Customer Reviews

One Cold Night

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When 14 year old Lisa learns that her sister, Susan, is really her birth mother she runs from the loft she shares with Susan and Susan's NYPD detective husband Dave. When she subsequently vanishes Dave realizes it's eerily similar to the only unsolved case he's ever had, another teenage girl who disappeared a year ago.

The story was good, the plot fresh and while the characters could have been more fully developed, they were basically likeable. Dave was a caring man who was able to forgive Susan for her secrets and Susan was able to forgive herself for the choices she made when she was little more than a child.

The reason I gave it a three was the information about Bipolar Disorder, AKA Manic-Depressive Disorder. Such as: "criminals often had manic depressive tendencies, to say the least." "Rage and repentance, that was the usual cycle." In reality most people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of crimes, not the perpetrators. The manic state of Bipolar Disorder is more often manifested as excessive excitement, enthusiasm and activity, rather than rage. The "depressive" state is more often characterized by sadness, despair, inactivity and withdrawal, not repentance. People who have mental illnesses, key word "illness", are not "insane", except in cases of a true psychopath. I'm Bipolar so not only do I have my own personal experience, I have done a lot of research. Mental illness is very misunderstood. If Ms. Pepper had done sufficient research she would have made it less so, instead of presenting a false picture.

Still, I would probably read another of her books.

I loved reading One Cold Night, it drew me in immediately and I couldn't put it down. My favorite character is Lisa, a fiesty teenager who is abducted but fights back. The story is full of twists and turns while her parents search for her, meanwhile facing a conflict in their relationship, which is suspenseful in itself. Basically this novel covers one very dramatic day and night in the journey of this family's life. This is a thriller with heart and soul. I highly recommend it.

This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. But not only is it a page turner that takes place in 24 hours, I felt pulled into the lives of the characters. This is not a typical thriller filled with cliches, but a novel for people who enjoy good writing. I loved this book and look forward to checking out Kate Pepper's other novels.

Also recommended: The Poet - Michael Connelly Mystic River - Dennis Lehane The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Kate has outdone herself again. Once I started reading I couldn't put the book down and finished it in a day. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

Susan Strauss has been keeping a secret from her husband and 14-year-old sister, Lisa, and has finally decided to come clean. When Lisa runs out the door after hearing the upsetting news, Susan decides to give her some space and let her have a little time to get used to the secret, except Lisa never returns home and Susan knows that Lisa would not have ran away.

Dave Strauss is a police detective that is on his way home when his wife calls to tell him that her sister, Lisa, hasn't returned home. He figures that the two women in his life just had an argument and Lisa would be home soon but with his previous unsolved case of a missing girl always on his mind, he decides to go looking for her. When Dave and Susan find evidence that Lisa has been kidnapped off the street and a phone call leads them to believe that the same man who took the girl in Dave's missing case has Lisa, they know that time is running out.

Kate Pepper knows how to turn up the suspense while leading you down a road with so many twists and turns that you never see what is coming. This story immediately starts with every parent's nightmare and keeps a swift pace until the very end. One Cold Night is a chilling tale that is sure to have you hanging on to every word, dreading what will come next, while also hoping for the best. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have added Kate Pepper to my list of favorite authors. If you love a great mystery with bold, rich characters and a surprise ending, this is the book for you.

Reviewed by: Tammy
For Fallen Angel Reviews

NYPD police detective David Strauss is a very contented man who is totally in love with his wife Susan and adores her younger sister Lisa who lives with them so she can go to a special school for talented musicians. In his personal life, the only problem is Susan keeps telling him she is not ready to have a child. Lisa, who was told she was adopted, wants to find her biological parents. Susan wants to give the two people she loves most what they really want.

She intends to tell David that she is ready to have his baby but first she tells Lisa she is her biological mother. Lisa is so disturbed she runs out of the loft late at night. When she fails to return, Dave and Susan go looking for her and evidence points to her being abducted. The investigation leads police to the conclusion that the man who abducted Lisa is the same person who abducted another young girl a year ago, who looks like Lisa, was also adopted and was born in the same general area. She has never been found and Dave's biggest fear is that Lisa will be lost to them forever.

Kate Pepper can always be counted on to write a good thriller and in ONE COLD NIGHT she succeeds her fans' expectations. The protagonist is a dynamic person who forgives his wife within hours of her startling revelation concerning Lisa. Readers will adore Lisa who is spunky and refuses to cower before the abductor. Fast pacing, shocking twists, and startling revelations and an exciting storyline are only some of the reasons the audience will enjoy this chilling thriller.

Harriet Klausner

I was so disappointed with this story. Slow read - I put this book down many times but I was determined to finish it. Never felt a connection with any of the characters. I usually give books to my friends to read when I am done with them - this one I wouldn't even recommend to them. Not much of a storyline - too one dimensional. No suspense and not a credible ending.

Great thriller with twists and turns. The only thing that kept this one at four stars was the fact that some places there was too much detail for my taste. Would recommend this one.

It was OK. I was looking for an easy read after just putting down two really heavy novels. This was it. Characters were a little whiny and contrived and one particular game of scrabble really annoyed me. (ummm Hello! No one plays scrabble at a time like this)

I wasn't looking for mind bending however and finished it in 3 days. Read like a lifetime movie but hey, I paid 99 cents for it so I'm not complaining

A child disappears and the frantic search is on. She and her sister, Susan, with whom she was living argued and the girl, Lisa, ran out of the house unable to accept what had been said.

The only trace of Lisa was a partly painted curb in front of her sister, Lisa's, candy plant. Witnesses said a man had been seen in the neighborhood too.

Was this man the same man who had taken a girl the year before? That girl had never been found. Why had he taken them?

David Strauss, Lisa's brother-in-law, is stunned to learn the subject of the argument and, being a police detective, becomes involved in the search for Lisa, knowing it was only a matter of time before the case would go cold. Torn between his duty and personal feelings, he sifts facts and rumors and returns to the case of the first child's disappearance, hoping to find that one clue to the kidnapper's identity.

Talented author Kate Pepper weaves a complex tale from the various viewpoints of lifelike characters that will hold your attention. You'll have to keep reading to know what happens next. What will happen to Lisa? Will the cause of the argument destroy lives? This is a story with surprises for the reader.

Highly recommended as a book well worth your time. You'll want to read it more than once.