Customer Reviews

A Cold Day In Hell (Bayou Books)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Stella Cameron returns to Pointe Judah in her latest venture into the Louisiana Bayou. From the first page when we see two teenage boys lost in the swamps until its satisfying Christmas Eve conclusion, _A Cold Day in Hell_ is worth the sleepless night you'll spend reading it.

Eileen Moggeridge and Angel DeAngelo have warily approached a relationship with one another since they met. Eileen is scarred from an abusive marriage, while Angel is trying to forget his past as a CIA field operative and ATF agent. But both want more than the friendship they now share.

Eileen's son, Aaron, and Angel's nephew, Sonny, are fast friends who lead each other into temptation. The boys are lost in the swamps in their search for the root doctor Chuzah when Aaron is shot by an unseen gunman. Chuzah rescues the boys and he heals Aaron's wound. Angel doesn't know if the shot was intended for Aaron or Sonny, the lone witness to a gruesome mob hit. But he knows there's more to Chuzah than the other man's unique lifestyle.

Things become more complicated when Eileen's pregnant sister-in-law is attacked, a construction worker is murdered, and yet another attempt is made on Aaron's life. How are these crimes connected? When Eileen's ex-husband returns seeking reconciliation, Angel has the perfect suspect. But where is the evidence?

Angel tries to keep a very independent Eileen safe, while also working to protect Sonny and Aaron. None of them make it easy for him, and he discovers the premonitions and visions he used so effectively in the CIA have returned, warning him of growing danger to the woman he loves. For her part, Eileen must learn that Angel is a man she can lean on, a man she can trust, before she can admit her love for him.

Its colorful characters make Pointe Judah a town you want to return to, and the unfinished stories of a few of its characters make you hope for more of Cameron's Bayou books.

The romance between Angel and Eileen is satisfying and believable and it's easy to imagine them creating a family with their two boys.

This is definitely a Christmas Eileen and Angel, and the people of Point Judah, will remember.

The cover art on this Stella Cameron offering won't help you determine its merit. You start off expecting an eerie, suspensfull thriller set in bayou country. For starters, living in bayou country myself the characters and settings are completely unbelievable and off mark. The Characters are flat and one dimensional. I found it hard to really care what happened to any of them. Also the characters were poorly developed and often reacted in ways that did not seem realistic. The "heroine" couldn't decide if she wanted to be a dainty fragile flower needing protection or Laura Kroft Tomb Raider. All opportunities for action and suspense were wasted by the author by hurriedly breezing through them. There are better books out there. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

Once again, Stella Cameron has produced a page-turner. In this story of Bayou romance, drama and yes... a little voodoo, Ms. Cameron has once again created unforgettable settings and characters. The steamy romance scenes will leave you feeling the heat for sure and her incredible attention to detail will have you looking over your shoulder for the swamp things that go "bump" in the dark. Make sure you set aside plenty of time to read this one straight through. Dinner will just have to wait!

Sorry but could not get anything postive from this book at all. The 2 main characters are immature and say the stupidest things to each other. The teenage boys were more mature than the adults. Eileen was just hard to believe that she went from such a victim in a short time to being this big brave lady who wouldn't listen to anyone or let a guy who had CIA backgroud help her (like she could take of herself-yeah right). She said even hateful things to her son. Gee Whiz! I just couldn't warm up to her. I had a hard time finishing the book and of course all ended well but then it really was ficiton and so much of it unbelievable. I couldn't see the romance in it-sex, yes, but not romance. This is the first book by Stella Cameron that I have read and not sure if I will read another but probably should just so I don't base this one on all of her books. Our library has a paperback book exchange and I picked this one up there and it shall go back there. Glad I didn't pay for it. Chuzah and the wolf were the 2 most likable characters in the book though a bit unrealistic.

I was amazed when I found out this wasn't a first novel. I'm rarely compelled to write and say how awful something is, but this required it. It was just stupid; the characters, the plot, the writing... everything. I've made a note of the author's name so I don't accidentally buy anything she's written ever again. It was that bad. I do adore "junk food" novels. A good JD Robb fills that niche nicely. I hate to say it, but "A Cold Day in Hell" was a waste of time and nicely describes the day I'll buy another novel by Stella Cameron.

The author tries for witty dialog, but it's scattered and pointless. The story goes nowhere and splits off into too many different directions, and at times makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You don't even notice when the climax of the story happens. Or more truthfully, you don't care. By the half-way point I was annoyed with the whole thing and forced myself to read it and not just skim to see what happened at the end.

Very satisfied with the book - came in a timely manner and was in condition I expected.

I've read other books by this author and looked forward to this, her newest. What a mishmash. The characters were unconvincing, the plot unnecessarily confusing, and the story farfetched. I wish there were a money-back guarantee on books - I'd demand a refund.

When her son Aaron is shot on the bayou just outside Point Judah, Louisiana, Eileen Moggeridge rushes to the hospital. Accompanying her is her friend Christian "Angel" DeAngelo, whose nephew Sonny was with Aaron. Angel, a former CIA and ATF agent, wonders if Sonny was the intended target as the teen has been hidden by the Feds under the witness protection program.

Back in Point Judah to Eileen's disgust is her abusive former husband, Chuck, who insists he wants to make amends with his wife and former a father-son relationship with his child. Eileen does not trust Chuck as he was always a bully towards her and uncaring about having a son who he had nothing to with before. She even wonders if he was the sniper who shot Aaron; besides which she prefers Angel even as more incidents happen to her.

This is a strange entertaining romantic suspense thriller starring a horde of eccentric characters; none more odd than the "root doctor". The mystery is cleverly designed, but Stella Cameron used voodoo so that the villain is in plain sight yet not easy to identify. Although too many sidebars add unneeded mumbo jumbo, sub-genre readers will enjoy spending A COLD DAY IN HELL out on the bayou.

Harriet Klausner

I don't know about this one. Stella Cameron's work is starting to get confusing to me. To many sub plots and extra people from other books or upcoming books hanging around. I much preferred her early works.