Coldwater

by Tom Pitts

After a miscarriage, a young couple move from San Francisco to the Sacramento suburbs to restart their lives. When the vacant house across the street is taken over by who they think are squatters, they're pulled into a battle neither of them bargained for. The gang of unruly drug addicts who've infested their block have a dark and secret history that reaches beyond their neighborhood and all the way to the most powerful and wealthy men in California.

L.A. fixer Calper Dennings is sent by a private party to quell the trouble before it affects his employer. But before he can finish the job, he too is pulled into the violent dark world of a man with endless resources to destroy anyone around him.

Praise for COLDWATER:

"You know those times when your reading slows down and you can't find the right book to read next? Tom Pitts's Coldwater was the book I needed to pull me out of those doldrums. I tore through it, gripped by every page. Simply put, Coldwater is a damn good book. A thoughtful and violent tale of bad luck and bad choices. I loved it." --Johnny Shaw, author of Big Maria and Undocumented

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2020

About the author

Tom Pitts received his education on the streets of San Francisco. He remains there, working, writing, and trying to survive. He is the author of AMERICAN STATIC, HUSTLE, 101, COLDWATER and the novellas PIGGYBACK and KNUCKLEBALL.
Find links to more of his work at: TomPittsAuthor.com
or
http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Pitts/e/B00...

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Coldwater" is a deadly turn into one of Sacramento's posh new suburbs. Once you settle in to your new abode, it's time to meet the neighbors and gee that's where the fun starts cause the new neighbors just happen to be opium-addicted scamming squatter-types more at home in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial side of town. And they just don't get the HOA rules or the suburban etiquette. Did I mention that they're junkies, perpetrators, scammers, and a bit offbeat? If they move in across from you, best be advised to keep any complaints to yourself and seal your doors and windows. Tightly. And this is all before it gets really weird and the shootouts and backstabbing starts. It does get perhaps a bit too twisted in the end with plot device on top of plot device, but sometimes that's how it goes.

[Kevin McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The master of Northern California crime writing has done it again. Tom Pitts has written another masterpiece starting with a husband and wife worried that squatters have occupied the house across the street. But these aren’t ordinary squatters and soon the tension and violence begins to slowly escalate. Enter a detective who may or may not be on the couples side. A chase ensues culminating in an explosive climax in San Francisco. This is the end, or is it? All of Mr Pitts books are original and have their own personality. Coldwater continues this trend marvelously. Highly recommended.

[K-BRC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer book. Shades of my favorite CA crime and culture books from the 70’s! Pitts’ writing style is colorful and unique. His characters are realistic and flawed with a plot line that never disappoints.

[Matt Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one from Pitts. Suburban noir at its best.

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza! What an action packed adventure!!!

I haven't read Tom Pitts before, but I was not disappointed. This book was very well written and fast paced. I gobbled the book up in one sitting!

Gary and Linda are recovering from having a miscarriage, when their neighbors across the street move out and a bunch of drug addicted squatters move in. Told from multiple perspectives, this book keeps you interested and on the edge of your seat wanting to know how it's all going to end.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Down & Out Books, and Tom Pitts from providing me with an ARC.

[John McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Carsons are in for a battle they’re ill-equipped to deal with. They’ve never encountered the kind of drug-addled, ruthless criminals they must now confront. Outlaws who are not only rapacious thugs who will show no mercy; they are criminals who have a dark and secret history which reaches beyond the neighborhood, and connects to one of the richest and most powerful men in the state of California.
As the crimes steadily increase and the bad blood begins to boil, Gary and Linda turn to the Sacramento Police, who prove to be ineffective and unable to be of any help. That’s when Linda is kidnapped . . . and a “fixer” by the name of Calper Dennings shows up. He’s been sent to put a lid on things before they affect his employer. But instead, he’s quickly sucked into the cruel and dark world of an amoral tycoon with enough power and money to destroy them all.
Cold Water ratchets up the action, drama and the tension on every page, as it builds to a stunningly violent conclusion that will leave the reader gasping for breath and searching for more of Tom Pitts’ novels. All hard-boiled crime enthusiasts should get to know him, because he’s fast becoming the unrivaled master of north Cali noir!

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of California crime fiction set mostly in the suburbs of Sacramento. Tom Pitts has another winner on his hands.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll usually want to check out your new neighbours, but the last thing you'll be expecting is a group of drug addicts content on raising hell. This is the scenario Gary and Linda Carson find themselves in and it only devolves from there.

This is a fast paced novel that takes the story much further and in a different direction than I imagined. I almost want a Calper Dennings prequel novel with some salacious Hollywood based case now.

