likely will read the next book in the series to give it one more try. The writing was good and the foundation of an intriguing series was there. With a little more polish and by spending more time on developing the main couple, the next book could improve much.
"Nothing takes your mind off your everyday stress than a good serial murder story," I said and immersed myself into the Ice Cold Killer. A chilling and rather horrifying murders happening in a small snowed-in mountain town that intrigued my boggled mind. The terrifying suspense in the story is built so well, it went right under my skin. When you add to the cruel serial murders the other criminal activity in the town and the consequences of the small-town snowed-in conditions, with a budding romance between trooper Ryder Stewart and veterinarian Darcy Marsh -- an unputdownable tale that had my full focus from the start to the end. I admired Darcy and her strength, her ability to focus her mind, control her fear and churning emotions, and do what needed to be done. She has such a survival spirit, she has overcome some horrendous crimes against her, and she is not going to let her past rob her from the future she wants and deserves. Ryder's patience, sensitivity, tenderness, and protectiveness of and with Darcy was lovely. He was understanding, calm and composed when needed, and full of action and fiercely fighting for justice when an occasion arises. Ryder and Darcy have an obvious connection and their chemistry is spiced with a special kind of adoration of each other. In the midst of the danger, fear, and action their feelings root fast, developing emotions neither expected yet they are ready to eagerly explore as if the life or death moments had sharpened every feeling they have. A smoothly flowing tale of terrifyingly horrific crimes, intense suspense, and a developing, delightfully tender, fragile start of a love story, in a charming small mountain town guarantees a vastly entertaining tale for all romantic suspense readers ~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side
“Ice Cold Killer” by Cindi Myers brings us back to Eagle Mountain, Colorado and begins a new miniseries: Eagle Mountain Mystery: Winter Storm Wedding.
A winter storm along with a blocked road traps a serial killer in Eagle Mountain and it’s up to Trooper Ryder Stewart to find the murderer and to protect veterinarian Darcy Marsh from becoming the next victim.
Filled with numerous suspects, Ms. Myers crafts a whodunnit mystery that will have readers attempting to solve and, once they reach the end, eager to read the next installment, “Snowbound Suspicion”.
Fantastic start to the new series. The tension started quickly as Ryder discovered a murdered woman inside an avalanche-buried car. This murder was rapidly followed by another one as Eagle Mountain law enforcement struggled to identify the killer. A winter storm and an avalanche have blocked access to or from Eagle Mountain, trapping the killer as well as his potential victims.
I was sucked into the story from the start. Between the intensity of the suspense and romance between Ryder and Darcy, I had a hard time putting the book down when I had to sleep. The first meeting between Ryder and Darcy was emotional as he was the one to tell her about Kelly's murder. I liked his kindness and gentleness as he broke the news. There was a connection between them from the moment they met. Ryder was intrigued by Darcy and sensed that there was more to her than showed on the surface. Darcy was drawn to Ryder's quiet strength, but also a little wary of him at first. That wariness disappeared quickly when he responded to her call for help at her house; she felt unexpectedly safe around him. I loved seeing them spend time together, with Ryder's sensitivity and protectiveness boosting Darcy's returning belief and confidence in herself. There were some pretty adorable scenes between them, as well as some very intense ones. The feelings that grew between them were intensified by the danger they experienced and made them determined to explore every one of them.
The suspense of the story was fantastic. There was so much going on that I was glued to the pages, anxious to see what would happen next. The tension was high in the law enforcement community as they worked to find clues behind the murders. There was definitely a feeling that the killer was taunting them, especially with the most recent attack. Eagle Mountain is a small town, so there weren't too many choices for suspects from the locals, but there were also some visitors who were trapped by the storm. I could feel the frustration of Ryder and the others as suspicions were raised, but proof was hard to come by. There was also a rash of other criminal activity, including several attacks on Darcy. Those attacks escalated with an intensity that brought out the protectiveness in Ryder, especially after the snowmobile incident. Those attacks took a terrifying turn when Darcy was kidnapped. In spite of her fear, Darcy kept an amazingly cool head and played a big part in her own rescue. I wasn't overly surprised by who it was, but his reasons were twisted indeed. Some questions remain unanswered, leaving me eager to read the next book.
I had some problems with this book. There is a lot of discussion of sexual assault, stalking, and just generally creepy behavior in this book which triggered me and made me feel very afraid. This, however, is more personal preference than an actual failing of the book. I generally don't like books that make me afraid. I do think though the story handled the themes about sexual assault well, and Ryder was an excellent example of a man who supports their partner who has been sexually assaulted in the past.
The main villain of this book is pretty obvious and the romance was so lowkey that it almost wasn't there. The two leads were pretty bland too. Nevertheless, I really liked the set up of the mystery for the overarching plot of the series. I am invested know in finding out who the Ice Cold Killer is.
I do think though that this cliffhanger and overarching mystery works less well in this series than the previous series. In the previous Eagle Mountain series, the mystery/villain that was the main focus of the plot was always resolved by the end and the background mystery was the overarching plot. Here, it is reversed with the overarching mystery (about the serial killer) being way more interesting and at the forefront than the mystery that is actually resolved in this book. I feel like that makes the cliffhanger end feel more unsatisfying. I did however know going in that this was how the author structured her book series so I think I was less disappointed than other readers might be.
cw: murder, past rape, past prison experience, car accident, stalking, kidnapping, attempted rape
This is a start for a new series for Cindi. I really like how she starts the story with the uncovering of a car. I really enjoyed getting to know Darcy Marsh who is a survivor of things that aren't easy to survive. Trooper Ryder Stewart is a good complement for Darcy. This story has a good mystery going on that has me curious to follow into the following books. It also has an extra couple of problems that will keep you guessing as to who is causing it. I like how she shows Darcy strength in the story for another person may have not handled it as well. The support Ryder shows from the beginning in a quiet way shows his strength in character. I like the different characters in the story for it shows that are more stories to follow. I'm looking forward to seeing were the mystery will go as the story develops.
I liked the characters, and the suspense was pretty good. But many things were just not believable. I kept wondering how so many horrible things could happen to one woman.
The romance happened very fast. It was almost love at first sight, or was it lust at first sight? They didn't seem to know each other well enough to have a HEA.
The plot about the Ice Cold Killer murdering women kept me reading. There were lots of bad guys in this story. Some were murderers, others were just mischievous. But what irritated me most was that we didn't find out who the Ice Cold Killer was!
I was glad that most of the problems were wrapped up in the end but I wasn't happy that the most important bad guy was still a mystery.
I will not be reading the rest of the series. I'm too annoyed about the cliffhanger to continue.
This is a well written, fast paced romantic suspense. From the beginning until the end, it has thrills and chills that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It had a great cast of intriguing characters including Ryder and Darcy. The storyline was filled with non stop mystery, suspense and danger. Overall, it was a great read and I can't wait to read the next book. I would definitely recommend it.
From the suspense perspective I loved Ice Cold Killer. It's fast paced, intriguing and full of twists right until the end. From the romantic perspective, however, I found it a bit bland. There's little transition from the initial attraction to the I love you phase and it honestly wasn't all that convincing. However, if you're looking for a fairly quick read with mystery and suspense, this book is a great choice.
Eagle Mountain is shut off by a blizzard and an avalanche while a killer is killing women. 5499034 Ryder Stewart is working with sheriff's office to find him or her and trying to keep the new veterinarian safe. A whodunit that will keep you turning pages to the very end.
This was a good book. I didn't give it 5 stars because I still didnt find out who the serial killer is!! I can't wait to read the next book. You can read this book without reading any of the other books in the series. I would recommend this book to others.
Ice Cold Killer enjoyed the book but was not prepared for the ending. Not a fan of cliff hangers. Now I have to figure out which book continues the story. Will I have to buy one or more books before the killer or killers are revealed? Not good.
Great suspense from Finding Myers in a snowed in small town near the mountains. Women are traumatized due to a serial killer who kills quickly. Excellent read, rather scary!
I absolutely loved this book. Hadn’t read a “Harlequin Romance” in years!! Ryder & Darcy were the re-introduction that I needed! I devoured this book and jumped to the next one. The mystery & suspense is top tier.
A story that will have you on edge. A Romance that was not seen coming and when it did it tbrough both parties for a loop. Chaste by bad guy this Damsel was ready to fight with a very handsome Sheriff to help keep her safe.