4.5-STAR REVIEW: COLD PURSUIT by Nancy Mehl

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The Description

Ryland & St. Clair: Book 1
Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They’re soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there’s almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy’s trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.

Excerpt

The Review

River Ryland walked away from her role as a behavioral analyst for the FBI after an encounter with a serial killer left her with PTSD. Now, she and her former FBI partner have opened a detective agency.

Their first case, to bring closure to a mother whose son has been missing for four years, leads them down a dangerous path. Author Nancy Mehl uses the investigation as the foundation for Cold Pursuit.

Ryland and her fellow detective, Tony St. Clair, are still suffering both physically and emotionally from the serial killer confrontation. Through various interactions, it is clear they are still wrangling with the past. However, St. Clair relies heavily on his faith to keep the darkness away. Ryland doesn’t initially have that connection but later undergoes a conversion.

While the main focus of the story is the missing persons cold case, there are two other sinister plot lines unfolding. The author switches perspectives to increase the suspense, especially as it pertains to the unnamed stalker. Note there is a cliffhanger that will lead into the next installment of the series.

Relationships play an important role in the story. Many readers will relate to Ryland’s struggle with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Just as her fear diminished in light of her faith, the interactions with her mother became more positive.

Cold Pursuit marks an impressive beginning for a series that will ultimately feature the two main characters having to deal with remnants from the past. Buy Links

About The Author Nancy Mehl is the author of almost fifty books, a Parable bestseller, as well as the winner of an ACFW Book of the Year Award, a Carol Award, and the Daphne Du Maurier Award. She has also been a finalist for two Carol Awards, and the Christy Award. Nancy writes from her home in Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson.