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Carolina McKay #5
Winter's Obsession
She was hired to uncover the truth, but she may be buried by the lies.
When a teenager disappears from a posh ski resort, her millionaire father, Nikolaus Winter, hires Carolina McKay to bring his daughter home safe and in one piece. A promise that may be impossible to keep.
Overwhelmed with suspects, Carolina enters a world of money, control, and jealousy as she tries to unearth what happened to Maurah Winter. All signs point to her running away, until a much darker threat emerges.
One that involves those closest to her.
As Carolina races to uncover why a girl with the world at her fingertips would vanish into thin air, she finds herself sinking in too deep. So deep she may not get out alive.
When a teenager disappears from a posh ski resort, her millionaire father, Nikolaus Winter, hires Carolina McKay to bring his daughter home safe and in one piece. A promise that may be impossible to keep.
Overwhelmed with suspects, Carolina enters a world of money, control, and jealousy as she tries to unearth what happened to Maurah Winter. All signs point to her running away, until a much darker threat emerges.
One that involves those closest to her.
As Carolina races to uncover why a girl with the world at her fingertips would vanish into thin air, she finds herself sinking in too deep. So deep she may not get out alive.
- GenresThriller
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2022
265 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Tony Urban
66 books202 followersA professional photographer, writer and fan of general weirdness (both real and imagined), Tony has traveled tens of thousands of miles seeking out everything from haunted locations, UFO crash sites and monsters like Bigfoot and the Mothman. In a previous life, he worked in the independent movie industry but he finds his current career much more exciting.
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 17, 2025
Drew Strickland and Tony Urban forge ahead with another great novel in this series. Carolina McKay has surely found her footing and cases are coming in by word of mouth. When she is approached by a wealthy man to locate his daughter, Carolina jumps at the chance. What she discovers about Maurah Winter will create quite the stir, but the missing young woman is only one part of a larger set of circumstances. Strickland and Urban craft another addictive read with this one!
After a number of good cases, Carolina McKay has found her groove and receives recommendations from many she has helped. A call from millionaire Nikolaus Winter is one of those, seeking her help to find his daughter. Nikolaus explains that Maurah has not been seen since New Year’s Eve, though he has little in the way of clues to help. Ready for a challenge, Carolina agrees to look into things as she travels to Winter’s ski resort to begin piecing things together.
While the first approach would be to reach out to Maurah’s mother, Carolina soon discovers the tangled web that this entails, as well as the beginnings of a lucrative money scheme that could turn up little. She forges onwards, only to learn that the suspect list of those who wanted Maurah put aside could be long and varied, opening up new avenues in this investigation that she could not have predicted. What begins as a potential run-away situation, soon morphs into something larger and far more sinister.
Carolina soon discovers that Maurah’s lifestyle led her down some dark paths, ones that have no light at the end. While Carolina is prepared for what she might encounter, risking one’s life for a client is not at the top of her list. However, should she find something worthwhile, the paycheque could be worth a gamble or two. Drew Strickland and Tony Urban deliver another great thriller that reads swiftly and with great enjoyment.
This series has shown great promise from the start and never lost its momentum. The narrative works well to craft a pathway for success, while keeping the readers engaged from the outset. As things pick up, there is always something to keep the reader entertained and ready to explore new avenues. Strickland and Urban have found their groove and do not stray from the successful recipe. Characters remain edgy and help to shape both the story and the journey through things, flavouring aspects effectively while building on the narrative foundation. Plot points help to keep things from becoming too predictable in this mystery of sorts, while also making sure there is little time to wait around, while things are always changing. I am eager to see what’s next, as I am fully committed to the series and its twists.
Kudos, Messrs. Strickland and Urban, for another great piece!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
After a number of good cases, Carolina McKay has found her groove and receives recommendations from many she has helped. A call from millionaire Nikolaus Winter is one of those, seeking her help to find his daughter. Nikolaus explains that Maurah has not been seen since New Year’s Eve, though he has little in the way of clues to help. Ready for a challenge, Carolina agrees to look into things as she travels to Winter’s ski resort to begin piecing things together.
