Shana Merchant is back in the 6th installment of the series. Shana is a senior investigator for NY state in the thousand island area of very upstate New York. It’s February in the beach area and things are very slow.

There’s a very remote area called Running Pine and it has only 8 residents. 6 people are year rounders, and 2 are newcomers who are living their lives on social media and are unfamiliar with the area and what it takes to live in an area so cold and desolate. They continue to take risks and ignore most common safety protocol. Cary is one half of the duo, and he goes missing one day after he went ice fishing. Shana and her team are sent to investigate, but Sylvie (the other partner) will only speak with Shana. Can they solve the mystery before the next major storm rolls in and strands them?

This is the perfect book for people who love atmospheric novels- the cold, dark, dreary Running Pine really sets the stage for a good suspense story. I also liked the social media aspect of this book; it kind of reminds me of a Law and Order episode. This is the 6th book in the series, and while I think you could read as a standalone, I think you’ll get much more of Shana’s past and her growth has a character if you read the whole series. They are all quick reads you won’t be able to put down.

4.5 stars rounding down to 4 stars on Goodreads.

I LOVED this police procedural! It has me on the edge of the seat and I loved how the island’s history was weaved into the story. This is a wintery thriller that you can feel the cold coming off the page so make sure you read this by the fire with a warm blanket!

This is my second book for the Shana Merchant Series and you can’t go wrong with pickup this series. While this is apart of a series it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend you add this book to your TBR!

*****Many thanks to Tessa Wegert and Suzy Approved Book Tour for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest/unbiased review.

I love books that make me feel transported, create an atmosphere or mood, and most especially, one that have me feverishly trying to follow clues, while anxiously turning pages to see how things turn out.⁣
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Which is why I’m happy I had The Coldest Case by Tessa Wegert to read and escape into this week. This is book 6 in the Shana Merchant series, and it can definitely be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend starting with Death in the Family because you get to meet Senior Investigator Shana Merchant and follow her story and learn about her past which all connect a bit in each book.⁣
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In The Coldest Case, news of a missing Instagram celebrity brings her investigation to a frozen island community of just 8 people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she’ll never forget.⁣
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She is haunted by her past like never before. And she not only has to deal with a secluded island covered in deadly ice and plagued by harrowing winds, but also it’s secretive and elusive inhabitants… and possibly someone else - hiding out in the drifting, frozen snow. ⁣
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I just love these type of ‘locked-room’ mysteries and Tessa is the a queen of creating the most suffocating and claustrophobic plots that all take place in the Thousand Islands archipelago of Canada. Each novel has a distinctly remote island as the setting, providing its own distressing and troubling danger, that doesn’t lend any favors when trying to find a killer.

Quick Take:

This is the 6th book in the amazing Shana Merchant series and, as always, Tessa Wegert delivered! I just love this main character and now all the side characters that continue to be a part of these stories and this world.

This particular novel reminded me a bit of the recent show True Detective North Country - both feature a bad ass detective in a cold, remote setting trying to solve a murder while also trying to figure out what is going on with some of the local residents. There was also a social media element in this one that I thought was interesting as well.

I just know I can always trust that when I open up a book in the Shana Merchant series that I will be entertained, turning the pages as fast as I can, and completely satisfied when I close the book. Thank you Tessa Wegert for one of my favorite female characters in crime fiction. Can't wait for the next one! (And just reminder - you should absolutely name one of your characters Anitra in your next book!)

Thank you to Netgalley & Severn House for this advanced copy!

The Coldest Case, featuring Shana Merchant, is my first time reading a Tessa Wegert novel and I’m glad I jumped into this series. This is a highly atmospheric, well plotted and tense thriller that takes place in northern New York, in the Thousand Lakes area, in midwinter. Shana is with the state police, as is her husband Tim. She is also some six months pregnant and soon to go on maternity leave when she receives a personal request to travel to an island nearby as a man has gone missing.

The island in question has only six people who live year round and know how to winter in this small, wild place, but this year there are are two new residents staying for the winter. The newcomers are leading a different type of life from their neighbors, living their lives on Instagram, supported by sponsors whose products they embrace in their photos. The male of this couple has disappeared. The female has requested, demanded, Shana help find him. Shana’s past is known to many. Travel involves getting to and from the island over ice of varying thickness, use of snowmobiles on the island while risking injury due to cold alone, as well as dangerously changeable weather.

The novel also includes chapters going back to an unsolved murder Shana worked on four years before in New York City. We learn some of her investigative skills and past with these flashbacks. I liked having them too as they gave me more insight into Shana’s past.

Recommended for those who enjoy atmospheric mysteries and thrillers.

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I keep returning to Shana Merchant and her brooding self. This time, the story is a bit happier, but at the same still in the same style. Cold, isolated and murderous of course. Shana needs to go to an island, that has a small group of people that winter on it. Meaning, there's usually no way out during the deep winter, and they have learned how to live there with each other's help. Till one of them disappears, and all fingers point to a murder. It was an interesting story, but I felt like the side story - an old case that kept nagging at Shana - was a distraction. I couldn't really understand why Shana kept thinking about it, it wasn't triggered by her current case, or anything.. So I dunno, didn't make it any sense. Of course in the end, it gave that little twist that was appreciated but still.

