What do you think?
Rate this book
Cold #1
The Cold Spot
Chase was raised as a getaway driver by his grandfather, Jonah, a con man feared by even the hardened career criminals who make up his crew. But when Jonah crosses the line and murders one of his own, Chase goes solo, stealing cars and pulling scores across the country. . . . And then he meets Lila, a strong-willed deputy sheriff with a beguiling smile who shows him what love can be. Chase is on the straight and narrow for the first time in his life—until tragedy hits, and he must reenter the dark world of grifters and crooks. Now Chase is out for revenge—and he’ll have to turn to the one man he hates most in the world. Only Jonah can teach Chase how to become a stone-cold killer. But even as the two men work together, Chase knows that their unresolved past will eventually lead them to a showdown of their This edition contains an excerpt from Tom Piccirilli's The Last Kind Words.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
24 people are currently reading
722 people want to read
About the author
Tom Piccirilli
186 books387 followersThomas Piccirilli (May 27, 1965 – July 11, 2015) was an American novelist and short story writer.
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 2, 2013
To give you some idea of the pedigree Piccirilli aspires to with this, one of his first crime novels he thanks Duane Swierczynski, Ray Banks, Jason Starr, Megan Abbott, Peter Abrahams, Ed Gorman, F. Paul Wilson, David Morrell and Chuck Palahniuk before quoting Ken Bruen at the start of the book. Man has some serious friends and he didn't disgrace himself in the slightest.
This is a modern noir; dark, depressing, with good characters, psychological insight and a fast paced style. Chase is a getaway driver, raised by his grandfather a career criminal, who goes solo and finds happiness. The happiness is destined to be short-lived however and Chase is quickly on the hunt for those who have wronged him. Revenge is a dish best served bloody and brutal in this case.
Piccirilli has crafted a hard-hitting thriller that treads some of the same ground as James Sallis and countless other noirs about getaway drivers and adds his own touch to it. His main character is a fascinating, conflicted young man and he is pitted against an evil enigma who lurks behind every moment of happiness and sneers at every second of weakness. This conflict is the driving force behind the novel and gives it a special place in the pecking order of 21st Century noir.
Having largely worked in the horror field prior to this I am more than impressed with his skill at capturing a new genre so well, more authors should aspire to be as good as Tom Piccirilli.
This is a modern noir; dark, depressing, with good characters, psychological insight and a fast paced style. Chase is a getaway driver, raised by his grandfather a career criminal, who goes solo and finds happiness. The happiness is destined to be short-lived however and Chase is quickly on the hunt for those who have wronged him. Revenge is a dish best served bloody and brutal in this case.
Piccirilli has crafted a hard-hitting thriller that treads some of the same ground as James Sallis and countless other noirs about getaway drivers and adds his own touch to it. His main character is a fascinating, conflicted young man and he is pitted against an evil enigma who lurks behind every moment of happiness and sneers at every second of weakness. This conflict is the driving force behind the novel and gives it a special place in the pecking order of 21st Century noir.
Having largely worked in the horror field prior to this I am more than impressed with his skill at capturing a new genre so well, more authors should aspire to be as good as Tom Piccirilli.
November 5, 2012
[7/10]
The book starts with a BANG!, literally, and remains in the fast lane for the rest of the journey. Chase is 15 in the opening scene, not your typical teenager. Instead of going to school and worrying about girfriends and grades, he has "fallen off the map" after losing both parents and taken to a life of crime under the tutelage of his grandfather Jonah. He's speciality is driving getaway cars, but he picked up other uselful skills along the way, like lockpicking, bare knuckle boxing, fine tuning engines and gun toting. He's "fast" and he's "furious", at the world in general, and at his grandfather in particular, at what he feels a betrayal of trust. The "cold spot" from the title is his attempt to control his impulsive behaviour, to keep his wits under pressure, and to leave sentiments aside when on a job. Part Jedi mind trick, part Zen, it is a necessary survival trait in the company he has been keeping.
Breaking out of the gang as a freelance, he tries to come back "on the map" with the help of Lila, a deputy policewoman he meets in a Southern state. Some of the best chapters in the book deal with their encounter and the life they built together, until Chase is driven back to the underworld and has to get back in touch with his frankly dangerously psycho grandfather.
