Forensic psychologist, Kate Hanson, investigates a cold case - ten years ago David Lockwood was found guilty of the murder of Della Harrington. Now the verdict has been overturned, Kate and her police colleagues try to find the real killer.

I haven't read any of the previous books but didn't feel it was a detriment to reading this one. I did find that it took the characters a long time to realise things which were fairly obvious. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings, and the ending was well done, even though a vital piece of evidence was kept from the reader until the reveal at the end. I enjoyed it enough to add the first 4 books on my TBR list. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Severn House, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

Cold, Cold Heart, the fourth book to feature forensic psychologist Professor Kate Hanson, was an enjoyable but predictable read. A police procedural about a miscarriage of justice, it had the makings of a thrilling story. Unfortunately, it was less compelling than expected, difficult to engage with and the cast of characters aren't particularly well developed. It works perfectly as a standalone as the plot of each book is self-contained although you will miss details on how the recurring characters have evolved.

It was lacking in believability as the Professor collected evidence despite having no background in law enforcement or forensics which was simply ridiculous. As for predictability, I guessed the murderer correctly within the first 30% of the novel which inevitably leads to lack of tension and left me disappointed. I hope when Cross releases the fifth instalment it provides the thrills, shocks and surprises that are necessary for the genre. It certainly isn't the worst book I've read but it's not the best either. Distinctly mediocre.

Many thanks to Severn House Publishers for an ARC.

Cold Cold Heart is the first book that I have read by A J Cross and is clearing a book within a series.

Unfortunately I did not find the book very enjoyable or engaging and with the University Professor bring allowed to investigate on her own not believable.

If you've read some of the previous books you may enjoy this one but it wasn't for me

AJ Cross writes the fourth in the forensic psychologist, Professor Kate Hanson series set in Birmingham. It is the first book for me, but I found it works perfectly fine as a standalone. It begins with the murder of 30 year old call centre supervisor, Della Harrington in her flat, with her dead body displayed in such a fashion that it suggests that the killer is a sexual predator. A novelist, David Lockman, has served 10 years in prison for Della's murder before the Court of Appeal rules his conviction as unsafe and a miscarriage of justice. With the media focus on the freeing of Lockman, The new police investigation into the murder becomes the responsibility of the Unsolved Crime Unit (UCU) run by DI Bernard Watts, with seconded Boston PD lieutenant, Joseph Carrington. Kate is to be involved on a part time basis whilst she continues with her academic duties. Chief Superintendent Maurice Gander expects results and fast, but it is no easy matter to solve this cold case.

Kate has a 14 year old daughter, Maisie, a whizz at Maths studying part time at the university and a handful. Charlie, Kate's stepfather, has re-entered the family and Kate is keen to keep him close. Her private life is an emotional desert, with Kate determined to protect herself by only getting involved in short term relationships that have no future. The American Corrigan has feelings for her that Kate is keeping at bay. The UCU identify and focus on three possible suspects that might fit their sexual predator killer theory. Steffan Coultard, a member of a operatic performing group with Della, and socially awkward in his relationships with women. Archie Fenton, the maintenance guy with a fondness for pornography, and property management man, Leonard Dobbs, with a penchant for preying on female tenants that are struggling financially. Interspersed in the narrative is the menacing presence of the Watcher, intent on ensuring the murder does not get solved. As Kate begins to question whether the assumptions underlying their profile of the killer are correct, she finds herself in hot water as she insists on investigating in forbidden areas.

This is an enjoyable cold case police procedural despite being occasionally predictable. I did find it hard initially to get a complete handle on Kate as a person, but I did jump into the middle of a series but I got to like her character, her complex family dynamics and personal relationships. The cold case team worked well together, even when a team member is pushed out in the cold. They have the tortuous task of addressing the failings of the original murder inquiry, interview people about decade old events and hone into the identity of the true killer whilst under severe pressure from the police hierarchy and the media. I found this an entertaining and compelling piece of crime fiction. Many thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Severn House and the author, A.J. Cross, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Cold, Cold Heart in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I thought the storyline was well thought out and written with engaging characters. There was plenty of twists and turns to keep thriller lovers on the edge of their seats. You just never knew where the author was going to take the characters next.
Well worth a read.