Overall, a good series to keep following. I hope Shana becomes a bit more relaxed as the time goes but has a lot more complex cases in the future.

Shana Merchant has become my favorite detective and I always look forward to reading what’s new in her professional and personal life. I was thrilled with the latest developments in her personal life but won’t share any spoilers! As I always say, the title for each book in this series sets the stage perfectly and I look forward each time to discovering the significance. This might have been the most suspenseful so far in this series and I loved it! The Instagram angle was a neat twist and the case that Shana revisited from her past had me on the edge of my seat. This series always keeps me guessing and I look forward to each and every one.

The Coldest Case
Author Tessa Wegert
Available now!

The Coldest Case is book six of the Shana Merchant mysteries, and oh, so chilling! Pregnant, in the middle of icy February, and investigating in a remote island town with a population of only eight, Shana is investigating the disappearance of one of the social media influencers who have eem living and documenting their adventures on the island. One morning, Cary went ice fishing and just didn't return. But Cary's newleywed, Sylvie, will only talk to Shana to help find Cary. With threats of a harsh winter storm and similarities to one of Shana's cases from the past, Shana finds herself, once again, racing against the clock to find Cary before it's too late.

Atmospheric and filled with Wegert's signature thrilling investigative insight and gripping mysteries wrapped up in Shana's dark past, The Coldest Case is a perfectly twisty read to immerse yourself in as we get closer to the winter months. I loved having the opportunity to read all of the Shana Merchant mysteries with @suzyapprovedbooktours! Thank you, @tessawegert @severnhouseimprint and @netgalley, for my #gifted e= book!

I really enjoyed my first read of the latest in the Shana Merchant mystery series.
Great storyline, realistic and strong characters with several possible suspects to choose from. Adding bad weather and a remote location to the mix guarantees success.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

📚 PUBLICATION MONTH BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Coldest Case By Tessa Wegert
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Publisher: Severn House

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

Well, don't I feel foolish for being so tardy to the Shana Merchant party being thrown by Tessa Wegert!?! This was my first read in this series, even though it's Book 6. And let me tell you, if The Coldest Case has THIS MUCH edge-of-your-seat suspense in it, and I loved it as much as I did without having read the first 5 books of the series...I can't even put into words how excited I am to go back and read the previous books in this series!!

This series features Senior Investigator Shana Merchant, a badass cop who you'll be adding to your list of favorite female protagonists after this book (if she's not on your list yet). The story features dual timelines between a present-day police investigation - in Shana's role with the New York State Police in the Thousand Islands area upstate - and four years ago - when Shana worked a homicide case as an NYPD detective that has since gone cold and she just can't shake. I wondered if I'd feel lost since this was Book 6 in a series, but I wasn't at all. Though the story referenced events from previous books, the dual timelines filled in any gaps and gave me all the context I needed to understand what was going on in this book's storyline.

The weather in this book was the stuff of my worst winter nightmares: the impending snowstorms and frigid temps, the constant threat of the ice breaking between the mainland and the island, the fear of being cut off from rescue because of snowstorms, with the power out, no cell service....nope, no thank you, hard pass.

This was an intensely suspenseful thriller, with a crime fiction plotline and a police procedural vibe. These three styles blended together perfectly to create one of the more anxiety-provoking, get-these-pages-turned-now books that I've read recently. This started as a slow burn, but before I knew it, it had captivated me and become absolutely unputdownable. I legitimately felt my heart pounding and had a pit of anxiety building in my stomach for the second half of this book -- Wegert's writing was just so masterfully suspenseful!

I truly loved this read and can't wait to go back and read the beginning of Shana Merchant's story in the first 5 books of this series! A big thank you to NetGalley, Severn House, and the author herself for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

#TheColdestCase #TessaWegert #SevernHouse #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #fivestarreads #thrillerseries #policeprocedural #crimefiction #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

I really enjoyed this book, I didn’t realise that I was starting in the middle of a series without reading the first books so I did feel a bit behind when I did realise but it can be read as a standalone.

This one grabbed me right off the bat, a page turner that had me on the edge of my seat. The setting of a snowy island just adds to the tension.

Will seek out more of the series!

In The Coldest Case, Tessa Wegert crafts a suspenseful mystery that is steeped in the rich, layered history of its setting, drawing readers into an intricate investigation where the past holds the key to solving the case. As the story unfolds, long-buried secrets begin to surface, leading to a series of compelling twists that add depth to both the mystery and the characters’ lives.

Wegert’s attention to historical detail adds a unique dimension to the story, giving the setting a vivid, atmospheric quality. However, the early pacing could benefit from a quicker pull into the action, with a touch more detail to grip the reader right from the start.

For readers who enjoy mysteries where the history of a place plays a vital role in uncovering the truth, The Coldest Case offers a richly woven narrative with plenty of unexpected revelations that make the journey worthwhile.