I really liked the story and the way it is written. Piccirilli knows how to create tension and how to sketch characters in a few well placed phrases. Dialogue flows generally well, convincing and tough when it needs to be, profane and angry in places without going overboard with four letter words.
I did have some issues with the novel, but they are mostly personal. The atypical noir etiquette I've seen mentioned in other reviews apllies for me to the timeframe, extended here from one cae, one "hit" to following chase around for about 20 years. The last half of the novel is more tight and focused, but I was pretty detached from the fate of Chase in the first one. Secondly, I got the feeling I was reading the script of a Hollywood action flick, so much that I actually checked the writing credits for Ryan Gosling "Drive" (it's not Piccirilli, but that was the vibe I got). Translate this as a feeling of contrived plotting and a focus on explosive moments of violence with lots of gory details, plus some clicheed type of characters (policemen, gang members, femme fatalle vs good girl, etc). That the reason I went for a lower rating, but I still say it was damn good entertainment, with a dark (noir) flavor. I will check out the next one featuring Chase.
The book starts with a BANG!, literally, and remains in the fast lane for the rest of the journey. Chase is 15 in the opening scene, not your typical teenager. Instead of going to school and worrying about girfriends and grades, he has "fallen off the map" after losing both parents and taken to a life of crime under the tutelage of his grandfather Jonah. He's speciality is driving getaway cars, but he picked up other uselful skills along the way, like lockpicking, bare knuckle boxing, fine tuning engines and gun toting. He's "fast" and he's "furious", at the world in general, and at his grandfather in particular, at what he feels a betrayal of trust. The "cold spot" from the title is his attempt to control his impulsive behaviour, to keep his wits under pressure, and to leave sentiments aside when on a job. Part Jedi mind trick, part Zen, it is a necessary survival trait in the company he has been keeping.
Breaking out of the gang as a freelance, he tries to come back "on the map" with the help of Lila, a deputy policewoman he meets in a Southern state. Some of the best chapters in the book deal with their encounter and the life they built together, until Chase is driven back to the underworld and has to get back in touch with his frankly dangerously psycho grandfather.
I really liked the story and the way it is written. Piccirilli knows how to create tension and how to sketch characters in a few well placed phrases. Dialogue flows generally well, convincing and tough when it needs to be, profane and angry in places without going overboard with four letter words.
I did have some issues with the novel, but they are mostly personal. The atypical noir etiquette I've seen mentioned in other reviews apllies for me to the timeframe, extended here from one cae, one "hit" to following chase around for about 20 years. The last half of the novel is more tight and focused, but I was pretty detached from the fate of Chase in the first one. Secondly, I got the feeling I was reading the script of a Hollywood action flick, so much that I actually checked the writing credits for Ryan Gosling "Drive" (it's not Piccirilli, but that was the vibe I got). Translate this as a feeling of contrived plotting and a focus on explosive moments of violence with lots of gory details, plus some clicheed type of characters (policemen, gang members, femme fatalle vs good girl, etc). That the reason I went for a lower rating, but I still say it was damn good entertainment, with a dark (noir) flavor. I will check out the next one featuring Chase.
May 2, 2012
At this point, I would read a Chinese takeout menu if it was written by Tom Piccirilli.
December 26, 2008
This is not a typical crime novel, which isn't all that surprising considering the source. I've read a couple of Tom Piccirilli's earlier horror novels, and noticed the surreal, almost psychedelic narrative style he typically used. It made a lot of sense in the context of horror--sort of like a novel version of Argento's giallo horror movies. I wasn't sure how it'd translate to crime fiction, but I figured it'd be worth checking out. Turns out, it works really well. Actually, Piccirilli tones down on the hallucinogenic imagery and narrative choices, but when compared to typical crime fiction, "The Cold Spot" is still pretty unusual. I've read interviews with Piccirilli where he said that he got into writing crime fiction instead of horror because he felt that there were some truly existential veins of deep horror to be explored in the crime context. This story definitely has plenty of that going on. Chase, the main character, suffers tragedy after tragedy, and it permanently changes his outlook on life, driving him towards a position of misfit in mainstream society, as well as a dark outlook that spurs him towards acts of revenge and brutality. I don't want to explain any more than that. I just really liked this book. I like how fucked up and brutal and depressing it is. The existential horror that Piccirilli mentioned is definitely here, perhaps in even greater proportion than it appears in novels by Jim Thompson. A monster in this story would just get in the way of the fact that the humans are the real monsters here.
