Dead of Winter [Mass Market Paperback]

P. J. Parrish (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (2001)
• ISBN-10: 0786011890
• ISBN-13: 978-0786011896
• ASIN: B001A4B1G2
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,541,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

P.J. Parrish is actually two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. Their books have appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. The series has garnered 11 major crime-fiction awards, and an Edgar® nomination. Parrish has won two Shamus awards, one Anthony and one International Thriller competition. Her books have been published throughout Europe and Asia. Parrish's short stories have also appeared in many anthologies, including two published by Mystery Writers of America, edited by Harlan Coben and the late Stuart Kaminsky. Their stories have also appeared in Akashic Books acclaimed Detroit Noir, and in Ellery Queen Magazine. Most recently, they contributed an essay to a special edition of Edgar Allan Poe's works edited by Michael Connelly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead of Winter is dead on!!, January 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead Of Winter (Paperback)

I am pleased that I also read P. J. Parrish's first book, "Dark of the Moon." With some authors it is difficult to follow a best seller with another one. No problem for P. J. Parrish. Dead of Winter continues the story of Louis Kincaid, a man who (although he has a strong academic backgound and other career choices) wants to continue his career in law enforcement as a cop. Go figure! Nevertheless, he brings to the job a deep sense of honor and integrity in the failed hope of finding those same traits amoung his fellow officers. Coupled with his mixed heritage, Kincaid quickly gets our support to keep trying and not give up on society or himself. Well, this is one Louis Kincaid fan who has no intention of giving up on the fictional character or the excellent writer, P. J. Parrish.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting police procedural, December 29, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Of Winter (Paperback)

Police Officer Louis Kincaid lived a troubled childhood until special foster parents helped set him on the path that has led to his wearing a badge. Louis is half-black and half-white keeping a foot in both worlds, but not accepted by people in either of them.

Louis serves as an officer in the bucolic town of Loon Lake, Michigan. Two weeks ago, someone murderd a police officer and the killer left behind a playing card left marked with numbers and a skull. Soon a retried officer is killed with a card also left at the scene. Apparently, an unknown assailant hates the Lake Loon police department for heinous crimes committed years ago.

P.J. Parrish has written an exciting police procedural thriller that shows what it is like to serve as a police officer in a small community. The complex hero rarely allows his emotions to surface even though he seems to feel very deeply about honor and integrity. The reasons for the cop killings are tragic, but understandable, which makes DEAD OF WINTER a special tale worth reading by sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dead of winter, January 14, 2005

By 

sara chilla - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Of Winter (Paperback)

Dead of Winter Review
Throughout the entire book, Dead of Winter, the author, P.J. Parrish, does an incredible job of keeping the reader in complete and utter suspense. The book is set in Loon Lake, Michigan, at the beginning of December, 1984. It begins mysteriously with the incident of the perplexing murder of one of Loon Lake's finest investigators, Thomas Pryce.
It continues with Detective Louis Kincaid, who is a man who has come north, looking for a safe haven and new job in a new police department, so he can put all the terrors of his precedent life behind. Instead, he becomes trapped inside yet another investigation that is really just a case of whodunit.
After Detective Kincaid is hired into the LLPD, he is hooked onto the investigation of Pryce's murder. His new chief, Chief Gibralter is more or less a very special individual. He is extremely well-educated and should own a bigger police department than Loon Lake's, but peculiarly does not. He makes it clear that he was the boss and only whatever he says, goes by intimidating Kincaid with a few rigorous words to the new guy: "These are the rules, and listen good...We have a motto here: Gens una sumus...'We are one family.'"
Detective Kincaid meets many new people, but after a long time, his favorite one is Jesse Harrison, even though they do not find one another quite that appealing, at first. Jesse Harrison was fairly close to Thomas Pryce, so they begin to investigate the murder, when the late ambiguity of a retired Loon Lake officer's murder arises.
As the investigation continues, Detective Kincaid starts to find incredible and amazing new evidence to further the investigation. They make a list of suspects and start to narrow down the possibilities of who is guilty.
If I told anymore of this story, I'd basically give the ending away. Parrish is an amazing writer, in my opinion. I have never been as interested in a new suspense novel as I was while reading this one. I loved the way he ended each chapter differently. The very first chapter ends with, "'Merry f***ing Christmas, Officer Pryce,' he said.'" This begins one's curiosity to keep on reading to find out who the actual murderer is.
At the end of Chapter 26, it ends with "Gibralter's eyes softened, taking on an almost paternal warmth. 'Sit down, Jess, I'll tell you,' he said." He keeps the reader wanting more because I know I wanted to know what Gibralter says to Jess and why he is so kind outside of the department, considering how Gibralter acts to others when he is at work.
Parrish does a phenomenal job of keeping Kincaid an interesting male protagonist, as well. He gives him a possible love interest and fatal background of his life that could possibly explain Kincaid's behavior throughout the book. I thought these were extremely strong points, because the more details there were, the better one could understand what was going down.
I didn't find any weak points in this book. I think I couldn't because I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend this book to anyone who is into suspense or thriller. I have never really been too into those types of novels, but this book did a divine job of altering my thoughts and opinions. He also keeps it interesting by integrating quotes and lines from historical folks.
It had my palms sweating for quite some time, and I found my adrenaline rising in full. The books ends so suddenly, yet satisfactorily, not a typical, sappy ending. It ends unexpectedly, ironically, and lethally. Let's just say there's a reason why the title is, "Dead of Winter."