Customer Reviews

Cold Feet (Harlequin Single Title)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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

Brenda Novak has done it again. Cold feet is a masterpiece of suspense and romance. Like her book Taking the Heat --- Cold Feet will have you wondering to the very end as to who the killer really is. Truly fantastic reading and masterfully written. One of the best authors on the market today! Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense and romance.

Brenda Novak is the new "have to buy" in romantic suspense. Her well written characters are compelling and true to life. Engrossing and fresh, her taut stories come with clever plot twists that have you constantly guessing.

In her novel, "Cold Feet" Madison Lieberman is a single mom struggling with a sordid past - her father's suicide after being suspected by police of being the "Sandpoint Strangler". She refuses to believe that her beloved father is capable of such a heinous crime, yet discovers something in the crawl space beneath her parents house that has her questioning his innocence. However, a new victim turns up & all the signs lead to the "Sandpoint Strangler". Perhaps it is someone else close to her.

Caleb Trovato, former cop turned crime writer, is drawn into the case he once investigated - his ex-wife's sister has disappeared. Caleb struggles to calm his ex-wife as he finds himself very attracted to Madison. Realizing that Madison is the key to finding out the truth behind the murders, he finds a way to be close to her. He expects to find evidence to finally prove that her father was the murderer - he didn't expect to place Madison in danger or to fall in love....

Ms. Novak took a very different approach to the serial killer storyline and created a very fast paced read that hooked me right from the start and did not let go until I finally read the last sentence.

Madison Lieberman is trying to put her life back together. See she is the daughter of the supposed "Sandpoint Strangler" and as a result she has lost everything. Her husband divorced her and she is now left to get her act together at the same time deal with what is left of her family and the suspicion that followes her after the suicide death of her father.

Caleb Tovato once worked the Sandpoint Strangler case when he was an active duty cop. Now he has retired from the force and make his living as a true crime author. His ex-wife pulls him once again into the intrigue and mystery of the unsolved strangler case when her sister turns up missing right where the strangler used to hunt his victims. Despite his better judgement Caleb goes back to Washington State in order to help his ex find her sister. He finds the perfect chance to prove not only the fact that the real Sandpoint Strangler is truly dead but that they had the right guy pegged for the crimes by moving into Madison's gatehouse as a renter while doing consulting work in Seattle. At least that's his story to Maddy. What he dosen't expect though is to fall in love and by a certain twist of fate put Maddy right in the line of fire of a killer.

This book had so many twists and turns and such engaging characters that I found myself unable to put the book down. By making the heroine the daughter of a killer Ms. Novak puts us on the otherside of the fence and forces us to look at how the families of these nightmares have just as much to deal with as the victims families. It's true what they say you can't pick your families only your friends. Ms. Novak is truly on her way to being a romantic suspense author you won't want to miss.

This book provides solid suspense and believable romance. Madison is a struggling realtor with a young daughter. Her father was believed by the police and the press to be the perpetrator of a number of brutal, sexually sadistic slayings. For twelve years, she was unerring in her loyalty to her father who tragically ended his life. Then, a chance discovery in a crawl space under her parents'house shakes those beliefs. Could the loyalty and love, which cost her her marriage, friends and reputation, been misplaced? At the same time, Caleb, a former police officer cum best selling true crime author, is called upon to investigate his ex-wife's sister's mysterious disappearance. The sister is murdered in the exact same manner as the earlier serial killer's victims. Caleb rents a cottage from Madison and struggles to fight his growing attraction to her. In the meantime, the killer lurks in the shadows, planning to destroy Madison and her daughter.

I liked this book. The emphasis was on suspense. The romance was believable and the author avoided the tawdry bodice ripping/soft core porn that so frequently populates the genre. The ex-husband and step-brothers were rather one dimensional, but the killer was a surprise. This was a fast-paced read and alot of fun.

This book was absolutely awesome! i have read Snow Baby and Baby Business by this author some years back which were pretty good too. And i am now working on the Stillwater Trilogy. The way this book was written, even the characters in the book, had me picking up some more novels by Brenda Novak. I have now put her on my list of favorite authors. She hasn't let me down yet!

The Seattle police felt that Ellis Purcell committed the serial murders of eleven women though they never found the evidence to prove their case. The investigation went cold when Ellis, dubbed the Sandpoint Strangler, committed suicide. His adult daughter Madison firmly still believes he was innocent. Her marriage to Danny ended and she struggles to raise her six year old daughter Brianna by herself while trying to make a go of it in real estate. However, Madison's belief in her dad is shook when she finds evidence in her parents' attic that links him to the murders of the women.

At about the same time that Madison finds damaging proof of her father's guilt, true crime author Caleb Travato, who was a cop on the Strangler task force, leaves San Francisco for Seattle to help his ex-wife Holly find her missing sister Susan. He rents a cottage on Madison's property, but hides his identity from her because he knows she will toss him out. As he searches for the missing Susan and tries to learn what his landlady is hiding, Caleb falls in love with Madison and she reciprocates. As the Strangler truth shockingly surfaces, Madison knows he must reveal his identity to his beloved and her daughter whom he cherishes as his own, but realizes that she may never trust him again.

Though the Strangler seems too weird, fans will be grateful for this terse romantic suspense with the emphasis on the tension. Except perhaps for self-centered dopy Danny, the cast makes the story line as readers will like the responsible caring lead couple and appreciate the support players especially the "hopelessly" clinging Holly, Brianna and her widowed grandma, and a tough cop. The audience will receive plenty of satisfaction from Brenda Novak's high octane serial killer tale.

Harriet Klausner

The idea of writing about what the family members of a murderer go through was excellent, but this book failed to deliver.

I did not ever feel that I got to know Maddy and Caleb, or anyone else in the book. Yes, we know that Caleb is an ex-cop turned true-crime novelist. And Maddy is Ellis Purcell's daughter, and has to remind herself and others daily that she wants to get her floundering real estate agency running. However, I would not consider these things as something by which to define someone. The lack of detail about the characters makes it a rather dull read.

The romance felt artificial and forced. I never felt as though Caleb and Mandy were falling in love; up until the end I kept on expecting some "sign" to show that they were heading towards a relationship, but it never came. All they really had was sex, which was mediocre at best, but sex does NOT equal love.

As to the mystery/suspense/thrills/chills: I knew within the first five chapters who the killer was, and so will many other readers. Regardless of that, this book is by no stretch of the imagination, action packed. Throughout the book one person is killed "present day", and there are vague references to a dozen or so murders in the past. You really do not know any details about the murder that occurred in "present day" during the book until the last few chapters, and even then it is murky at best. This is hardly what I would call chilling/thrilling.

I would not recommend this book. Nevertheless, if you do want to read it I would suggest buying it used or checking it out at the library.

C. Callaghan