June 16, 2016
Reading The Cold Spot, I felt like being drawn in a film noir, where we follow bad boy Chase, who was trained by his grandfather from a very (very) young age to be a career criminal but mostly to be a getaway driver during his grandfather and his crew’s heists. But there’s so much more to this story, because Chase is not as hard and emotionless as his grandfather and when he meets Lila, a young deputy sheriff in a small town in Mississippi, his life changes a rather natural course; their relation is one of openness and true connection. Chase is happily married to Lila and teaching auto mechanics when tragedy strikes and his only way to have his revenge is to return to the world of criminals and con men, and to appeal to his grandfather for assistance.
I simply loved the rawness of this tale. I was totally captivated by the character of Chase; he was a multi-layered and fascinating, and despite all the tumult and violence he has encountered in his young life, he tries to remain centered. The love/hate relationship Chase has with his grandfather was extremely compelling and intriguing.
Probably I haven’t read many books from the perspective of the bad guys and this was certainly an alluring dimension. The author did an amazing job telling so much with a minimum of words, bringing the essence of the story to the front, stripping it to the bare bones – because when you look at it, I suppose, criminals, especially robbers, don’t have a lot of time to waste on words. It was refreshing and riveting. I look forward to reading more Chase stories.
I simply loved the rawness of this tale. I was totally captivated by the character of Chase; he was a multi-layered and fascinating, and despite all the tumult and violence he has encountered in his young life, he tries to remain centered. The love/hate relationship Chase has with his grandfather was extremely compelling and intriguing.
Probably I haven’t read many books from the perspective of the bad guys and this was certainly an alluring dimension. The author did an amazing job telling so much with a minimum of words, bringing the essence of the story to the front, stripping it to the bare bones – because when you look at it, I suppose, criminals, especially robbers, don’t have a lot of time to waste on words. It was refreshing and riveting. I look forward to reading more Chase stories.
January 29, 2010
This is not a typical Noir crime book, its smart,the narrative takes time to build characters,emotional,dark story,very good settings,atmosphere. He did also a great job getting you to see inside the head of Chase.
Its has also quality action,twists,awesome criminal noir feel to it. Feels very much like a Richard Stark book. Chase and his kind felt like Pros doing their jobs in unromantic way.
I enjoy heist crime books specially the ones about Getaway drivers,this one was very well written for a modern Noir book.
I look forward reading the sequels to this book and more of this writer. He fully deserve his critical acclaim,the awards he has won,the nominations.
Its has also quality action,twists,awesome criminal noir feel to it. Feels very much like a Richard Stark book. Chase and his kind felt like Pros doing their jobs in unromantic way.
I enjoy heist crime books specially the ones about Getaway drivers,this one was very well written for a modern Noir book.
I look forward reading the sequels to this book and more of this writer. He fully deserve his critical acclaim,the awards he has won,the nominations.
March 31, 2013
A rough, hard-hitting crime drama from Piccirilli about love, family and revenge that takes no prisoners in its brutal look at one man's attempt to escape the bent world with the woman he loves. For what it lacks in originality and depth it makes up in storytelling, writing, action and brutality. Never boring or lacking in pace and the characters are interesting enough to keep you in the story until the violent ending. Short and to the point. Highly recommended.
September 24, 2015
Piccirilli has an amazing ability to paint with language. This is a powerful, character driven noir that hits hard and low, and just keeps coming at you, relentless. It's terrible that Piccirilli died recently, so very young, but man he's left a legacy to proud of. Easily 5-stars.
June 14, 2015
Really enjoyed this one - non stop action, great story and even better characters especially Jonah the hoodlum grandfather.
On to the sequel...
On to the sequel...
June 20, 2014
16 year old Chase is an accomplished mechanic and getaway driver. The leader of his crew is his grandfather, Jonah. After watching Jonah shoot another crew member, Chase worries that he many be next and heads south with his talents. His life changes when while waiting for his new crew pulling a job, a local female cop intercedes and Chase shoots his own guys in the leg to help her. Chase marries Lila, after an epic showdown with her sheriff, father. They move back to Long Island, and something terrible happens, causing Chase to ask for Jonah's help. Taut and well done.
