A good read with plenty of suspense. This is a good thriller overall. I just expected there to be something more to the story. I would still read more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

5 Stars from me

DC Cat Kinsella is a really engaging and likeable character and although I've accidentally read Stone Cold Heart before book 1 of the series (Sweet Little Lies), the story read absolutely fine.

There are some hugely likeable characters within the book and Frear manages to blend the main storyline - of who killed Naomi - with a subplot about Cat's own life - while keeping a perfect balance. Neither detracts from the other and yet both are strong and compelling.

The relationships within the suspect families are beautifully crafted and I was lead a right merry dance trying to work out who the culprit was. Very, very readable.

Stone Cold Heart has it all and I look forward to reading more by Caz Frear.




Synopsis:

A fractured marriage.


A silent family.

A secret that connects them all.

When DC Cat Kinsella is approached by Joseph Madden for help with his wife, Rachel, there's not much she can do. Joseph claims that Rachel has been threatening him, but can't - or won't - give Cat details as to why. Dismissing it as a marriage on the rocks, Cat forgets about it.

That is until Naomi Lockhart, a young PA, is found dead after a party attended by both Joseph and Rachel, and Joseph is arrested for the murder. Joseph says his wife is setting him up. His wife says he didn't do it. The trail of evidence leads to even more questions . . .

Adulterer. Murderer. Victim.

Who would you believe?

After a brief stint in the Mayor’s Office, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police, wisecracking with her partner Luigi Parnell and trying to avoid the wrath of the boss, DI Kate Steele.

But for Cat and Parnell, it’s serious business when a young Australian woman turns up dead after a party thrown by her new boss. The initial investigation of Naomi Lockhart's murder points to Joseph Madden, the owner of a coffee shop around the corner from police headquarters. Madden insists he’s innocent, that he was home with his wife Rachel at the time of the murder. When police question her, Rachel contradicts his alibi, swearing that she was home alone.

While the team builds its case against Joseph, Cat is tasked with getting to the heart of the Maddens’ marriage. Cat knows that one of them is lying—but the question of which one, and why, is far more complicated than she could have expected. As she tries to balance the demands of the investigation with a budding romance and unresolved family drama, Cat has to decide how far she’ll go to keep her own past mistakes buried.

With her trademark wit and brilliant plotting, Caz Frear ratchets up the tension and keeps you guessing as she explores the secrets we keep from our loved ones—and the ones we’d kill to keep safe in the dark.

With stone cold heart you get to grips more with the main character Cat Kinsella. I found her instantly likeable and she has internal battles over wrong and right. She wants to do her job well and she is respected by her team but feels she doesn't quite fit in due to previous issues (mainly her dad).

This case is of a young girl (Naomi) found dead in her flat with her head bashed in. The story then proceeds to track down colleagues, her flat mat and try to find her mystery man to unravel what happened. There seems to be one main person the detectives are drawing you towards (Joseph) but not all the key elements fit so it's interesting to see how it plays out. Cat previously met Joseph as the 'owner' of a coffee shop and even then thought he was creepy. Currently just under half way through and haven't got a clue yet as to who I think/believe is the killer.

The main family of suspects are an odd bunch, non of them seem to have any positive personality traits and this leads you to question between them all if any of them are involved.

The dynamic between Cat and Parnell works well as he adopts a big brother/father type role looking out for Cat.

Within the last few chapters all is revealed and even I didn't join the dots, I had a few suspicions but couldn't make them tie together.


The last line of the book! Cliffhanger, just when you thought someone was all good... Maybe not!

Got me itching to read the next!

I

Simply a bloody good read: Stonecold Heart by Caz Freer
Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book.

A few months ago I blogged about Mark Billingham (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Their-Little-Secret-Thorne-Novels/product-reviews/0751566977/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_hist_4?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=four_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar) and identified him as "one of the school of British crime writers who began to flourish at the beginning of this new century", well Caz Freer has just also entered those ranks with flying colours and a fresh new voice and a distinct Irish accent. I am a very jaded whodunnit reader but this book was a breeze from start to finish and I could not put it down. The personalities of the different members of the police team were deftly portrayed, and especially their sense of camaraderie and purpose, so much so that you felt you were one of them or you wanted to be one of them. It brought to my mind that old TV series "Hill Street blues".

The murder was fairly routine as were suspects, a bunch of entitled upper-middle-class egotists at least one of whom is a socially adept psychopath. The victim was a young female idealistic Australian gap year student. I solved the crime by applying my "Agatha Christie approach", but of course the crime is often not the main attraction of these kinds of books. That would be the police environment and the world of our protagonist, DC Cat Kinsella, who like the hero of those classic Taiwanese "Infernal Affairs" movies has one foot in the land of law and order and another, through her family connections, in the Irish criminal underground. Cat and her ongoing family, amorous and moral dilemmas make for a compelling protagonist which is a good thing because everything is seen through her eyes.
The murder is solved but there are many things still left pending by the end.
Bring on the next book, I say!

This book was a success! I really enjoyed it. It was a tense page turner with twists and turns. I liked Cat as a character. This is a second in a series, but I think it can be read as a stand alone easily.
It was well written and thrilling to read, I'll definitely pick up more from this author.

Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so much. I really did. It started slow, but when it got into the swing of things it was an easy read. Mostly predictable and the reveal of the plot twist was very anticlimactic. The final page as well.... I know it's supposed to be a cliff hanger but it simply wasn't dramatic enough to be one and therefore it just felt like a dead end. I'm afraid this book was just average in my opinion.

Intriguing and enthralling, this is certain to get your mind going trying to figure out where this storyline is going. An utterly fab read and I am now definitely interested in checking out this authors other works.

Well - it had to happen. A book that I found far better than even the advance reviews. Having read many, many books I sometimes find that reviews are too good for the book and it makes me wonder if incessant use has been made of a feather on ticklish feet to extract the review. This book is superbly written and has an excellent, clever, sometimes dry sarcastic plot and you are never certain who is the culprit or who is telling the truth. I found some of the interview detailed text as good as those on Line Of Duty and this takes some doing. Looks a book that ought to become a film, not sure if there is enough for a TV crime serial adaptation.
Only a couple of minor ''criticisms' - for me, the book lacked a bit of action and at times I felt the book was written with female readers in mind. Other than that absolutely superb and should not be missed.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. The main character was likeable and interesting, and I enjoyed the exploration of her life alongside the main narrative, although I think I would have enjoyed it more had I already read the first book in this series. The plot was unpredictable with lots of twists. I'd recommend this book and would like to read others by this author.

Detective Cat Kinsella has put her past behind her to get where she is today , hoping her shady family doesn't get to her . She is approached by a Barista , Joseph who asks for advice about his wife maltreating him. Later a young Australian girls body is found and Cat has to investigate . This all leads back to Joseph and his family and Joseph is arrested , but the investigation carries on putting all sorts of doubts on his guilt . Was he framed? You will have to read this book to find out but please do , I do not think you will be disappointed .

A complicated beginning with no obvious link to the story. A police officer hiding a guilty secret, though the reader is not included in what that is. Cat comes from a complicated family desperate to make a success of her chosen career whilst living under the threat of exposure related to her links with the criminal fraternity. The murder of an apparently young innocent girl for no reason and with little to no information or leads to work from. A family of misfits, all tenuously linked to the victim yet intent on lies and half truths which do little to progress the investigation. A nebulous and difficult series of exposures do little to assist us in resolving this murder. The author manages to weave a trail of events spanning two decades before we are allowed to understand the series of events and ultimate conclusion.

Loved this book. Caz Frear is a new author to me and if this book is anything to go by then roll on another from her. The writing/dialogue was realistic and crisp - the characters very credible and the story itself engaging. Was a bit surprised at the end - but I'm hoping that it was to set the scene for further crime-solving with Parnell and Cat. Overall impression? A very, very good debut and I'm already looking forward to more of the same.

An excellent crime novel with lots of twists and turns to keep you on tenterhooks. Roll on the next one...

