A Cold Day in Paradise (Alex McKnight Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Steve Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1998 | Series: Alex McKnight Mysteries

Steve Hamilton

Born and raised in Michigan, he now works for IBM in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife and a son. A Cold Day In Paradise, in addition to winning an Edgar and a Shamus, was the winner of the 1997 St. Martin's Press/Private Eye Writers of America Best First P.I. Novel contest.

 

A Cold Day in Paradise is the winner of the 1999 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Doing their best to ensure the future of the genre, St. Martin's Press and the Private Eye Writers of America give out an award every year for the Best First Private Eye Novel. The 1997 winner was this splendidly evocative work by IBM employee Steve Hamilton, which takes just about every cliché in the field and turns it inside out. Yes, Alex McKnight was an athlete in his youth--but a minor league baseball player, not a top pro forced out by injury. And yes, he was a cop in Detroit before he moved up to the town of Paradise on the shores of Lake Superior--but even this overused genre icon is made believable by the details of a particularly bloody shootout. In Paradise, Alex runs a hunting camp built by his late father and only drifts into private investigations because of two friends, a persuasive lawyer and a local millionaire with a gambling problem who needs his help. When two bookmakers are murdered and the millionaire disappears, all the signs point to the psychopath who killed McKnight's partner and left a slug near Alex's heart 14 years before. The only problem is that this man has definitely, positively been in prison ever since. You might figure out the plot twists a page or two before McKnight does, but don't bet the farm on it. And the deep layer of details that Hamilton provides about life in this bleak part of the world add to the book's many pleasures. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Hamilton combines clear, crisp writing, wily, colorful characters and an offbeat locale (Michigan's Upper Peninsula) in an impressive debut. Alex McKnight is a retired Detroit cop living in Paradise, Mich., on disability with a bullet next to his heart. He rents cabins to hunters and has recently taken out a private-detective license at the suggestion of Lane Uttley, a local lawyer. The book begins fast, with a lot of background deftly woven into the narrative. At a local bar, the lawyer's former investigator accuses Alex of stealing his business. Later, Edwin Fulton, the scion of a wealthy Detroit family and a compulsive gambler, calls Alex from a nearby motel where he has found the murdered body of his bookie. After Edwin's strong-willed mother hires Alex to protect the family, another local bookie is murdered and Edwin disappears, prompting Alex and the lawyer to start a search of their own. Meanwhile, Alex receives letters and calls that appear to be from the Detroit man who shot him and whom the then-cop had helped send to prison for life without parole 14 years ago. Hamilton cleverly joins the plots, leaving but one disappointment: how long it takes Alex to learn to place his trust in others with care. (Sept.) FYI: This book won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Award for Best First Private Eye Novel of 1997.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312192487
• ISBN-13: 978-0312192488
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Hamilton was born in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan, where he was awarded the prestigious Avery Hopwood Prize for writing. His first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, won the St. Martin's Press/PWA Best First Private Eye Novel Contest before going on to win both the Edgar and Shamus Awards for Best First Novel. In 2006, Steve won the Michigan Author Award for his outstanding body of work. He lives in Cottekill, New York, with his wife, Julia, and their two children. Visit his Web site at www.authorstevehamilton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read., October 15, 2005

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In the AmaZone... - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: A Cold Day in Paradise (Alex McKnight Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Opinion only - No Story Spoilers

Hamilton does a fairly good representation of Upper Michigan and the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario and area. Clearly he has spent enough time there to cite specific locations and directions, and he captures the atmosphere pretty good, if somewhat cliche. The location lends a different backdrop to basic plotlines, and he works that backdrop into the stories in this series. A refreshing approach to a well used genre.

This is a good weekend read and very enjoyable -perfect for an afternoon by the pool or a rainy weekend at the cottage. It is a little on the 'easy reading' side of things, and not as involved plotwise as something by Ludlum or Clancy, but it is very easy to fall into the story very quickly, or pick it up again after a break. A good style for a tired mind after a busy week. I have recommended this series to others and will continue to do so as I look forward to the next book.

-Start at the beginning, as parts of the stories build on each other.

A Cold Day In Paradise 2000

Winter of the Wolf Moon 2001

The Hunting Wind 2002

North of Nowhere 2003

Blood is the Sky 2004

Ice Run 2005

A Stolen Season 2006

Misery Bay 2011

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Beginning, October 27, 2001

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Cold Day in Paradise (Alex McKnight Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This first of Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series is a tight, well-done book. There's great emotional truth to all the characters, and Hamilton exercises restraint in his hero's musings, as well as in the overall portrayal of a man haunted by his perceived failures. Nothing is predictable and all the characters are fully-drawn, particularly the mad and pathetic Rose. In one brief climactic confrontation between McKnight and Rose, the frustration and anger of a rational mind coming up hard against an irrational one has powerful resonance. Anyone who's ever tried to reason with someone unreasonable will sympathize with McKnight's helplessness and outrage at being unable to communicate on any "normal" level.

Filled with surprising twists, a lot of tension, and a splendid depiction of life in a cold zone, this is a well-crafted book with a likeable, very human cast. Highly recommended.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new author...great P. I., April 30, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cold Day in Paradise (Alex McKnight Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Steve Hamilton comes at you from several different directions in his first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise. That's Paradise, Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior in the upper peninsula. The setting and local color are terrific. Alex McKnight, ex-minor league baseball player, ex-Detroit cop with a bullet still lodged in his chest and now a private investigator, works his way through two murders, a missing person case and a monster killer from his past that leave you guessing until the very end of the book. Good characters. Tight plot. A real page-turner. This is a book you won't be able to put down. Steve Hamilton's got a real winning combination here.