February 13, 2021
A very enjoyable read, with all the usual marks of a tight thriller: sharp talk from tough guys and tougher women, a gritty texture relieved by flashes of droll wit, and few narrative musings to slow a pace that zips along without need for a murder each chapter. Piccirilli's Chase confronts bad guys with snappy dialogue, smart deductions and no-nonsense measures, and his other characters are seldom flat. So far, very good! The writing's spare and there's not a wasted word or jarring note (except perhaps the much-repeated use of 'bent life'--which has other meanings).
So what's not to like? For one thing, the only end Chase seems to serve is getting even. This is never so with Hammett's nor Chandler's heroes--even if their characters would as soon fatten your lip as admit to pursuing any noble ends. The point being that they're not motivated by anything as reactive and questionable as plain vengeance. Even Chinatown's Jake Gittes, despite the crude humour and considerable bungling, is a cut above Chase.
Also, practically no ink is invested describing location, weather, music, food, etc. This leads to a lack of flavour or mood that never catapults this intriguing puzzle toward becoming a deeply engrossing story. For atmosphere, in short, it rates a straight B- compared, say, with Walter Mosley's 'Black Betty', a detective thriller of our time with no lack of colour or ambience.
Such scrutiny may have some crying: Foul!
After all, pulp fiction makes modest claims, so this reviewer's just going way overboard. This is a page-turner that's worth finishing--so why ask for so much more?
Well, maybe. Still, Piccirilli's strengths make him very readable and show that he's one to watch.
So what's not to like? For one thing, the only end Chase seems to serve is getting even. This is never so with Hammett's nor Chandler's heroes--even if their characters would as soon fatten your lip as admit to pursuing any noble ends. The point being that they're not motivated by anything as reactive and questionable as plain vengeance. Even Chinatown's Jake Gittes, despite the crude humour and considerable bungling, is a cut above Chase.
Also, practically no ink is invested describing location, weather, music, food, etc. This leads to a lack of flavour or mood that never catapults this intriguing puzzle toward becoming a deeply engrossing story. For atmosphere, in short, it rates a straight B- compared, say, with Walter Mosley's 'Black Betty', a detective thriller of our time with no lack of colour or ambience.
Such scrutiny may have some crying: Foul!
After all, pulp fiction makes modest claims, so this reviewer's just going way overboard. This is a page-turner that's worth finishing--so why ask for so much more?
Well, maybe. Still, Piccirilli's strengths make him very readable and show that he's one to watch.
January 27, 2018
If you’ve read a few, and I now have, you know what you are going get with Piccirilli: damaged clichéd criminal types, often with daddy issues and always drawn into convoluted, violent escapades. Revenge, angst, duplicity and beatings all wrapped up in an addictive high speed narrative.
Here, Chase, a young thief and a getaway driver leaves the life of crime his grandfather reared him in and finds true love. Naturally, it doesn’t last and therein lies the tale leading to a train wreck finalé.
What makes the formula work is the writing. Once you start, you can’t stop. The characters all have their own individual edges and a gravitas that keeps you going back for more. And more......and more.
Here, Chase, a young thief and a getaway driver leaves the life of crime his grandfather reared him in and finds true love. Naturally, it doesn’t last and therein lies the tale leading to a train wreck finalé.
What makes the formula work is the writing. Once you start, you can’t stop. The characters all have their own individual edges and a gravitas that keeps you going back for more. And more......and more.
February 18, 2011
I love crime novels. There's just something about them that speaks to me, and for some reason I seem to really enjoy reading them in the winter. Maybe the dark, bleak weather makes a dark, bleak story even more fascinating. When it came time to choose my latest winter crime novel I chose a book with a fitting title, Tom Piccirilli's “The Cold Spot”
It's my understanding that Piccirilli is mainly a horror writer and that “The Cold Spot” was one of his first major attempts at a straight up crime novel. I had read one of his horror novels. I thought his licensed “Hellboy” novel “Emerald Hell” was one of the best in that series of books. So I was curious to see what Piccirilli could do with a crime story.
