Cold Feet (Harlequin Single Title) [Mass Market Paperback]

Brenda Novak (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin Single Title | Publication Date: February 1, 2004

When the past won't go away . . .

The Seattle police suspect Madison Lieberman's father was the serial killer they call the "Sandpoint Strangler." Madison refuses to believe it. Her father is now dead, and all she wants is the chance to create a new life for herself and her six-year-old child.

Then she discovers something in the crawl space beneath her parent's house. Something that makes her question her father's innocence. Or the innocence of someone else who's equally close to her . . .

When another woman turns up dead, crime writer Caleb Trovato wonders whether they're dealing with a copycat killer. Or is the real Sandpoint Strangler still alive? Caleb's sure Madison knows more than she's telling, and he's determined to find out what. But he doesn't expect to fall in love -- or to lead Madison and her child into danger . . .

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373836007
• ISBN-13: 978-0373836000
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Novak Bio

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times, USA Today and Borders/Waldenbooks bestseller lists and won many awards, including two Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fund-raiser for diabetes research--an online auction held on her Web site (www.brendanovak.com) every May. Brenda has raised over $1 million to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well paced and chillingly suspenseful, February 29, 2004

By 

S. Barrett (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cold Feet (Harlequin Single Title) (Mass Market Paperback)

Kudos to Ms. Novak who's done it again with her new romantic suspense about serial killer Ellis Purcell, aka the Sandpoint Strangler, and the grim legacy he left behind.

For years real estate agent Madison Lieberman has believed in her dead father's innocence as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and make a home for her six-year-old daughter Brianna on Washington's Whidbey Island. But when she discovers incriminating evidence in a crawl space under her mother's house, her belief is tested.

Enter crime writer Caleb Trovato, a former cop with a personal interest in Purcell and in gaining information he believes only Madison can reveal. Then a recent murder occurs that makes him wonder if the real Sandpoint Strangler is still at large. The only way to find out is to get close to Madison. He searches for clues, finds sizzling sexual tension and conflict. Can he use Madison to gain the truth, and in doing so, is he putting her and her child in danger?

A series of plot twists and the cast of well-developed secondary characters will keep you turning pages until the last shocking secret is revealed. Ms. Novak is on her way to stardom in the field of romantic suspense. COLD FEET is a must read from this consummate storyteller.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Feel-Good Thriller, March 15, 2004

By 

Joyfulpie (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Feet (Harlequin Single Title) (Mass Market Paperback)

WOW! Great story telling! What a twist, I didn't see that coming.
Cold Feet is now my favorite 'feel-good thriller'! I say 'feel-good thriller' because I loved the believability of the romance, as well as the page turning suspense. A terrific read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise ending..., February 2, 2004

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Feet (Harlequin Single Title) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Sandpoint Strangler's reign of terror had ended with the suicide of the fiend; but the fiend was more than a killer. He was a father too. His daughter never could believe her dad could be a villain who destroyed lives. Then she learns that Barbie can bring nothing but trouble when she stumbles across evidence that points a bloody finger at someone in her family being that demon while searching for her old dolls.

At the same time, Caleb Trovato, the true crime author whose investigation had previously exposed the Strangler, finds himself dragged into what looks like a re-emergence of the Strangler, or a copycat killer. His investigation leads him to Madison, but he must not let her know who he is, or else not only will she hinder his work, the romance beginning to spark between them will be another victim. Unfortunately, the truth and his ex wife lie between them.

**** With a sense of horror to rival Hitchcock or Stephen King, Ms. Novak holds readers enthralled to the pages of her latest thriller. With a sexy and dangerous edge, Caleb will wrap the female readers around his finger, just as he does Madison and her daughter. Then ending's surprise twist may threaten to stop your heart before the last page, but it's worth it. ****
Amanda