Detective Cat Kinsella is picking up drinks for her colleagues from the local coffee shop and having a little banter with the owner. As she walks away he calls her back. Thinking he’s going to ask her out, she feels uncomfortable but he surprises her by asking her advice about his wife who, according to him, seems somewhat unstable and unpredictable. She tells him to report to his local police station. It really isn’t her problem, murder is her department. The incident is quickly forgotten when a girl’s body is discovered in a flat and another long investigation begins. It appears the girl attended a party at her boss’s house on the day in question but when Cat discovers the coffee shop owner, Joseph Madden also attended and is under suspicion her initial thoughts are turned on their head. A clever story that has the reader suspecting most of the characters along the way before the final reveals that conclude a well conceived book. Maybe a little long winded at times and the ending was a little frustrating but I would definitely read the next in the series.

Wow - what a tense mystery! Honestly couldn't put it down. I don't tend to read crime novels that often unless they have some sort of unique factor, but this was written extremely well. The character of Cat is so well explained and consistent throughout the book, I really feel like I know and like her as a human. I didn't realise this was the second in the series, but it read really well as a standalone mystery. Obviously aside from the cliffhanger ending! Honestly if I ever needed my innocence proving, Cat is who I'd go to. I couldn't put this book down. It was twisty enough without being unrealistic which I really like - some crime novels just choose the most wildly unlikely candidate as the killer to up the shock factor but I didn't feel like that happened here. It was logical without being obvious, and backed up by thoughtful and clever details. Thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good female police officer led series. More like this, please!

Wow! I'm in awe of how the murder squad got to the bottom of 'whodunnit' in this one! A cracking read!

When an assistant in the coffee shop asks DC Cat Kinsella for advice about a 'situation' she gives him the official line and then avoids him, thinking no more about it until the murder of a young girl following a party he - and many others - attended. The investigating team, including Cat, follow the evidence and what a winding, twisty path it leads them! Will they ever get to the truth?

This is an absolutely gripping novel! Teasing and tantalising, there is plenty to be going on with; the interactions of the murder squad, the investigation itself, the slow unfurling of pertinent evidence, the statements given and the personal life of Cat Kinsella. Every page is packed with details and, yes, the clues are there! I love that everything is fully explained by the last page with no hanging threads. What a stunning read!

Beautifully created with amazing structure, this is a story which will fill all the corners of your mind. The characters are creatively drawn from all walks of life and what you see isn't always what you get. What an absolutely stunning read! This is most definitely an author I want to keep up with from here on in. Fully worthy of five shining stars!

Don’t feel the need to say much about this book as the reviews for her first novel seem to have said it all! She sets the scene, the characters all know their parts and off we go and what a trip it is right to the very end! Can’t wait for the next!

Was pleasantly surprised by this book. I absolutely loved how the story unfolded & the strong characters. I’d highly recommend this book.

Having read many thrillers I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy this book. However, far from being predictable, it kept me guessing right to the end. I enjoyed the layers the author added, mystery upon mystery that would lead you in one direction only to do an about face and take you down another path. I also wanted to know more about the mystery surrounding Cat, the main character and whilst one narrative was tied up at the end, that mystery remains unsolved and left me wanting to read more. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy a mystery/thriller. Very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and Caz Frear for my ARC of ‘Stone Cold Heart’.

Never a good idea though to start at book Two in a series as this is the second featuring DC Cat Kinsella. There is a back story from book One that is left tantalisingly unanswered, although Stone Cold Heart can be read as a standalone. A pity that it has taken me so long to read; other priorities got in the way. So, I rather lost the thread of what is, in most respects, a fine police procedural.

The murder of Naomi Lockhart takes centre stage. Investigated by Kinsella and her sergeant Luigi Parnell with DCI Kate Steele very much in charge. The investigation is constantly thwarted by a silent family, protecting each other it seems from prosecution. And a secret from way back that connects them all. Difficult to know who to believe but Kinsella is a tenacious investigator. Will she finally reconstruct what actually happened? Will her judgement be clouded by past events in her life - a past where she had always suspected her dad knew something about the disappearance of Maryanne Doyle - a teenager from the wast coast of Ireland? Will we ever know for sure?

Perhaps book Three will reveal more? I am sure there will be a book Three given the cliffhanger of an ending in Stone Cold Heart!