As it turns out he can do a lot. “The Cold Spot” stars Chase, a young thief who served as a wheelman for his Grandfather's gang of thieves. When Chase is just a teenager his grandfather murders a member of their crew right before Chase's eyes. It's an experience that freaks him out and sends him off wandering on his own . After a few years he does something unexpected, he meets and falls in love with a Deputy Sheriff. Chase abandons his life of crime and marries her and tries to settle in for a normal life. Then one day Chase's wife is taken from him by violence. That violence pushes Chase back into his old life. He reaches out to his grandfather for aid on a mission of vengeance.
“The Cold Spot” is a fast and fascinating read. A lot of that is because of the character of Chase himself. It's interesting that Piccirilli chose to make Chase a wheelman. He's a driver and incredibly driven. In fact the most interesting and compelling chapters of “The Cold Spot” are when you're alone with Chase and Piccirilli lets you inside his head. Early on your pulled into the story as you see Chase trying to distance himself from his grandfather. Later on in the story Chase pulls you in again as get caught up in his anger and thirst for vengeance over what happened to his wife.
Part of the reason why that works so well too is Piccirilli spends an ample amount of time developing the relationship between Chase and his wife. It's a believable and beautiful one. You get a good sense of their devotion to each other and you understand what Chase sees in her. When she's taken from you, you the reader, wants justice as well.
Looming large over the story is Chase's grandfather, Jonah who reminded me of an older version of Richard Stark's/Donald Westlake's Parker character. Like Parker, Jonah is a pretty interesting thief but his scenes didn't feel as compelling to me as the ones with just Chase. Later on though Piccirilli gives some background on Jonah and has him do some surprising but believable things. So he was a character that grew on me.
“The Cold Spot” isn't just a character study it contains several scenes of action and brutal violence. Piccirilli wrote these scenes very well. They rang true because they happened quickly, were messy, and had consequences for just about every one involved.
So if you're looking for a quick fun, crime novel to get you through the winter blues pick up “The Cold Spot”. You'll be glad you did.
It's my understanding that Piccirilli is mainly a horror writer and that “The Cold Spot” was one of his first major attempts at a straight up crime novel. I had read one of his horror novels. I thought his licensed “Hellboy” novel “Emerald Hell” was one of the best in that series of books. So I was curious to see what Piccirilli could do with a crime story.
As it turns out he can do a lot. “The Cold Spot” stars Chase, a young thief who served as a wheelman for his Grandfather's gang of thieves. When Chase is just a teenager his grandfather murders a member of their crew right before Chase's eyes. It's an experience that freaks him out and sends him off wandering on his own . After a few years he does something unexpected, he meets and falls in love with a Deputy Sheriff. Chase abandons his life of crime and marries her and tries to settle in for a normal life. Then one day Chase's wife is taken from him by violence. That violence pushes Chase back into his old life. He reaches out to his grandfather for aid on a mission of vengeance.
“The Cold Spot” is a fast and fascinating read. A lot of that is because of the character of Chase himself. It's interesting that Piccirilli chose to make Chase a wheelman. He's a driver and incredibly driven. In fact the most interesting and compelling chapters of “The Cold Spot” are when you're alone with Chase and Piccirilli lets you inside his head. Early on your pulled into the story as you see Chase trying to distance himself from his grandfather. Later on in the story Chase pulls you in again as get caught up in his anger and thirst for vengeance over what happened to his wife.
Part of the reason why that works so well too is Piccirilli spends an ample amount of time developing the relationship between Chase and his wife. It's a believable and beautiful one. You get a good sense of their devotion to each other and you understand what Chase sees in her. When she's taken from you, you the reader, wants justice as well.
Looming large over the story is Chase's grandfather, Jonah who reminded me of an older version of Richard Stark's/Donald Westlake's Parker character. Like Parker, Jonah is a pretty interesting thief but his scenes didn't feel as compelling to me as the ones with just Chase. Later on though Piccirilli gives some background on Jonah and has him do some surprising but believable things. So he was a character that grew on me.
“The Cold Spot” isn't just a character study it contains several scenes of action and brutal violence. Piccirilli wrote these scenes very well. They rang true because they happened quickly, were messy, and had consequences for just about every one involved.
