Cold Trail: The Jeri Howard Mystery Series Book 11

Jeri Howard Mystery #11

by Janet Dawson

THE MORGUE.

THE LAST PLACE JERI HOWARD WANTS TO BE – ESPECIALLY IF THE BODY SHE’S THERE TO IDENTIFY IS THAT OF HER KID BROTHER.

Missing.

That’s not a word the Oakland private eye Jeri Howard wants to hear about her brother Brian.

He’s been gone four days. And that body in the morgue? It was found on a burned-out boat at a marina with a dicey reputation - along with Brian’s MedicAlert bracelet.

The trail is getting cold. Jeri’s upset and anxious. So is her family. Her divorced parents draw together, seeking comfort from each other. Her aunt has been a source of strength. But her sister-in-law Sheila’s reaction to the crisis has Jeri wondering what the hell is going on.

Jeri thought everything was fine in Brian’s life. But it’s not. Deep cracks have appeared in his marriage. Sheila is angry – about Brian’s sudden job change, about the move from their pleasant house in Sonoma to a small rental in Petaluma. And she has her suspicions about Brian’s friendship with a free-spirited potter who calls herself Willow.

Jeri goes looking for reasons, tracking down Brian’s friends and colleagues – and Willow.

Is Brian involved in a murder? Or is he a victim?

The clock is ticking. Jeri races against time to find her brother. Before murder finds him.


"There is a great deal of underlying tension and suspense in Cold Trail as Jeri searches for her brother... The pacing of the narrative is relentless as Jeri, together with the reader, fears the worst. With sharply drawn characters and vivid settings, this solidly plotted mystery is a strong entry in this series." -- Mysterious Reviews

"Cold Trail brings Northern California's wine country so alive you'll want to pack up and move there... Dawson knows how to blend real history and real crime into an intriguing mystery about a missing man and the people, and the land, he loves." --Betty Webb, Mystery Scene

"The eleventh of the series continues to thrill by helping set the standard for female private investigators. The California setting comes alive as well: Dawson has perfected the private detective procedural mystery, and watching Jeri methodically track down her brother using her intelligence and information she receives is a true delight . . . This is a strongly plotted mystery and is sure to satisfy longtime fans of both Jeri Howard and her always-dependable author." -- Cynthia Chow, Kings River Life

"An intriguing, modern, and very believable mystery... the book is intelligent, articulate, and engaging." -- Over My Dead Body

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Suspense, Crime

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2015

About the author

Janet Dawson is the author of The Sacrificial Daughter, first in a new series featuring geriatric care manager. She has also written thirteen novels featuring Oakland private investigator Jeri Howard. Her first, Kindred Crimes, won the St. Martin's Press/Private Eye Writers of America contest for best first private eye novel. The most recent book in the series is The Devil Close Behind.

Her Jill McLeod historical mystery series features a Zephyrette sleuthing aboard the long-distance train called the California Zephyr in the early 1950s. The first in that series is Death Rides the Zephyr.

In the past, Dawson was a newspaper reporter and a Navy journalist. She has worked in the legal field and on the staff of the University of California Berkeley. She is a long-time member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

[Molly Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2nd Jeri Howard mystery of the summer and the only one in the series I had not read yet...lo and behold, it is my favorite Jeri. I always enjoy Jeri Howard mysteries and this one had the usual ingredients: a California location and a plot heavily influenced by current events. Plus this case is very personal since it involves Jeri's missing brother so Jeri's whole (and interesting) extended family make appearances. The venue is the beautiful Sonoma area and the current event highlighted is the illegal marijuana growing (and the damage it causes) that all too often is occurring on public lands. Any how, well done and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. Cold Trail begins at the morgue where Jeri Howard must view a partially burned corpse to determine if the body belongs to her brother. This is not her brother's body and the search for him begins.
The book is set in California and the author gives us detailed scenic descriptions of the area, which I enjoyed. Jeri Howard is a methodical private investigator and, while this book is not suspenseful, it is a solid mystery.
I won this book in an author giveaway. My opinion is my own and not influenced by anyone.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

free ebook series i like female pi , ex husband is cop with stepdaughter. she just bought a house and the girl she found in paris is living in her rental above the garage

her younger brothers medic alert braclet is found on a dead burned body on a boat. its not her brother

he had a fight with his wife who was at her dads with the kids. her dad is dying of cancer

he hasnt been heard from since their fight. the wife thinks he might be having a affair after she found a note from 'willow' who she doesnt know. he took his camping gear. he just got a new job and new house without even asking or telling his wife. she didnt want to move. hes a teacher

it sounds like he is being held against his will and they knocked him out

his sister the pi is trying to find him

the dead guy in the boat looks like her brother and the biker who went off the cliff by the ocean and his body is never found. his sister is a potter who had a crush on her brother

her brother was kidnapped and in the car when the man was shot and burned on the boat. his head is bleeding

they found his jeep. the police think he killed the man on the boat

the pi got a new boyfriend from the time i read the last book, there are 2 i think i missed inbetween

she found her brother in the forest after he escaped
they took him to the hospital
she hoped him and his wife would work things out

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Mystery

I always enjoy a Jeri Howard mystery and this one was no exception. Her brother has gone missing and no one seems to have any idea where he might have gone. An avid hiker and outdoorsman, could he be lost or injured? Also, there's been a fire on the marina and Brian's medical bracelet has been found with a dead man, so just what is going on? Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading into the night.

[Tracy L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The description of the places is so vivid that I plan on making a trip to bodega Bay and the surrounding areas. I wish my spouse liked to hike because I would love to hike some of the places described in the book.