The Coldest Case is told in 1st person from Shana’s POV and alternates between now and 4 years ago in NYC. I absolutely loved the descriptive writing in this book and the island setting. I often felt like I was right on the island solving the case alongside Shana. I also really loved the unique small community on the island. This book was action packed! I didn’t see the twists coming at all and that last one had my jaw on the floor!!! 🤯 I have come to love Shana Merchant’s character and cannot get enough. If you enjoy detective series and mysteries, I highly recommend this one!

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

Just like the other books in the series The Coldest Case kept me invested the entire time. I love the way Shana works through the facts and information to put the pieces together. The isolation of the crime screen and the weather made the mystery even more unpredictable. I loved the flashbacks to a past investigation Shana did and how she thought about it during her current one. Great addition the series.

Thank you @tessawegert @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Severn House, for this compelling, atmospheric 'closed-room' thriller. This was a great setting for this type of mystery. Only eight people spent the winter on an isolated island, Running Pine. It is reached by boat through perilous, frozen waters. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant is based in a small coastal town.

Six people are accustomed to the island's remoteness, freezing temperatures, the deadly quiet, and ferocious winter storms. Two celebrity social media influencers, Cary and Sylvie, joined them. The winter islanders tried to acquaint them with the dangers and how to avoid them but felt their advice had not been taken seriously. The winter residents attempted to get them to join social activities in their small, close-knit community. Cary and Sylvie chose to keep mostly to themselves. Their goal was to spend the year filming dangerous stunts and exploits to post on Instagram for their many fans and followers. Their past adventures have earned them thousands of dollars in gifts from advertisers and sponsors.

Cary failed to return from an ice-fishing trip with two winter islanders. He decided to stay longer when they left. Police have called to Running Pine to search for him. Has he been in an accident and experienced hypothermia after falling into the frigid water? Was he lost in the thick forest? It is known that the isolation may cause depression. Did he commit suicide? His body is discovered underneath thick ice, and it is learned that he was shot. His partner refuses to speak to anyone except Shana.

Shana is seven months pregnant. Slipping on the ice may damage the baby. Over the series of books, she has grown in courage but tends to be reckless. She feels obligated to take the treacherous journey to the island to talk to Sylvie, Cary's partner. Although Sylvie has demanded her presence, she is evasive and seems to be hiding something from Shana. Sylvie hints that she thinks Cary committed suicide.

In looking into Cary's murder, she is haunted by a case four years earlier while based in New York City. That ended up unsolved and almost resulted in her death. There was a falling out with her loyal colleague and friend.

This was a quick, easy read, but I felt it didn't flow well as a standalone. I was unfamiliar with the five previous books in the series and missed Shana's personal and professional growth. There were many references to her past case and her lack of closure, perhaps too many. Was there any connection between that case and what happened to Cary? With such a small number of people on the island, one must be guilty, but what could be their motive? Had a disgruntled social media follower come secretly to Running Pine? Was he killed by a rival wanting to obtain his internet site and fame? Did the residents resent the publicity which now made their island the centre of attention, ruining their tranquillity? There was growing suspense and tension, and after many twists, the culprit was a surprise. I was engaged by the chills, thrills, and atmospheric descriptions of the winter conditions, as well as a concern for Shana's safety. Recommended, especially for those who read and enjoyed previous books in the series and who would like a 'closed-room' mystery set during a frigid winter storm.

Book #6 in this excellent series that gets better with each new volume. The setting.....an island that's practically inaccessible during the winter, yet six people live there year round. I lived in Alaska for too many years to not find this realistic and know how much the weather adds to the complications of investigating a missing person. Add in a very pregnant investigator and the case itself takes on a life of it's own.
Senior Investigator Shana Merchant finds this case all too familiar, she's seen a case just like this one that has never been solved. This adds to the mystery and the tension that's building with every hour her victim is missing. Tessa Wegert has built this series into a must read for her legion of fans. The cast of characters have grown into familar friends that we get to visit only when a new book is released, so we have to make the most of this read. Binge the book....it's worth it.

Well Crafted..
The sixth outing in the Shana Merchant series and the report of a missing influencer brings the investigator to a community of just eight people and set on a frozen and remote island. This will be a cold case that this investigator will never forget. Another well crafted and meticulously executed entry to this series with an eclectic and well drawn cast, a compelling and atmospheric backdrop and a solid mystery at its heart.

The Coldest Case is book 6 in the Shana Merchant series by Tessa Wegert.
I was so excited to be back in the company of Senior Investigator Shana Merchant.
This book had suspense, intrigue, action, great police work and a great who done it!
The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle!
Another entertaining and gripping read by Tessa Wegert.

If there’s one thing I look forward to each year, it’s the latest book in the Shana Merchant series 🙌🏻

This was book 6 in the series, and I wasn’t sure how Wegert would continue the story, but I really enjoyed it - both the personal storyline and case being solved in book.

I love Shana and Tim (#couplegoals) and am so excited to see their story progress. The case they solved was also interesting - it was a unique twist on a locked room mystery (sort of?). I constantly went back and forth on what was happening. I somewhat guessed the twist, but it was still a really good one.

I highly recommend giving this series a try!