Cold Day in July

COLD DAY IN JULY by Stella Cameron is easily one of my all time favorites by Stella Cameron. Marc Girard comes to Touissiant, Louisiana to try and find his sister who seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Upon arriving in Toussiant, he meets up with new town doctor Reb O'Brien.Things heat up quickly between them, but there are some people that are not happy to see Marc settling in town and are determined to drive him out of Toussiant.COLD DAY IN JULY gave me the chance to meet up once again with the sexy priest from French Quarter Father Cyrus. You also get to meet the fine folks of Touissiant.COLD DAY IN JULY will have you hungering for more tales from Toussiant.

Reb O'Brien and Marc Girard grew up together, made the mistake of getting too close when they were teenagers, and meet again some years later. What they feel for each other now has nothing to do with childhood. Too bad a woman dies at the base of the belfry stairs at the local church and nobody's sure who she is, or if her death was an accident. The story is tense all the way through. The love story is hot! This is the first in a new series and I'm in heaven.

I enjoyed reading Stella Cameron's "A Cold Day In July". The characters were compelling and the plot was intriguing. The culprit was cleverly disguised and the investigation was intelligent. The romance between Reb and Marc evolved slowly at first but really heated up at the end. It really had me going and then it just ended. I had gotten a used copy so I cursed myself for trying to save a few bucks and went out to find the complete story. Wasn't I surprised to learn that my copy was as complete as any other. What happened? Where were Cameron's editors? Okay, the book is good if you like to make up your own ending otherwise beware.

I read FRENCH QUARTER a couple of years ago and was introduced to Father Cyrus. He now pops up very prominently in COLD DAY IN JULY. He is in the middle of a murder mystery and it seems like he knows more than what he is saying to Marc, the hero. Marc thinks the victim is his sister, but first, they need to find the body to determine that. Reb is the girl that Marc was attracted to years ago and now that he is back, he intends to kindle a relationship.The relationship between the two is sizzling hot and finds them in unusual places in which they explore their attraction. :)Stella Cameron knows how to weave a suspenseful tale with intriguing characters. It moved very fast, the story did. I must admit I sometimes had to catch up with who is who and what is going on, but it was an enjoyable story. I will also admit that the ending seemed rather abrupt. I would have liked an epilogue that would have tidied up some things. One of which I won't mention here, so as to not give away part of the plot. I am hoping Ms Cameron continues the story sometime soon to tidy up the ending of this.All in all, I enjoyed reading it and look forward to her next book. If you like hot romantic suspense, then read COLD DAY IN JULY.

Though his family owns a sizable part of Toussaint, Louisiana, not too many people are pleased to see Marc Gilbert return to town after a thirteen-year absence. Marc saw a picture of local singer Bonnie Blue in his hometown newspaper that he still receives. The accompanying article reports the death by accident of Bonnie. Marc believes that Bonnie is his missing older sister Amy.Medical examiner Reb O'Brien has always had a crush on Marc that never really went anywhere especially after he graduated from Tulane as she was completing her freshman year there. Reb has no reason to conclude foul play occurred in Bonnie's death, but Marc ties the case back to two other murders two years ago though the convicted killer resides in prison. Marc persuades Reb to help determine whether Bonnie was Amy and if someone, perhaps her married boyfriend, killed her.COLD DAY IN JULY is a wonderful romantic suspense that provides the audience with growing intrigue that seems to grip all the residence of Toussaint, many of who fear the return of Marc as a catalyst for trouble. The story line is fast-paced yet takes the time to enable the reader to feel the ambiance and the apprehension gripping Toussaint. Marc is a strong lead protagonist though why he concluded that Bonnie is Amy seems stretched while Reb is a delightful local doctor trying to do the right thing even as she wonders what that is. Stella Cameron provides her fans with a wonderful reading day in September.Harriet Klausner