Cold Day In July [Paperback]

Stella Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

Toussaint, Louisiana, is a sleepy bayou town where people know their neighbours and everyone feels safe - until the shattered body of a young woman is found at the base of St. Cecil's belfry stairs. But is she the victim of a tragic accident or something more sinister? Marc Girard doesn't believe in accidents. What he does believe is that the dead woman may be his missing sister. Now, he's coming home to Toussaint, where his wealthy family still casts a powerful shadow, in order to find the truth, no matter where it leads him.. or to whom. Medical examiner Reb O'Brien remembers the day Marc left her behind, just as she remembers the mysterious murders of two other young women a year earlier - crimes with eerier echoes of this one. With no one to trust but each other, Marc and Reb find themselves slipping down deep into the shadows of the Big Easy, where a town's darkest secrets lie waiting, and a killer is ready to strike another deadly blow...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Popular romantic suspense writer Cameron (Glass Houses, etc.) concocts a gummy Cajun stew of a novel, cramming a cast of bayou denizens into this oddly off-balance offering. When Bonnie Blue, an enigmatic singer passing through Toussaint, La., is strangled at the local church, town residents assume her death has nothing to do with two other recent murders. Redhead Reb O'Brien, the local doctor, isn't so sure, and when Marc Girard, town prodigal son and Reb's high school crush, comes back to investigate the crime, matters become even more complicated. Marc believes Blue was his estranged older sister Amy; Reb is ready to believe him, but finds she must concentrate on her own safety when she and her poodle, Gaston, are attacked. Local priest Cyrus and his assistant Madge are also distraught, as they had been trying to help Bonnie Blue before she was killed. Cyrus's eccentric housekeeper, Oribel, and her beautiful, sly daughter, Precious, have their own ideas about what is going on, and Precious is involved in more than just plotting to keep her errant husband, Chauncey Depew, in line. Meanwhile, Marc finds himself still inexorably drawn to Reb, and she to him, just as when they were in school. Strangely for so ordinarily adept a writer, Cameron fumbles her plot and badly misjudges the novel's pacing. The dialogue is choppy and the ending is jarringly abrupt, as if missing a large piece of the action. (Sept.) Forecast: Cameron has a proven track record, but even fans may be baffled by this latest.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Reb O'Brien, Toussaint's motorcycle-riding doc, may be the only citizen happy to see absentee landlord Marc Girard return to their sleepy bayou. Marc is on a quest for his missing sister, and even though the death of a woman found in the church was ruled accidental, Reb is not convinced because a serial rapist and killer has been active in the area. He even wants to have the body exhumed to see if she was his sister, which doesn't go over too well in this close-knit community or with hunky Father Cyrus. The dynamics between Reb and Marc, which began in childhood, are intriguing, as are the secret lives of several characters that culminate in a deadly confrontation. Cameron is a master at skillfully integrating sizzlingly sensual love scenes into her fast-moving plots, and readers won't want this mesmerizing tale to end, but they will be pleased to know that the folks in Toussaint will be revisited in the future. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821770837
• ISBN-13: 978-0821770832
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,283,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stella Cameron is the New York Times best selling author of the acclaimed Court of Angels Series, the Bayou Books and many others. There are fourteen million copies of her books in circulation worldwide. She is the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Achievement Award for distinguished professional achievement and for enhancing the stature of the Northwest Literary community. She lives in Washington State.

Stella's current titles include OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF BODY and OUT OF MIND from her critically acclaimed Court of Angels series as well as her recent exclusive eBook releases BREATHLESS (contemporary romantic-suspense) and BARGAIN BRIDE: A NOVELLA (historical romance).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars needs an ending, September 21, 2003

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cold Day In July (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unreadable mess of a book - a terrible disappointment!, December 31, 2003

By 

Retail mama "k_reader" (The City by the Bay, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Day In July (Paperback)

At first glance this book looked like it had all the elements - New Orleans, murder, romance - to make a fine mystery/suspense novel. However, this novel is basically rendered unreadable by poor plotting, horrible timing and confusing dialogue. I am a readaholic and almost always finish any book that I start but I couldn't even make it half the way through this pile of drivel. It is a terrible disappointment and I wish I could return mine.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story line, lousy ending!, September 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cold Day In July (Hardcover)

Stella Cameron weaves her story will skill and suspense. Like any good mystery you are unable to 'guess' the ending until you arrive at those last few pages. Unfortunately Ms Cameron leaves the story line at a scene where you may have answered the "who did it" question .... however you are forced to leave the main characters in limbo. The reader has no closure for the group of characters you have grown to know throughout the story. You are left with a miriad of questions regarding their outcomes. I would give this story 5 stars right up to the last page...but reduced it to 3 stars simply because there was no closure. Having read all of Ms Cameron's other books I found this ending very atypical.