While the first approach would be to reach out to Maurah’s mother, Carolina soon discovers the tangled web that this entails, as well as the beginnings of a lucrative money scheme that could turn up little. She forges onwards, only to learn that the suspect list of those who wanted Maurah put aside could be long and varied, opening up new avenues in this investigation that she could not have predicted. What begins as a potential run-away situation, soon morphs into something larger and far more sinister.
Carolina soon discovers that Maurah’s lifestyle led her down some dark paths, ones that have no light at the end. While Carolina is prepared for what she might encounter, risking one’s life for a client is not at the top of her list. However, should she find something worthwhile, the paycheque could be worth a gamble or two. Drew Strickland and Tony Urban deliver another great thriller that reads swiftly and with great enjoyment.
This series has shown great promise from the start and never lost its momentum. The narrative works well to craft a pathway for success, while keeping the readers engaged from the outset. As things pick up, there is always something to keep the reader entertained and ready to explore new avenues. Strickland and Urban have found their groove and do not stray from the successful recipe. Characters remain edgy and help to shape both the story and the journey through things, flavouring aspects effectively while building on the narrative foundation. Plot points help to keep things from becoming too predictable in this mystery of sorts, while also making sure there is little time to wait around, while things are always changing. I am eager to see what’s next, as I am fully committed to the series and its twists.
Kudos, Messrs. Strickland and Urban, for another great piece!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review — Winter’s Obsession by Tony Urban & Drew Strickland
Alright, friends better strap on your snow boots and grab a hot cocoa, because Tony Urban and Drew Strickland have officially pulled me into another Carolina McKay case. Honestly, I think Carolina McKay and I would make terrible but entertaining travel buddies. Millionaires? Missing daughters? Mysterious ski lodges? Count me in.
Our girl Carolina is thriving. She’s gone from fumbling new PI to full-on sleuthing powerhouse, and when a broody millionaire calls her up about his missing daughter, she doesn’t hesitate. What could go wrong? (Answer: literally everything.)
We’ve got:
❄️ A missing heiress with a history of “crying wolf.”
❄️ A creepy mountain resort, always a winner for me
❄️ A cast of people so suspicious, you’ll be side-eyeing them whilst drinking your cocoa.
Honestly, this book is fun. The pages flew by faster than I could say “Just one more chapter.” Carolina’s got that perfect mix of sass and smarts, the kind of character who makes you want to grab a drink with her, but immediately regret it because she’s clearly seen some things.
Urban and Strickland have hit their stride here. You can practically feel the snow crunching underfoot, the tension frosting the air, and the absolute chaos of rich people being shady. It’s part mystery, part soap opera. Was it plausible? Not always. Did I care? Not even a little. It was too much fun watching this plot unfold.
5 icy stars — because this series just keeps getting better, and Carolina McKay is the kind of character you want to follow straight into a blizzard.
Alright, friends better strap on your snow boots and grab a hot cocoa, because Tony Urban and Drew Strickland have officially pulled me into another Carolina McKay case. Honestly, I think Carolina McKay and I would make terrible but entertaining travel buddies. Millionaires? Missing daughters? Mysterious ski lodges? Count me in.
Our girl Carolina is thriving. She’s gone from fumbling new PI to full-on sleuthing powerhouse, and when a broody millionaire calls her up about his missing daughter, she doesn’t hesitate. What could go wrong? (Answer: literally everything.)
We’ve got:
❄️ A missing heiress with a history of “crying wolf.”
❄️ A creepy mountain resort, always a winner for me
❄️ A cast of people so suspicious, you’ll be side-eyeing them whilst drinking your cocoa.
Honestly, this book is fun. The pages flew by faster than I could say “Just one more chapter.” Carolina’s got that perfect mix of sass and smarts, the kind of character who makes you want to grab a drink with her, but immediately regret it because she’s clearly seen some things.
Urban and Strickland have hit their stride here. You can practically feel the snow crunching underfoot, the tension frosting the air, and the absolute chaos of rich people being shady. It’s part mystery, part soap opera. Was it plausible? Not always. Did I care? Not even a little. It was too much fun watching this plot unfold.
5 icy stars — because this series just keeps getting better, and Carolina McKay is the kind of character you want to follow straight into a blizzard.
November 2, 2025
Where's the rest of the story????
March 30, 2023
Carolina's next client in her fledgling PI business is a wealthy resort owner with a missing daughter - one who has, so to speak, "cried wolf" more than once too often. The beleaguered sheriff and her small department have had their fill of her daddy storming into the office demanding they find his missing daughter, only to have her return, not long afterwards, wanting more of Daddy's money.
This time, though, the girl really IS in danger, and of course, no one believes this is any different from before. Still, Carolina does the legwork trying to find her.
There are more twists and turns than an Appalachian Mountain road in this one, more even than the other 4 in the series. Saying anything more would be a serious spoiler.
4 stars again because they didn't use the good proofreader from the 4th book. Repeated sentences, and an odd assortment of compositional collisions and grammatical gaffes are evident, but at least not as bad as the first 3 books.
The 6th book is to be released April 23, 2023, so if you're looking to dig into the next one, better make ot after that date.
This time, though, the girl really IS in danger, and of course, no one believes this is any different from before. Still, Carolina does the legwork trying to find her.
There are more twists and turns than an Appalachian Mountain road in this one, more even than the other 4 in the series. Saying anything more would be a serious spoiler.
4 stars again because they didn't use the good proofreader from the 4th book. Repeated sentences, and an odd assortment of compositional collisions and grammatical gaffes are evident, but at least not as bad as the first 3 books.
The 6th book is to be released April 23, 2023, so if you're looking to dig into the next one, better make ot after that date.
June 13, 2023
This one was better than the previous in the series. Former Detective Carolina now has her PI license and is making some money (hopefully the living out of the van ends sooner rather than later).
She has a new case, a missing daughter of the owner of a ski resort. The 19 year old is nothing but trouble but this time, it has and will be more than she can handle. As always, Carolina has few leads but interviewing all the "friends" of missing Maurah gives her a fuller picture of the teen.
I had an inkling about the kidnappers but it was surprising that Carolina hadn't a clue until it was too late. The only issue I had with this was when the story came from Maurah, it wasn't clear until a number of paragraphs in that it was her part of the story.
She has a new case, a missing daughter of the owner of a ski resort. The 19 year old is nothing but trouble but this time, it has and will be more than she can handle. As always, Carolina has few leads but interviewing all the "friends" of missing Maurah gives her a fuller picture of the teen.
I had an inkling about the kidnappers but it was surprising that Carolina hadn't a clue until it was too late. The only issue I had with this was when the story came from Maurah, it wasn't clear until a number of paragraphs in that it was her part of the story.
May 4, 2022
Twisted
Stone cold ex Detective turned Private Investigator, Carolina McKay. Is a hot mess, complicated, living life on the edge of self destruction. She has battled many demons, besides the ones she hunts down like rabid dogs. She goes until each case with little regard to those she puts in harms way. After seeking rehab for her addiction to oxy. She's becoming a little more calm, she's working through on herself. Winters obsession was a lot caller than the other four books. But still a great read. I like the Carolina McKay series. I have enjoyed every book so far. I hope they will be many more come.
Stone cold ex Detective turned Private Investigator, Carolina McKay. Is a hot mess, complicated, living life on the edge of self destruction. She has battled many demons, besides the ones she hunts down like rabid dogs. She goes until each case with little regard to those she puts in harms way. After seeking rehab for her addiction to oxy. She's becoming a little more calm, she's working through on herself. Winters obsession was a lot caller than the other four books. But still a great read. I like the Carolina McKay series. I have enjoyed every book so far. I hope they will be many more come.
January 18, 2024
Although Carolina is quite the hard a$$, she gets herself out of jams with expertise and courage. The suspense in these books is quite unique and the twists at every turn keep you guessing. This is the 5th book in the series that I've read but the solution/ending are always a surprise! Now to get back to Sherriff Elvan.
February 4, 2025
I am on book number 6. I like the story line and the character Carolina but the endings and the level of the crime are hard to take. In most cases they are not real life situations and so brutal they are hard to take. I think the author would do better to tone it down and make the culmination of the story a little less brutal.
August 27, 2025
Warning! Don’t ever hang out with Carolina McKay!
Carolina is a magnet for trouble even if she tries to bring justice in the end. I have no idea how this woman gravitates to the crimes that nobody else can solve nor how she hasn’t gotten herself killed.
I do enjoy her adventures though!
Carolina is a magnet for trouble even if she tries to bring justice in the end. I have no idea how this woman gravitates to the crimes that nobody else can solve nor how she hasn’t gotten herself killed.
I do enjoy her adventures though!
June 11, 2022
Winter's Obsession
OMG This book keeps you in suspense until the very end. This is a great thriller. I could not put this book down. I finished it at5:00am. I had to know who did it. I highly recommend this book. Great reading.
OMG This book keeps you in suspense until the very end. This is a great thriller. I could not put this book down. I finished it at5:00am. I had to know who did it. I highly recommend this book. Great reading.
July 26, 2022
I love these books!
Always a twist, and this one had a couple! A little violent, but I guess that’s the way it is these days. I couldn’t put it down, finished it in less than 24 hours. Highly recommend.
Always a twist, and this one had a couple! A little violent, but I guess that’s the way it is these days. I couldn’t put it down, finished it in less than 24 hours. Highly recommend.
August 6, 2022
Another winner!
This series just keeps getting better and better. I would not have made a good investigator or cop - I’ve gotten the killer wrong in each book. The twists and turns are so good. It’s going to be hard to wait for the next book in the series.
This series just keeps getting better and better. I would not have made a good investigator or cop - I’ve gotten the killer wrong in each book. The twists and turns are so good. It’s going to be hard to wait for the next book in the series.
October 1, 2023
Great characters and a solid plot as each of the stories has been.
Every once in a while, there are actions or character thoughts/statements that do not feel like a woman's, but rather a man tipping his hand as he writes a woman character. Otherwise, I have enjoyed the series.
Every once in a while, there are actions or character thoughts/statements that do not feel like a woman's, but rather a man tipping his hand as he writes a woman character. Otherwise, I have enjoyed the series.
February 19, 2025
This is a series that scares the heck out of you. The main character is very flawed, but it makes for interesting plot twists. She run headlong into dangerous situations, focused on finding the killer at all costs. The books are real page turners.
December 16, 2025
Page turner
A very good read. Fast paced. Likable characters. Twist at the end that will proove you made a wrong conclusion to who' s the culprit. Going to read the next book in the series.
A very good read. Fast paced. Likable characters. Twist at the end that will proove you made a wrong conclusion to who' s the culprit. Going to read the next book in the series.
September 19, 2022
Xxx
XXxX xxx xxxxxxX x xxx xxx xxxxx xxx xxxx xxx xxxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx boring
XXxX xxx xxxxxxX x xxx xxx xxxxx xxx xxxx xxx xxxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx boring
December 7, 2022
Another Winner
Exciting story! Cannot get enough of Carolina! Was very pleased with the Mr. Boots coming aboard. Great addition. Looking forward to Nameless Graves!
Exciting story! Cannot get enough of Carolina! Was very pleased with the Mr. Boots coming aboard. Great addition. Looking forward to Nameless Graves!
April 8, 2023
satisfaction
Another kind of book that keeps me eager to venture deep into it for answers that may have surprised the heck out of me.
Another kind of book that keeps me eager to venture deep into it for answers that may have surprised the heck out of me.
May 27, 2023
Not my taste
Cannot understand the need for the foul language attributed to female and male characters. The story line doesn't need it. Won't follow these authors.
Cannot understand the need for the foul language attributed to female and male characters. The story line doesn't need it. Won't follow these authors.
November 16, 2023
Great book
This book was great, I couldn't put it down. Its a must read, this written is talented. Some of UT was author goery!!
This book was great, I couldn't put it down. Its a must read, this written is talented. Some of UT was author goery!!
June 21, 2024
Winter’s Obsession
Such fun to follow another Carolina mystery! And romance too? What more could you ask for? Absolutely love this authors work.
Such fun to follow another Carolina mystery! And romance too? What more could you ask for? Absolutely love this authors work.
September 8, 2025
The main character was unlikeable and the things she did were very unbelievable.
September 10, 2025
Carolina keeps getting better!
Every book in this series is better than the last! Love this girl. She’s real and raw and unfiltered. Moving on to the next!
Every book in this series is better than the last! Love this girl. She’s real and raw and unfiltered. Moving on to the next!
December 9, 2025
don't like the GD words
June 3, 2025
Exciting! Hard to put down! Great characters! Twists and turns and always a surprise!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews