Reviews of Dead of Winter by P.J. Parrish

Dead of Winter

by P.J. Parrish

Dead of Winter by P.J. Parrish X
Dead of Winter by P.J. Parrish
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    Jan 2001, 416 pages

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In the quaint tourist town of Loon Lake, a killer is taking his vengeance. One by one police officers are found brutally executed. Detective Louis Kincaid has landed in the middle of an investigation that is more than a mystery, it's a terrifying journey into the nightmare mind of a madman.

Some Fears Are Never Laid to Rest. In the quaint tourist town of Loon Lake, Michigan, a killer is taking his vengeance. One by one, the bodies of Loon Lake’s police officers are found, brutally executed, with mysteriously coded death cards placed beside each corpse — the gruesome signature of a psychopath. And the only sound louder than doors and windows being locked against evil is the sound of hearts beating in terror.

Detective Louis Kincaid had returned to Michigan to forget the horrors of what happened to him in Mississippi. But now, he has landed in the middle of an investigation that is more than a mystery. It is a warning of bad things to come...of a terrifying journey through a town’s fiercely protected heart of darkness…and into the nightmare mind of a madman.

It was just a dull thud, a sound that drifted down to him as he lay in the deepest fathoms of his sleep. He struggled up to the surface and opened his eyes with a start. Darkness, and then, emerging from the shadows, a bulky form and a glint of light. He let out a breath. Just the oak bureau, and his badge laying on top.

The sound had probably come from his dream, and the thought made him relax back into the pillows. But his ears remained alert for foreign sounds amid all the familiar groans and squeaks of the house.

He glanced over at Stephanie, snoring softly by his side. She always kidded him about his excellent hearing. "Tommy, baby, you can hear the snow falling," she laughed. Hell, sometimes he thought so, too. He pulled the quilt up over his wife’s shoulder and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

He rose, shivering in the cold air, and went to the window. He pulled back the drape. Sure enough, it was snowing. Already covered the yard, leaving pillows of ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Baltimore Sun
Snow falls and so do the sinister hints. Things loom but they're never what they seem -- especially not for a black man in a mostly white town. Unfamiliar with Loon Lake, Kincaid nevertheless manages to work out who's killing his fellow police officers and why. Along the way, he makes some discoveries about his own prejudices and burdens. Dead of Winter moves briskly, pulling the reader along for an invigorating ride.

Chicago Tribune - Chris Petrakos
This brisk, tight police procedural is set in the bucolic but obviously dangerous town of Loon Lake, Mich. It's clear somebody is holding a major league grudge against the Loon Lake police and it's up to Louis Kincaid to find out who and why. His search forms the bulk of this fast-paced, well-conceived yarn.

Publishers Weekly
Parrish deftly depicts the empty winter landscape and the relentless intensity of the killer's pursuit. A suspenseful tale of a man who must question his principles and loyalties, Parrish's latest will appeal to those seeking a fast-paced thriller propelled by a cast of charismatic characters.

Reader Reviews

Walt

A potentially good story with low high school level dialogue.

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