So if you're looking for a quick fun, crime novel to get you through the winter blues pick up “The Cold Spot”. You'll be glad you did.
January 16, 2015
I first read Tom Piccirilli's The Last Kind Words and the sequel The Last Whisper In The Dark and I knew I would be hooked on this mans work. Then I read this fine one here and I don't think I will stop. If you are into suspense/action/mystery or any relative description like those, do yourself a favor and read Tom Piccirilli.
June 16, 2008
Disappointing sub-Stark crime novel. Piccirilli continues his shift from horror to crime and thrillers. The novel does have a nice kinky fight scene between the hero driver and a bank robber but that's just about the only thing that distinguishes this book.
July 14, 2009
Yeah.
Do not read this book unless you've had a physical.
It punches you in the heart.
More than once.
Just remember, it's a Man's World
But it don't mean nothing without a woman or a girl
And
Even then...
Keep a gun handy.
Do not read this book unless you've had a physical.
It punches you in the heart.
More than once.
Just remember, it's a Man's World
But it don't mean nothing without a woman or a girl
And
Even then...
Keep a gun handy.
December 20, 2012
One of the better crime novels I've read in the past few years. Unbelievable pace and wonderfully drawn characters make this a must read. Talent to become one of the all time greats.
October 15, 2015
This is a really well done crime novel with terrific character development to go along with the action. It's a pity the author passed away in his prime.
September 8, 2018
This is such an unbelievable book. Pulp action with a charismatic and torn protagonist
The Grandfather is such an amazing character. I love how he plays around with the genre.
The Grandfather is such an amazing character. I love how he plays around with the genre.
October 11, 2020
This was a lightning fast read. Story of a man who tried to get out of the criminal underworld only to be brought back in for seeking the revenge on people who destroyed his family.
Fast paced novel that for me has all of the ingredients that make Stark's Parker novels great - professional thieves and robbers living in their own shadowy parallel underworld. By the way, mentioning Parker, our protagonist's grandfather could as well be Parker. Merciless, always business oriented, hard-core criminal with no regrets, no second thoughts on his actions and ready to put down anyone on his path, be it his blood or not.
Great novel, full of action and introspection of a man that is for all means and purposes chained for life to the criminal underworld. In that way you could look at this as a tragic story of sorts.
To say anything more would be to ruin the story. If you like Parker, Matt Helm or Quarry you will definitely like this one.
Highly recommended to all fans of hard-boiled noir crime stories.
Fast paced novel that for me has all of the ingredients that make Stark's Parker novels great - professional thieves and robbers living in their own shadowy parallel underworld. By the way, mentioning Parker, our protagonist's grandfather could as well be Parker. Merciless, always business oriented, hard-core criminal with no regrets, no second thoughts on his actions and ready to put down anyone on his path, be it his blood or not.
Great novel, full of action and introspection of a man that is for all means and purposes chained for life to the criminal underworld. In that way you could look at this as a tragic story of sorts.
To say anything more would be to ruin the story. If you like Parker, Matt Helm or Quarry you will definitely like this one.
Highly recommended to all fans of hard-boiled noir crime stories.
December 30, 2021
A taunt thriller that shows a good bit of the darkness of the human soul. There's not a lot of sunshine and roses here. I wanted to lead with that, and not it's not as good as the author's Terrier Rand series. I'm sure the author heard that enough times, rest his soul. This is an enjoyable novel if you don't mind the protagonist being a good, bad guy. Actually the women are the more memorable characters in this book. I'll be going after the sequel fairly soon.
July 5, 2017
Unfortunately, did not enjoy this book. Character's too far gone in my opinion.
February 6, 2018
Good Crime Noir, I'll be reading the follow up.
Want to read
December 2, 2019Synopsis: Chase was a getaway driver for his con man grandfather. When Jonah murdered one of his own, Chase went solo. Then complications.
January 1, 2026
Gritty fast read. Would make a good movie.
July 16, 2008
From Genrebusters.com:
The Premise
Chase is a young man who lost his parents as a boy and was brought into a life of crime by his grandfather Jonah. Still in his teens, he decides to go straight and build a life as a law-abiding citizen. But this is a crime story, and a shady past is never far behind.
