Chill Factor: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE GRAVE WAS SUBSTANDARD..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ben Tierney, Wes Hamer, Dutch Burton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lust, jealousy and murder suffuse Brown's crisp thriller (after White Hot), set in the snowbound mountains of North Carolina. Lilly and Dutch Burton's marriage didn't withstand the loss of their three-year-old daughter, despite their attempt at a fresh start with the purchase of a vacation cabin in bucolic Cleary, N.C., where the novel opens on the divorced couple discussing its sale. Dutch is now Cleary's chief of police, and Lilly is a magazine editor in Atlanta. As she races back to the city to beat a blizzard, her car skids out, striking a hiker emerging from the woods. Turns out he's a man she knows: handsome freelance writer Ben Tierney, whom she met and flirted with the summer before. With no choice but to wait out the storm in the cabin with Ben, who is injured, Lilly calls Dutch, but he can't reach her via the now impassable mountain road. Meanwhile, Cleary is haunted by the case of five missing women—all now feared dead. With Lilly still stranded, Dutch goes ballistic when the FBI arrives in town with evidence that Tierney is the serial killer. The snowy suspense will cool off Brown's fans during the dog days of summer. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Brown's new yarn is set in the small town of Cleary, North Carolina, where magazine publisher Lilly Martin is packing up her things at the cabin she shared with her ex-husband, Dutch Burton. Now the police chief of Cleary, Dutch desperately wants another chance with Lilly. She refuses, and he leaves the cabin, warning her of an impending blizzard. On her way down from the mountains, she accidentally hits a man in the road. She manages to get the man, Ben Tierney, back to her cabin, where they decide to wait out the storm. But the more time she spends with Tierney, the more Lilly fears he might be the serial killer dubbed "Blue," who has been abducting women in Cleary for the past year. Despite her mounting concerns, Lilly can't help her growing attraction for the man. Back in town, Dutch is frantic when he learns Lilly is trapped up in the cabin with Tierney, whom the FBI also suspects might be Blue. Dutch's concern grows, and he mounts a desperate attempt to rescue his ex-wife. The suspense builds as Brown's novel chugs toward a gripping, surprising conclusion. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416593527
• ISBN-13: 978-1416593522
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,052 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Brown Has Delivered Yet Again!!!, September 18, 2005

By	Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Chill Factor: A Novel (Hardcover)

Ms. Brown's latest effort "Chill Factor" will thrill readers with it layered storylines and characters. As a result the reader will truly be left guessing until the end of the story as to who "Blue" is and why he is doing what he does.

A bad winter storm has moved into the mountains of North Carolina and with it an end to all that has been going on for the past two years. Ben Tierney is caught on a mountainside when an ice and sleet storm hits. His car is not working and he must get off the mountain if he's going to survive. He runs into the chief of police's ex-wife Lilly. Together they find themselves trapped on the mountain with little to no chance of making it back to town alive. Knowing that time is of the essence they head back to Lilly's old cabin to wait out the storm. They have no idea that what started between them the summer before is going to finally be resolved for good or ill. But, when Lilly starts putting things together she fears that she might just be attracted to the serial killer "Blue." Will she live to see justice served?

Ben has a lot to answer for and his secretive nature doesn't help things. The local's have him pegged as a serial killer and he knows things that he probably shouldn't. On top of that there is the burning attraction that he can no longer ignore when it comes to Lilly. Will he be able to keep his secret and help Lilly live to see another day.

Dutch Burton, chief of Police of Cleary and he can't get over the fact that his wife Lilly is gone, and wants nothing to do with him any longer. His stubborn nature combined with the fact that his best friend Wes won't let things settle down only add to the burning in his gut. He will do whatever he must to get Lilly off the mountain and away from Tierney. He can't think beyond his jealousy and this will be a catalyst for events he can not even imagine.

Again, this is a very good story with a so many layers that it would take too long to list them all here. Suffice to say the varied characters, issues, and their outcomes all play a large part in bringing down "Blue." Ms. Brown is one of the few authors published today that can actually introduce more than one storyline and not allow it to drop by the wayside. As a result the story is totally engrossing and entertaining. This is one read and author that I highly recommend.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling Romantic Suspense, August 22, 2005

By	Sheri Melnick (Enola, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Chill Factor: A Novel (Hardcover)

Brown delivers an eerie tale of a serial killer in this, her latest suspense thriller. The setting is the wintry mountains of North Carolina, near the small town of Cleary, where five women have disappeared without a trace over the past two years. With her divorce from local police chief Dutch Burton, Lilly Martin is cleaning out their mountain cabin retreat before she travels back to her Atlanta home. But her car careens off the road on her way down the mountain, and she hits Ben Tierney, a travel writer whom she met the previous summer. The two are stranded in Lilly's cabin, as Tierney recovers from his injuries, and romantic tension heats up between them.

As police and the FBI continue to search for the abductor, nicknamed Blue for the blue ribbons he leaves when he takes his victims, the storm rages on. Certain clues leave Lily wondering if the man she is sharing her cabin with might be her greatest fear. Could Tierney be Blue?

Brown's small town cast of characters comes alive in quiet Cleary, North Carolina. From the local high school football coach to the mild mannered pharmacist, it is clear that many of Cleary's residents have dark secrets, and one of them just might be the notorious Blue. The mystery is expertly crafted; leading readers on a white knuckled ride complete with plenty of red herrings. The conclusion is tumultuous and explosive, the perfect finale to this bone chilling thriller.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chill Factor, February 3, 2008

By	Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Chill Factor : A Novel (Hardcover)

This is not one of my favorites. I have read alot of Sandra Brown's books, but this one wasn't up to my expectations.

The entire book takes place in the span of only a few days. While Lilly and Ben are trapped up in a cabin owned by Lilly and her exhusband Dutch, Dutch and others make it their mission to rescue them.

I didn't find the characters very likeable. Dutch Burton is a very dark violent character, with very few redeeming qualities. Lilly is a weak willed person with no loyalty easily influenced by others, and Ben is a manipulator to the highest degree.