An intense mystery with complex characters. Sheriff Bet Rivers is back and better than ever. This one takes place during a crazy storm that seems a character itself. It kept me guessing right up to the reveal I never saw coming. And things are developing in Bet's personal life as well. That ending! I can't wait for more.

A Cold, Cold World is book two in the Sheriff Bet River series that is written by Elena Taylor. One of the things that I love about being a book reviewer is discovering authors, the I may not have before. I am so glad to have discovered this author. I absolutely have loved this story and hope to read more from this author in the future.

Bet is the new sheriff in a small Washington town. She is worried about living up to her father and grandfather's reigns as Sheriff. However, she finds herself dealing with a horrible snowstorm, one that might be unprecedented in history. The blizzard is so bad that the roads are impassable, with no access to outside services. Thankfully, Bet has her two loyal deputies. However just because the weather is bad, does not mean crime will stop.

A young man is found dead from what appears to be a snowmobile accident - when Bet tries to make notification, the father and sister are missing. What is the connection?
I can tell you that I was along for the ride.

The book is well written, the storyline is engaging. I loved the attention to detail the author included. It made me feel like I was standing there watching the story unfold. I love this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Partners in Crime Tours, for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

This was my first book featuring Sheriff Bet Rivers and the second one in the series by Elena Taylor. I very much enjoyed the characters of Bet and her two deputies. They were a likeable, pleasant team, without the significant personality flaws or addictions that are the trend today in many police procedurals.
Bet is concerned with being as successful in law enforcement as her father and grandfather, who preceded her as sheriff, and being well-liked by the townspeople, whom she aims to keep safe. The story is set in a small town in the Washington State mountain region during the most vicious snowstorm in recent memory. The description of successive blizzards is vivid and realistic, and has cut off the town from any outside services and help. Roads are impassable because of heavy snow and fallen trees. Bet is fortunate to have the assistance of two loyal and competent deputies. Bet's duty is to arrange and oversee the safety measures for the town in its unprecedented isolation where power and phone service are failing, and some homes lack heat.

In this normally quiet town, Bet and her team are faced with a series of crimes that may be related. A young man is reported to be injured in a snowmobile accident. She finds him dead. The condition of the body reveals him to have died well before the accident was reported. It looks like a murder, and the family who discovered him may be connected to his death. Next, a vacant home has been broken into. No one is inside, but a blood-soaked sleeping bag is found. What happened there?

Bet needs to report the death of the young snowmobiler to his father, but the father has gone missing with his ten-year-old daughter. There is another murder. Bet has learned about a new drug problem in town, and the local ambulance is robbed. This is only the beginning of what the sheriff and her team face in the freezing weather. There is a fugitive with two children as hostages in the trunk of his car. With the increasing snowdrifts, it is difficult to walk to interview witnesses, and visibility is poor while driving on snow-packed roads.

The story was well-written and moved at an even pace. The steps in a crime investigation were detailed and informative. However, an overload of criminal acts detracted from the tension and suspense while keeping the sheriff's team very busy. I would read another book featuring Sheriff Bet Rivers, and I hope both deputies will still be involved. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher of the ARC, which included such an enjoyable law enforcement team in atmospheric surroundings. Publication is set for August 06.

As the local Sheriff, Bet is faced with having to deal with a homicide and an abundance of other problems in the middle of a blizzard, with the storm cutting the town off from the outside world. Bet is a strong character and is determined to keep the town safe. She faces new challenges, with surprises and plot twists around every corner, without losing her cool. The author’s well-written descriptions of the setting were characterized by strong, vivid winter imagery.

Although this reader would have preferred a more digested version of Bet’s inner thoughts and back story, which at times slowed things down a bit, for the most part the mystery was well-paced. The plot was intriguing and intricate – even more so than one might expect from the book’s description. A good choice for mystery lovers.

FTC Disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has not affected the content of my review.

This novel is a really well-done mystery. It's not a genre I normally read, but I was the lucky recipient of an ARC. Taylor is a fine writer. Her prose shines with originality, and her characters are fully human. The protagonist Sheriff has an understandable and well-depicted emotional life. Descriptions of the pacific northwest setting are vivid and beautifully crafted. The story is well-paced and engaging. Highly recommended as an excellent, entertaining story.

A great follow up to the first book in the series. I loved the character development of Bet and how we get to know her more. As far as the plot line, I felt like it kept me on the edge of my seat and interested throughout. Towards the end when everything comes to a head, the action is super satisfying and got my heart racing especially because I was super worried about little Ruby.

My only issue is that I’m not super into shady business dealings gone awry, but regardless it was an entertaining read and I’m excited to put people onto this developing series!!