In Review
Many of the elements that Piccirilli writes into Cold Spot will be familiar to anyone who has read crime fiction or watched crime cinema. What distinguishes this book is Piccirilli's ability to put you into his protagonist's head and make you observe criminal acts and behavior from a different perspective. Chase is someone who looks at all the angles in a situation, and Piccirilli captures this outlook with narration that focuses on Chase's detailed view in a conversational tone of voice. Consider this description of a crew that Chase is after:
"They weren't a twitchy bunch but there would be rules to follow. No matter what though, even if they figured the cops were on the line, they'd eventually have to answer. It was Marisa's phone, they'd need to find out what happened to her and see how badly their action was blown." (166)
This clear prose works like a magnet throughout the story, drawing you into Chase's corner and offering a glimpse of doings that most citizens only see through fiction. And this is the beauty of Piccirilli's play: this is, of course, fiction, and yet another opportunity for workaday folks to spy on the people who do the things they aren't supposed to and get away with it. It's just that Piccirilli's voice comes across sounding so confident, so sure, that it's hard to shake the sense that stuff like this is really going down, somewhere across the city from where you're reading; and that someone like Chase is involved, sizing everything up, reaching inside himself for that "cold spot" (both a lovely idea and literary metaphor) that will see him through.
Making this tale even more seductive is Chase himself. He can jack cars and fix them like no one else, move with above-average speed, fight with tenacity, and read people with an insight into human vanity that is outstanding for someone his age. This latter trait stems from a sense of self-awareness that makes him a realist, and keeps him cool while others around him latch onto a role and try to act out the accepted script. He leaves the criminal world because he learns how much violence and hate he can take; and when he find himself going back to it, he has to reconcile this limitation with his desire to mete revenge against those who destroyed someone dear to him.
Here again, Piccirilli uses a common theme: that of the compassionate criminal. But he does this with such good writing that any sense of the ordinary is soon lost, and the story unfolds like a favorite season, bringing surprises and breathes of air that, somehow, just taste right. I adore this man's work, and will read everything he's done in the years to come. Readers who appreciate craft should seek him out.
7/15/08
The Premise
Chase is a young man who lost his parents as a boy and was brought into a life of crime by his grandfather Jonah. Still in his teens, he decides to go straight and build a life as a law-abiding citizen. But this is a crime story, and a shady past is never far behind.
In Review
Many of the elements that Piccirilli writes into Cold Spot will be familiar to anyone who has read crime fiction or watched crime cinema. What distinguishes this book is Piccirilli's ability to put you into his protagonist's head and make you observe criminal acts and behavior from a different perspective. Chase is someone who looks at all the angles in a situation, and Piccirilli captures this outlook with narration that focuses on Chase's detailed view in a conversational tone of voice. Consider this description of a crew that Chase is after:
"They weren't a twitchy bunch but there would be rules to follow. No matter what though, even if they figured the cops were on the line, they'd eventually have to answer. It was Marisa's phone, they'd need to find out what happened to her and see how badly their action was blown." (166)
This clear prose works like a magnet throughout the story, drawing you into Chase's corner and offering a glimpse of doings that most citizens only see through fiction. And this is the beauty of Piccirilli's play: this is, of course, fiction, and yet another opportunity for workaday folks to spy on the people who do the things they aren't supposed to and get away with it. It's just that Piccirilli's voice comes across sounding so confident, so sure, that it's hard to shake the sense that stuff like this is really going down, somewhere across the city from where you're reading; and that someone like Chase is involved, sizing everything up, reaching inside himself for that "cold spot" (both a lovely idea and literary metaphor) that will see him through.
Making this tale even more seductive is Chase himself. He can jack cars and fix them like no one else, move with above-average speed, fight with tenacity, and read people with an insight into human vanity that is outstanding for someone his age. This latter trait stems from a sense of self-awareness that makes him a realist, and keeps him cool while others around him latch onto a role and try to act out the accepted script. He leaves the criminal world because he learns how much violence and hate he can take; and when he find himself going back to it, he has to reconcile this limitation with his desire to mete revenge against those who destroyed someone dear to him.
