Cold Heart

I thought the book was just great. Chandler is an exceptional writer that keeps you engrossed from cover to cover. I can't wait to read the next one. Keep them coming Uncle Chad!!

Young, burned-out ex-cop, Micky Ascherfeld has had a tough life so far. Murder follow her around like her shadow. Three people close to her in fact have been murdered before her eyes. But it's the sheepish way in which she has dealt with these murders that seems to haunt her almost as much as the actual murders themselves. As fate would have it, she faces yet another deadly encounter. This time in the remote wilderness of McRay, Alaska, where she has retreated from civilization with her best friend Damon. With no major roads in or out of McRay, (accessible only by small air strip) the small bush town has only a handful of residents. It is here that Micky makes some unusual and enduring friendships. But who can she really trust?When a mad man begins to kill and mutilate the residents of McRay, it is up to Micky to confront the demons of her past and try and save herself and Dawn, a terrified young girl. Chandler McGrew has written one hell of a suspense thriller. This can not possibly be his first book! He has mastered the art of getting inside a character (I speak mainly here of Dawn, who basically steals the show from the main character Micky) and makes the reader feel as though they are there and these horrifying things are happening to them! It's been a long time since I read a book that actually gave me a nightmare. The time line in Cold Heart is exciting and unusual. The story spans mostly over a period of 4 hours with short chapters making it a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Mr. McGrew's suspenseful, narrative voice is perfection, and he keeps us on the edge of our seats with a bang of an ending! Chandler McGrew has another book due out called Night Terror published by Bantam Books. Can't wait to read it.This book gets a green light. Go for it!

I received a reviewer's copy of this novel, which can sometimes be problematic. Let me just say this: it went for the jugular and grabbed my attention in the first pages, and never let go. I read it fast, and finished with a big "Whoa!"Micky Ascherfeld was a Houston police officer with an already tragic past when she and her partner endured a brutal attack which left her partner/lover dead. Fast forward 4 years, and Micky has relocated to Alaska to be near a dear friend, a burned out psychologist. The slow and simple pace of life in the tiny, pristine hamlet of McRay has been therapeutic and Micky has found fulfillment in creating her unique stained glass pieces.And then one morning, a townsman named Eldred snaps and goes on a homicidal spree, bent on killing everyone in town. Cut off from her gun and all communications or means of transportation, Micky is forced to draw upon her police training and every grain of inner strength she ever possessed to stay one step ahead of Eldred and try to stay alive. There is a teenage girl named Dawn whom Eldred has missed and, once they cross paths, Micky is determined to protect Dawn at all costs. The rest of the book is devoted to the unfolding events of that one day and the diabolical game of cat and mouse with not only Eldred but with a wounded grizzly bear. Eldred's emotionless, passionless killing-machine persona makes him one of the most terrifying characters in recent fiction. While the nature of the story is of necessity violent, the strong writing and crisp dialogue keep it from being gratuitously so. The plot is original and the pace heartstopping, the penultimate ending along the lines of what the reader has been hoping for, the final ending a complete and total shocker.There is an excerpt from Chandler McGrew's next novel in the back of the book, with the promise of "coming soon." All I can say is, not soon enough!

If you enjoy reading suspense novels, then you'll love this book. Cold Heart begins with Micky Ascherfeld, patrolling the streets with her lover/partner, when an armored truck crashes into them, sending their cruiser into a topless bar. The truck backs up and smashes them again. Micky manages to get out of the cruiser, only to suffer a nasty flashback of her parents' brutal murders as she is trying to flee from the psychopath that is now chasing her through the bar.She survives the ordeal, but it has taken a terrible toll on her spirit. At the urging of a good friend (Damon), she visits McRay, Alaska. The story jumps ahead four years. She now lives in McRay, and everything is fine until the town oddball decides to go on a killing spree. Will Micky's past cripple her with fear again, or will she overcome it?McGrew throws in plenty of twists, and the ending may surprise you. El was a good killing machine, but he wasn't very interesting as a villian. Damon, however, would've made an excellent psychopath since he made a living dealing with such. In that way, I was disappointed. But I give this book five stars because it is so entertaining. I found myself rooting for Micky and Dawn until the very end. Recommended.