[Sienna S'Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've liked all the Jeri Howard stories I've read. But I'm always wondering, why does everyone talk with her? Seems there's no hesitance or unwillingness to participate. Is that a real-life occurrence?

[Carol Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. It was a little too detailed in the geographical descriptions, I really was not interested in how many miles and how many different highways it was to where. But all in all, it was a good mystery and good read.

[Philip Share · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the plot very interesting but the real reason for my review is that Janet is really good of paining pictures.

The reader can easily visualize the where, what, and who she describes in detail.

[Gregory Trammell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Riveting Murder Mystery

This tale strikes too close to home for Jeri. Her brother is missing and being considered as a murder suspect. She must find him and prove he's innocent as she believes.

[diannscollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mis.sing Brother

Jeri must find her brother who has been missing for a few days. As a PI she knows how to run a tedious investigation. The book described in way too much detail the roads she traveled during her investigation.

[Leek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty awful...just blah, detailing every road she took, practically every turn, names of places, people, hiking trail...BORING. Weak plot.

[Linda Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed this old series. This wasn't the best one, but still engaging. I look forward to seeing her new series

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Good Mystery

Jeri is on the lookout for her missing brother Brian. There is always plenty of mystery and mayhem in her books.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story, too much of information about driving directions, shops and restaurants

[Rizello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the series. This one surrounded her brother who went missing and there was a murder where he was at the scene.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 8/24

[Lois Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was printed on the cover caught my attention right away.

I had a hard time putting the book down when I needed to do chores.

This is the first time I read this author and I will read more of her work.

[Lennie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet Dawson writes the best bboks.

Jeri Howard, PI turns her skills to finding her missing brother.
She uncovers a lot of information that makes for a good read.

[Amanda Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

My least favorite in the series.

[Kathie Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Trail

What a excellent read, loved this book. I read this in one afternoon, had to finish and find out the ending.

[Julie Siemek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and I'm looking forward to reading the entire series.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many of Janet Dawson's books. I always look forward to the next one. She ceratinly knows how to keep me in suspense until the end.

[Robert Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent and absorbing investigation in the wonderful Jeri Howard series. When her brother Brian mysteriously disappears for no obvious reason, she steps in to investigate. Her first task is a trip to the morgue to identify a murder victim. Though Brian’s ID bracelet is found with the body, it’s not him. Though relieved, Jeri and the family are no closer to finding Brian or why he vanished.

This is Jeri’s most personal, and perhaps her most direct investigation so far. She’s soon on the trail, picking up clues from people who knew Brian, her family and those he worked with. Why did he change job without discussing it with his wife first? What’s the significance of the body in the burned out boat, moored in an out of the way marina?

As Jeri adds cracks in Brian’s marriage, problems at work and a possible lover, to his uncharacteristic behaviour, she has her work cut out.

The personal angle makes the story more intense, but every bit as compelling and gripping as her previous investigations. If you enjoy private investigator novels and haven’t read this series, you know what to do.

Highly recommended.

[Martin Ortiz]

A decent mystery. Dawson takes us along for a trip through Northern California wineries who are at war with apple growers and marijuana growers who are at war with the environment. Perhaps the latter will change with legalization.
A ticking clock type of story. PI Jeri Howard must find her missing brother. I like the way Dawson doesn't throw around red herrings. Each clue is important even if it doesn't fit into the completed picture the way it may first seem to. Enjoyable.

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Jeri Howard Mystery. Set in California, P. I. Jeri is at the morgue to look at a body which might be her brother, Brian, as his MedicAlert bracelet was found with the body. It isn’t him, but now he’s a ‘person of interest’ in the murder case. Brian had been missing for five days before Jeri found out. Which means she is following a cold trail. She knows one thing for sure that the investigators don’t know—Brian did not murder anyone.
Interspersed are a few paragraphs from Brian’s POV, so we have an idea of what is happening to him, but we don’t know who has kidnapped him or where he is exactly. Jeri follows the cold trail to find out who saw him last, and who might know where he went camping by himself. If he did. She learns her brother and his wife have been on the outs, but not enough for him to desert the family. So where is he? Jeri uses her network of law enforcement friends for help, and each is able to give her a piece of the puzzle that she finally puts together.
The author has been nominated and won several awards for her writing. Perseverance Press 2015

[Carl Brookins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janet Dawson is an experienced accomplished author. Regretfully, this novel does not rise to her usual standards. The plot is adequate; she looks around Northern California for her missing brother. He's wanted for possible involvement in a murder and fire in a nearby marina. The more Jeri Howard searches for Brian, the more distressing her quest becomes. Brian's life is troubling, to say the least.

The plot is really designed as a vehicle to talk about and deplore the expanding marijuana growing industry in Hubbard County. At the time of the writing, it was clandestine, illegal and a source of rampant despoiling of water and land. Some of the land is private, a lot is state or federal.

Readers will learn the story from two points of view, Jeri Dawson who fears her brother may be dead, and from the point of view of Brian himself. The second treatment affords the author opportunities to detail and deplore the pollution brought on by the growers.

In the end, neither point of view is as compelling as it could be.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeri Howard is a detective, but she's working on a very personal case. Her brother has gone missing, but his medical alert bracelet is found with a murder victim. The police consider him a person of interest.

I found the plot of the story okay, but the writing a bit too dry. The dialogue didn't come across as realistic, either.

[Richard Levine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Padded out short story

A weak plot padded out with a tour of northern California and much detail of food, clothing and description of every move Jeri made. I only bought it because I knew the area.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's been a long time since the previous book was published. so long, in fact, that I had to read a synopsis of the series to remember what I had read before. I liked this series then and this book is a fine addition.

[Robin Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the plot so boring even though I would probably read another book in this series because of the characters and the writing style which is very good.