[Patrick Whitehurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensational nail biter!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine your worst nightmare when you move to a new home - exactly = bad neighbours. Now add drug-addicted squatters looking for and creating trouble. BOOM - welcome to COLDWATER and the couple who thinks they are moving to an amazing place, only to find out their neighbours are probably their worst nightmare,

Tom Pitts' writing came highly recommended and I'm honored to have received an eARC of this story in exchange of my honest review. If you want suspense, some romance and lots of gripping fun - this is definitely the book to be next!

[Aida Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edge of your seat reading. Will draw you in right away and won't let up until the last page. Well written and tense. Definitely don't pass up this winner of a book. You won't regret it. Happy reading! #Coldwater #NetGalley

[Alfie Kulzick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was jonesing for the new Tom Pitts book and it packed a much needed punch in the gut I was hoping for. Once again a mass of crazy ass characters doing crazy ass things. His style is right up my alley. Somebody ought to throw a copy of the book into Joel or Ethan's front yard.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense read. A bit of a mystery, putting together who all the players are, how their stories fit together, and where things are going to go. It kept me guessing, on my toes, and all those other clichés you’d hope to read in regards to a book like this. In some ways it felt like the answers to some of those questions were also a bit cliched (the man with endless resources mentioned in the book description), but realistically they say that every plot has already been written and all an author can hope for is to put their own unique twists on it. Pitts certainly did that. If you’re into crime fiction, this is a solid effort and well worth your time.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you start this book, you find a couple who have moved into a new neighborhood after a traumatic event. Their life together has been disrupted and their relationship is not necessarily running smoothly when their community is changed by the presence of drugs and criminal activity that the police are not able to curb. As the violence increases, help arrives from some pretty unlikely sources. The story moves quickly, you'll keep turning pages to see what happens next. This is a surprisingly good thriller with clearly drawn out criminals that will challenge the good guys. The twists come out of nowhere, but boy are they good! Put this one on your TBR pile today!

[David Odeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple recently moved onto a new neighborhood finds the house across the street is housing a group of drug riddled squatters. As they involve themselves the police are useless and the family of the squatters is searching for them using less then ideal folks. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the pre read. Recommended for crime noir fans.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coldwater by Tom Pitts, this was a very good book that kept me turning the pages. My first book by this author, I found it to be very well written filled with action. What would you do if squatters moved into the street across from you? That is exactly the situation that faces a young couple, what follows will keep you on your toes.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and the publisner in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

White-knuckle suspense courtesy of the neighbors from hell.

[Meri Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tale has very believable characters, both good and evil, in a storyline with dealers vs the regular man. This is must read!

[Pattyh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview COLDWATER by Tom Pitts.
You move into a lovely home and you are happy. Well that's until you meet your neighbors - and they are stone cold killers, drug addicts and well, there goes the neighborhood.
Entertaining, but I think I would move...
3. stars.

[Lawrence Sordo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coldwater is completely different from Tom Pitts' previous work. A young couple’s life suddenly becomes a nightmare the moment undesirable neighbors move in next door. Things worsen when the troubleshooter of a powerful business man offers his help and they find themselves manipulated into a terrifying life-wrecking situation. Although I much preferred American Static which was exceptionally good and thought 101 was better, Coldwater is gripping and scary.

[Mysticpt · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is another very good gritty page turner from Tom Pitts. perfect read for right now as it contains some great action and escapism. Pitts books are good suspense thrillers because you never know what will happen next as no character is safe. thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy. if you are a fan of Tom Pitts you will enjoy and if you have not read him before, this is a good place to start. highly recommended, 4 stars

[Elizabeth A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Pitts revels peeling back the veneer of civility that cloaks our daily lives and interactions to show just what a thin line it is that separates the well-off from the nee-do wells…and how fast the former can become the latter. In Coldwater, a young couple whose marriage is already strained by tragedy has their lives completely upended by a group of drug addicts who are squatting in the house across the street from the couple’s new residence. If it were only as easy as calling the cops on some druggies we wouldn’t have much of a story, and Pitts quickly turns a bad situation into a white-knuckle nightmare of bad-to-worse choices that unfolds at breakneck pace.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 3 out of 5]

COLDWATER is California Noir, pulp-ish and violent, hard-core gritty. The setting is primarily Sacramento, where one couple moved from San Francisco after a miscarriage. Gary hates his job but endures, and tries half-heartedly to quit smoking. Linda works for the State in the Health Department, considers Chinese adoption, and nags Gary about smoking--a lot.


They live in a tract neighborhood, and when the couple across the street moves out, a quartet of mismatched criminal squatters moves in under cover of darkness. The consequence are ugly and unsettling.

[John Rumery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plain white toast would be more satisfying than this thriller. In fact plain white toast is much more interesting than many of the characters in this book. Especially grievous were the husband and wife protagonists. Boring as hell. What could of been a decent story about a some drug addicted squatters battling it out in suburbia with a family turned into plain white toast.