This dynamic mystery kept me enthralled in all aspects from the staging of this tale with a solid plot, an eclectic cast of characters, and a steady beat that made for a vibrant read that left me wanting more. The author’s writing style made it easy to follow along and the tone created an atmosphere where I had to know who was doing what to whom and why. I like how Bet took things in stride with thoughts of her mentors, which guided her and made her determined to solve this puzzling case. When I thought I had a handle on the person responsible, and the directional change enhanced my reading pleasure. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to Bet’s next adventure.

I really enjoy this authors writing style and her first book in this series is one of my all time favorites. While this one is not as high on my list I still enjoyed it. Specifically, I appreciated the lengths she goes to to set up the storyline and history, explain terms that readers are unlikely to know, and supplies additional information to paint a clearer picture. My favorite, however, was the teaching moments Bet provided and the addition of Kane.

In future books, I would like to see mote focus on interactions with current/new characters and here less about her two mentors from the past. While I understand the importance of drawing from what you've learned and the strong relationships she had with them, it becomes redundant, pulls me from the present moment in the book, and takes away from Bet herself. Furthermore, I would love to see Bet's confidence grow a lot more. It was very aggravating when there were kids on the line and she was worried about what her new deputy thought about her. That was extremely offputting towards a character the author spent so much time building and getting us to love. Also, justice for Rob. I'm all for the story not being about her love interest and that being more of a background story but he was just conveniently placed out of the country the whole dang book so we completely missed out on their banter. Lastly, it was a bit frustrating how the ending just wrapped itself up in a neatly tied bow quite quickly.

Overall, I did enjoy the book but nowhere near as much as the original. I will definitely read future books in this series but I'm look forward to improvements, especially regarding Bet's constant concern about the opinion of others.

With a brutal winter storm bearing down on the small valley town of Collier, Washington in the Cascade Mountains, Sheriff Bet Rivers struggles with her own insecurities, and her determination to keep the citizens of Collier safe. A Cold, Cold World by Elena Taylor is the sequel to All We Buried, but readers can jump right into this compelling story.

Bet Rivers has a tradition to live up to. A Rivers has been sheriff since the founding of Collier, and she’s following in the footsteps of those men, including her father. She was a police officer in Los Angeles, and planned to stay, until she came home due to her father’s illness. She was elected sheriff, but has one full-time deputy, a septuagenarian secretary, and her large dog. Will that be enough to help the town during a weather crisis?

Before the storm gets too bad, Rivers receives a call that tourists have found an injured teen on a snowmobile. But, when she responds, the scene seems a little off, and the teen is already dead. She recognizes the dead teen as a local boy, but can’t reach his father. Before she can investigate, she’s called to the scene of a break-in at a summer rental property. The caretaker has found a blood-soaked sleeping bag. Another crime scene, or something else?

As Alma, Rivers’ secretary, reports one “problem” after another, Bet starts to feel desperate with only one deputy. Then, she sends him to the next town due to a family situation. She agrees to take on a military veteran, a man who was a military police office, on a temporary basis, because she’s desperate for help. Situations escalate with a missing local man and his young daughter, a bar fight that ends in arrests, and lies from the tourists who found the teen on his snowmobile.

A Cold, Cold World is a compelling story of the elements fighting a struggling sheriff, a woman who is determined to protect her community, while doubting her abilities. Does she measure up to her ancestors and her mentor? Fans of the Longmire boosk, or Kerri Hakoda’s new book, Cold to the Touch, might want to try this one.

I loved the setting of this book and felt it was almost a main character. I love Sheriff Bett and she remans me a lot of the Joanna Brady books which I love .
I enjoy reading books with gutsy female leads and good plots .
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

It is hard enough to be a female sheriff, but adding a major snowstorm endangering lives becomes even more difficult. Sheriff Bet Rivers is preparing the necessary resources for the people she protects to survive a blizzard when she is called to the scene of a suspicious death. A young man seems to be the victim of a snowmobile accident, but a closer look reveals a murder. The situation is complicated because the boy's dad and sister are missing, and his brother seems to know nothing about what is happening. Bet and her team begin the investigation to solve this mysterious situation by interviewing people who all seem to be hiding something. It's an exciting read with lots of twists and turns. I cannot wait to see what happens next for Sheriff Rivers.

Great book. The characters are interesting. I especially like the main character, Sheriff Bet. She makes tough decisions and second guesses herself. Nice to have a hero like this. I highly recommend this book.

RELEASE DATE: August 06, 2024
GENRE: thriller
TOPICS & THEMES: mystery solving, female sheriff investigator, winter storm, murder mystery, small town setting

For my first time meet with this author writing I was pleasantly surprised. It definitely gives atmospheric feel of winter. A perfect read for a fans of those setting and detective stories.

- thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of the book

"A Cold, Cold World" is my first read by Elena Taylor and I liked it. I enjoyed the female protagonist, the small town setting and the tension built from the impending snow storm. I would recommend this for mystery/suspense readers, and/or fans of Ann Cleeves. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.