Stone Cold Heart is an expertly crafted crime thriller centered around the determined and resilient police officer, Cat Kinsella. As the lead investigator in this gripping tale, Cat is unrelenting in her pursuit of the truth, no matter the personal or professional consequences.

From the very beginning, the plot pulls you into a web of lies and buried family secrets that gradually unravels. Cat's character is especially captivating—she’s far from flawless, but her dedication to solving the case of Naomi Lockheart, a personal assistant who was found dead after a party, makes her both relatable and admirable. Her partnership with the veteran officer Luigi Parnell adds a layer of depth to the story. Parnell’s sense of humor offers lightness to an otherwise intense narrative, and the chemistry between these two characters is spot-on, making them feel incredibly real.

The pacing of the book is intense, keeping you hooked until the very end. As the mystery unravels, the revelations are satisfying and well-paced. The ending itself is particularly striking, with the final chapter leaving readers eagerly anticipating what comes next in Cat Kinsella’s journey.

This is an enthralling read that will keep you up late, eager to uncover the truth. Fans of crime fiction will definitely want to keep an eye on this series and its author, Caz Frear.

I wish I’d read the first in this series, however it did work as a standalone novel (I might go back…but I do prefer to read things in the right order!) I enjoyed it and would like to discover other titles by this author.

Unfortunately I didn’t realise when I had this book that it was a part of a series. So therefore I wasn’t able to do a review.
All the same thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Hadn’t read the first in the cat kinsella series but I was still able to pick up and enjoy this novel as a stand-alone. Not sure I really liked the central character but a great storyline with a twist I didn’t expect.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I ended up not finishing this one, it just wasn't for me, thanks anyway for taking the time to accept my request.

The second book in the Cat Kinsella series and I enjoyed this way more than the first book, so I'm very glad I finally picked this one up.
Cat is investigating a girls murder, when someone pops up in the investigation that she has seen before, but is he the murderer?
This follows on nicely from book one, the main characters are already in place and it was much more fast paced than book 1.
It makes a nice change to have a female police person as the lead, especially one with a slightly dodgy background.
I was kept guessing until the end and I had no clue as everyone felt like they could have done it.

Stone Cold Heart is Caz Frear’s newest crime fiction novel that captivates the reader right from the start. A seemingly average couple, Joseph and Rachel Madden, set the scene for an intense thriller full of twists and turns. The introduction of DC Cat Kinsella adds to the compelling plot and further adds to the tension and drama.

The fast-paced narrative unfolds with Cat’s investigation into Joseph and Rachel, who stand accused of the murder of Naomi Lockhart. This dynamic detective work helps unravel the complicated relationships that hide behind their seemingly normal lives. Throughout the novel, the characters’ dark secrets, deep-rooted problems and unexpected truths are gradually revealed, intensifying the reader’s investment in the plot.

What starts as a seemingly regular criminal case gradually reveals the real meaning behind ‘Stone Cold Heart’. By the time you reach the captivating conclusion, Frear’s latest crime fiction masterpiece will have you questioning every aspect of the investigation. In conclusion, Stone Cold Heart is an emotionally charged, riveting mystery, that I would highly recommend.

The 2nd book In the Cat Kinsella series is every bit as good as the first and could easily be read as a stand-alone.

What starts out quite slowly soon picks up and turns into a very clever cat and mouse thriller absolutely stacked with twists and turns that are so good that I was definitely led up the garden path a couple of times!

A fine second effort and a series to enjoy and I’ll certainly be looking into reading the next one!

Great highly entertaining reading

A very clever police/crime thriller, although I didn’t realise it was the second book in the series! That being said, it works well as a stand alone novel too but I just like to read books in the correct order.

I liked that it was written from the first person perspective of DC Cat Kinsella as I always find these types of books so much more engaging.

This was a gripping book, with lots of twists along the way and discrete clues dropped in here and there. I will definitely go back and read her first novel now!

I loved the first 50% of this book and couldn't get enough but then for me it just dropped off and I couldn't get back into it.

Fantastic title! This was my introduction to Caz Frear, having somehow missed her debut title! Needless to say I am now searching it out! This is a great read, and you will not be disappointed!

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear has DC Cat Kinsella and her partner Luigi Parnell looking into the death of a young Australian woman after a party at the home of her boss, Kirstie.

There's evidence pointing to Joseph, who is married to the sister of Kirstie's husband, but there's something more going on.

Cat is also in a relationship with the brother of the murdered girl from the first book, and Cat's father is somehow involved there, which makes it awkward for Cat all round.  

I haven't read the first book in this series, which made it harder for me to understand some of what was going on, but it was an enjoyable read, with secrets and twists I didn't see coming.

 Stone Cold Heart  was published on 27th June 2019 and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Caz Frear on  Twitter  and  Instagram .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Bonnier Books .

A good read but I struggled to get into it initially. This is possibly as this is book two of a series and I haven't read the first one. I just feel I would've enjoyed the story if I'd had a better background of the characters.

I have not read any Caz Frear novels before but this will not be my last. I really enjoyed getting to know the police team at the heart of this crime novel.
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The action was gritty and paced really well and the characters were really well developed.

I really liked the fact the story didn’t open with the crime, the build up was really refresh and for those first few chapters I was convinced Joseph was going to be the one found dead!

I loved the dynamics between all the characters and the interpersonal relationships and how detailed they were, you get a lot of detail but it felt really natural in the story telling.

I could definitely see this being transitioned to screen. Recommended

Book 2 in the Cat Kinsella series, this is another twisty police procedural that had me suspecting everyone at some point with an interesting twist at the end that I hadn't predicted. Looking forward to seeing more in this series.

With thanks to Netgalley and Zaffre for allowing me to review this book.

Stone cold heart is a well rounded crime novel with a few twists and turns to keep the reader hooked

The first Cat Kinsella I have read and I’m eager to read more. Well plotted police procedural with engaging characters. Very well written.
Thank you to Netgalley UK for an ARC copy of this book.

Detective Cat Kinsella is called to a crime scene where a young woman called Naomi Lockhart has lost her life and it looks like murder. As she investigates along with her boss Detective Sergeant Lu Parnell, the case seems to be clear cut and they arrest Joseph Madden, Naomi’s married lover. But all is not what it seems. The fact that the woman that Naomi works for is Joseph’s sister in law and that Naomi attended a party at her house the night she died. The fact that Joseph and his wife Rachel were also at the party and Rachel knows about Joseph’s other affairs. The fact that Naomi’s housemate was hanging around outside before she went home...

I found the story to be well paced throughout with real characters who appeared very alive and highly believable. The family dynamics are excellent and well portrayed and I often felt like I was a fly on the wall. In short, I enjoyed this book very much.

Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book 2 in the series and I have to admit to struggling with it as I hadn’t read book 1 and didn’t know the background of the characters,