Loved this book. It starts off with first page setting the scene then described the main players beautifully. Characters you could get your teeth into and resonate with and I found myself trying to second guess where the author was going and the whodunnit butthe twists and turns had me up blind alleys. Really enjoyable book and will be looking for more from this author and characters.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was a cold case unit story and it held my interest.
I have to say that I really had to suspend disbelief in the fact that a psychologist could solve the case that seemed to elude 2 very experienced detectives. A bit silly.
Otherwise a good story.

This is an enjoyable police procedural about a miscarriage of justice.

The lead character is a female psychologist who is heavily involved (along with the cold case team) in identifying the true murderer. It's well told and held my interest.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

3*

Cold, Cold Heart is a great forensic mystery. A.J. Cross hooks the reader until the final page with great plot

Professor Kate Hanson a forensic psychologist is a consultant with the unsolved crimes unit. David Lockwood has been in prison for 10 years, convicted of the murder. He has now been released because a panel of judges decided there wasn’t enough to convict him. Kate is asked to look at the evidence from the crime to try to find a new suspect. Ten years have passed which doesn’t make it easy.

This book is full of suspense. You will be kept guessing who the murderer is. There are plenty of suspects. The ending came completely out of left field for me. I never expected it. If you like police procedurals this is for you. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Apparently this is the fifth book in the series which has Kate Hanson (a university professor) assisting two policemen (the Unsolved Crime Unit) in the role of a forensic psychologist, investigating a cold case. The action is set in Birmingham. We join the action as the person convicted of a murder is released and the team have to start at the beginning to discover who committed the crime.

As far as it goes, that is all well and good. What is required is the ability to just go with the flow in terms of accepting that Kate would be able to visit, investigate and interrogate witnesses without due respect of procedure (even down to procuring evidence. I have been here before when watching Silent Witness when the coroners are rarely actually in the mortuary but they are out there right next to the police and not only actively involved in the investigation but solving it too.

That said I did quite enjoy it. It was well-written, fast paced and kept me engaged. One thing though – if I am ever falsely imprisoned, I will not care who investigates or solves the crime – just get me out!

Would I recommend it? Yes because in spite of the above comments, I still watch and enjoy Silent Witness and I did enjoy this.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This is the fifth mystery in the Professor Kate Hanson series by A. J. Cross. Kate, who is a forensic psychologist, is requested to go over the details of the murder of Della Harrington. Della was found murdered, in her home, ten years ago. David Lockman was arrested and sentenced to life for her murder. Now, almost ten years later and another hearing, David is released from his life sentence as the court found issues with the forensic evidence. Kate has assisted the Unsolved Crime Unit before and will dig in to the case hoping for more evidence that will completely clear Mr. Lockman, find new evidence against Mr. Lockman or find another suspect. Lt. Joseph Corrigan, from Boston, will provide a fresh set of “eyes” on the case. Kate and Corrigan will question past witnesses as new clues and evidence will come forth that may break the case. Was the murder staged to deflect the police from the real reason Della was murdered? Will David Lockman be found guilty or will the team come up with another suspect? Ms. Cross is able to weave her mysteries in such a manner that you are always one step behind. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for a digital galley of this novel.

Okay, so what we have here are two policemen and a university professor who is a forensic psychologist who tromp all over the laws regarding investigating and gathering evidence in a criminal case. I suppose having the team follow the rules of gathering evidence would have been way too slow so.....jump right in and get it however you can.

This is the fifth book in this series. I found myself talking to the book, and not in a pleasant way, after only several chapters in. The premise sounded good; a successful author had been found guilty ten years previously of a murder but now an appeal has been heard resulting in him being set free. The Birmingham, England, Unsolved Crime Unit is charged with solving this very cold case. The structure of the UCU was sacrificed by the author in favor of letting the three investigators - yes, the professor did her share of investigating on her own even though she is not a member of law enforcement - just get on with it. Clues are uncovered but then ignored. Suppositions are made and counted as fact. I stayed with it all the way to the end because I wanted to see how the author would reveal the person I knew was guilty to be, indeed, the murderer. It's always a disappointment to know so early on who committed the crime.

There are no clear boundaries between crimes of passion and crimes of logic.

Despite his protestations of innocence, the novelist David Lockman was convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of Della Harrington, but after serving 10 years the Court of Appeal deems the original verdict against him to be unsafe, and his conviction is therefore quashed. He has his life back; what’s left of it.

The case is given to the Unsolved Crime Unit as its next case and Detective Inspector Bernard Watts, Lieutenant Joe Corrigan and Dr Kate Hanson, a Forensic Psychologist, are under pressure from the chief to solve the case because of press interest and intrusion. What they must look for is any lead, anything, any possibility that was missed or not followed up once the focus was on Lockman and he became a suspect. Kate is useful because she searches for the psychological angle that the police often do not see. From the crime scene photos, she sees that the killer created a deliberate scene using the victim’s body, a scene suggesting undoubtedly sexual homicide. The killer was an artist and a most cold-hearted bastard.

With this in mind, the team soon have three suspects: Steffan Coultard, uncomfortable with women, Archie Fenton, a pornography aficionado and Leonard Dobbs, a man who pressures young women for payment of another kind when they cannot afford their rent. Each of them has strong connections to the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. But something is troubling Kate – is this really a brutal sexual homicide? All three suspects have been known to have exploitative sexual interests of some kind, but if the Harrington case isn’t a sexual homicide, they don’t fit. The more they know, the less they understand!

I enjoyed reviewing this book, the second one I have reviewed by this author. The characters are portrayed as human beings and not just policemen or specialists in their field. Kate Hanson has a genius teenage daughter and an ex-husband and father who abandoned her causing her to have commitment issues. Bernard Watts has a gruff façade but beneath it is a willingness to listen and an ability to learn and Joe Corrigan, on secondment from the Boston Police Department, is far from home and harbours more than platonic feelings for Kate. Well worth the read!

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Very good story that kept me engrossed and not wanting to put the book down. Definitely recommended for those who like this genre.

This was pretty heavy going - enjoyable but heavy going nevertheless. I'd not read previous instalments and I'd have to be in the right frame of mind with clear time ahead to try another, but would be happy to do so. Interesting characters and slow burn plot. Well worth reading but not for those who like a quick and easy read.

A COLD,COLD HEART by AJ Cross is a great suspense novel. I had never read any of Cross's novels before but I will be on the hunt to read more from this great author.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for a copy of this book in return for my review.
This is the first of A J Cross’s books that I have read and I thought that was a good enjoyable police detective novel underpinned by some interesting forensic psychology.
Professor Kate Hanson, a forensic psychologist, and the team at the Unsolved Crime Unit (UCU) are given a controversial crime to solve. Ten years ago David Lockman, a famous author, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Della Harrington. After persistent efforts by his legal team, Lockman has now been set free and the original verdict declared unsafe. The members of the UCU have been tasked with reviewing the original evidence and finding out who the murderer might be if it was not Lockman. They soon find problems with the original evidence and identify three new suspects, but Kate is uncertain that they are heading in the right direction.
This is a very ably plotted mystery novel that smoothly goes through its paces and keeps the reader happily engaged until the surprising outcome. The suspects are nicely sketched and interesting, but I thought that Kate and her colleagues were a little bland and I found it difficult to differentiate between the two police detectives. I also thought that Kate’s actions were a little unlikely at times. Nevertheless, the story was clever and enjoyable, and the author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing as to who the killer is. It would make a good television show.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for the eARC.
Professor Kate Hanson and the Unsolved Cases Unit catch a cold case. David Lockman served 10 years of his life sentence for the murder of Stella Harrington, when he's set free mainly because the police investigation 10 years ago was flawed and his lawyers have fought hard all this time to get him his freedom. But if Lockman didn't commit the murder, who did?
Kate and the team end up focusing on 3 suspects, all of them around when the murder occurred, all.of them unsavory characters. But it's a hard slog, because it was a long time ago and anyone they interview either doesn't remember much or refuses to answer their questions.
When Kate goes against the Superintendent's order of not approaching Lockman, she endangers her job at the University as she's kicked out of the USU.
The ending of the book was jawdropping, I did not see that coming!
This was my 2nd book in the series and I'm beginning to really like Kate and her 2 USU colleagues. Can't wait for the next book and highly recommend this excellent series.

#ColdColdHeart #NetGalley I enjoyed the fact that this story was about a cold case instead of the more usual current crimes. The story was fast paced and easy to read with many different aspects to consider. I was a little unsure that Kate Hanson would have as much authority to interview and question suspects and witnesses without a police officer accompanying her. There was also a fair bit of repetition about certain aspects of the case, in particular repeating the lack of leads and information. Nevertheless a good read and a refreshing break from the norm with a satisfying ending!