Here again, Piccirilli uses a common theme: that of the compassionate criminal. But he does this with such good writing that any sense of the ordinary is soon lost, and the story unfolds like a favorite season, bringing surprises and breathes of air that, somehow, just taste right. I adore this man's work, and will read everything he's done in the years to come. Readers who appreciate craft should seek him out.
7/15/08
November 21, 2015
Before this book Piccirilli was still on my "heard a lot of good but not sure I'll follow him quite yet" list. Now though, he's on my must follow list of authors. This story is intense, hard hitting and not something to be missed.
Orphaned at a young age, Chase is raised by his grandfather Jonah to be a getaway driver and live a life of crime. Chase has no problem with this until one day when Jonah kills someone in their crew. Chase then goes solo and lives his own life until one day when he needs his grandfather's abilities.
The story involves the search for how a person fits into life, love, revenge, facing the past and then to make it fun, cops and robbers. The book is next to impossible to put down; you just want to keep reading and reading. All the characters are engaging and very easy to picture. And while the plot is a bit predictable, all of the elements that are built around it are not. Trust me and pick this book up and read it. You won't be sorry.
Orphaned at a young age, Chase is raised by his grandfather Jonah to be a getaway driver and live a life of crime. Chase has no problem with this until one day when Jonah kills someone in their crew. Chase then goes solo and lives his own life until one day when he needs his grandfather's abilities.
The story involves the search for how a person fits into life, love, revenge, facing the past and then to make it fun, cops and robbers. The book is next to impossible to put down; you just want to keep reading and reading. All the characters are engaging and very easy to picture. And while the plot is a bit predictable, all of the elements that are built around it are not. Trust me and pick this book up and read it. You won't be sorry.
Read
July 25, 2011This book was freakin' amazing! Honestly, if real life and work didn't get in the way, I would have read the book from cover to cover and not put it down until I was done. This story had some terrific action, great characters and a really interesting story. And even though I had a feeling about some of the things that were going to happen, it didn't matter, because it didn't take away from the story at all. I'm definitely looking forward to his next book and I'm going to go back read some of his previous ones, since I hadn't heard of Piccirilli before.
It's interesting...in Hollywood all you see are remakes of old movies and TV shows, sequels and the occasional "new" idea. Yet here's a book that in my opinion, is crying out to be turned into a movie. I'd love to see that happen at some point.
It's interesting...in Hollywood all you see are remakes of old movies and TV shows, sequels and the occasional "new" idea. Yet here's a book that in my opinion, is crying out to be turned into a movie. I'd love to see that happen at some point.
August 26, 2016
A sad reflection on how life will drag you down to its lowest level, no matter how you try to get out from under.
Chase is the grandson of a criminal. His mother died and his father committed suicide, couldn't cope with the reality of his wife's death, so Chase went to live with his grandfather and was brought up in the life of the criminal underworld.
He meets a young lady, a cop, in Southern USA and decides to go straight. He has a wonderful life, until his wife is killed while on the job. Chase goes back into the world he left behind to avenge his wife's death. Even though this is not what she would have wanted for him, he did it anyway.
Now he is back in the life, beholden to his grandfather and who knows where that might lead.
And so onto the next book.....
Chase is the grandson of a criminal. His mother died and his father committed suicide, couldn't cope with the reality of his wife's death, so Chase went to live with his grandfather and was brought up in the life of the criminal underworld.
He meets a young lady, a cop, in Southern USA and decides to go straight. He has a wonderful life, until his wife is killed while on the job. Chase goes back into the world he left behind to avenge his wife's death. Even though this is not what she would have wanted for him, he did it anyway.
Now he is back in the life, beholden to his grandfather and who knows where that might lead.
And so onto the next book.....
June 29, 2011
Having read everything Tom Piccirilli has ever done, I'm simply blown away how he continues to improve with each book. While I prefer his work in the horror genre, I've still kept up with his crime thrillers and think this is his very best. I couldn't put this book down, blazing through it in a couple of days. Chock full of original characters with unique histories in a tangled web of danger, deceit, and destiny. The action and twists are remarkable and Piccirilli's economy of words, dialogue, and personality is the best in the business. I've yet to come across an author, in this or any genre, that is as consistently excellent as Tom Piccirilli. My God does this man have a gift.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews