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!

An influencer missing while ice fishing is stressful enough; the island setting and winter weather compound the tension in this sixth Shana Merchant mystery. I enjoyed the impact of her seven-month pregnancy on the investigation and the puzzle of how Shana’s four-year-old unsolved case might connect. I also appreciated the North Country setting with its poutine, frizel ice, coywolf, and toques. I liked both following this twist on a locked room mystery and glimpsing Shana’s past. This can be an entry point into the series. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tessa Wegert has written an absolutely suspenseful unputdownable mystery. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant and fellow investigator Tim Wellington ( who is Shana's husband) are called in to investigate the disappearance of Instagram celebrity Cary Caufield. Cary and girlfriend, Sylvie Lavoy, have been living on tiny, remote Running Pine island, population currently is eight. It is the coldest February on record.

The case reminds Shana of one she investigated years ago when she worked for the NYPD, it was not solved. In addition to dealing with the memories, she must deal with the fact that Tim has gone missing. The author shifts from the past case to the present.

A storm is on the way and everyone is a potential victim and potential suspect. There are secrets to be revealed, maybe lost treasure, and no one she can trust.

The author does an excellent job of creating the isolation and the cold. The supporting characters are well drawn out. Shana continues to evolve as a character, she is tough and relentless. This is the sixth book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading reading the entire series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Severn House, for an ARC. The review is my own.

The tension level in this book is off the charts! This is a story with danger at every turn and uncertainty in every moment. Loved it! This is a series, but can be read as a standalone, but if you like mysteries, you may as well start with the first in the series…..you’re going to love them!

The Coldest Case
by Tessa Wegert
Pub Date: Nov 05 2024

The Coldest Case is the sixth novel in the Shana Merchant series but can be read as a stand a lone. It's an easy to follow police/detective book. If you're a fan of detective mysteries you will definitely like this one. It's suspenseful, tense, chilling and an unputdownable story with a shocking ending! I highly recommend it!

Synopsis: News of a missing Instagram celebrity brings Senior Investigator Shana Merchant to a frozen island community of just eight people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she’ll never forget . . .

Many thanks to #TheColdestCase #NetGalley & #SevernHouse for providing me with an E-ARC.

This is the sixth book in the series, I did not know that going into it. However, it wasnt bad as a standalone either. You could read it alone, but it might be easier to read the first five first. This was a quick action packed thriller, in a snowy creepy atmosphere. I chose this book based off the cover because i love winter, and the cabin looked " so invitingly creepy". If you love a good thriller mystery thats action packed this is the book for you. Locked room thrillers are my absolute favorite, especially when they also happen remotely. Pick up this book today you will not be disappointed.

The Coldest Case
Tessa Wegert
Shana Merchant Series

If you haven’t yet discovered this series, I suggest you check it out. The timing for this one is perfect as the weather is getting colder and this one is set on the icy and isolated island of Running Pine. Running Pine has a population of 8 during the winter. But when a social media influencing couples comes to town and one goes missing, Shana and her team are called in to investigate. The weather and conditions are terrible, but the cold creeps through with the suspense making this a very atmospheric read.

I will read anything Tessa Wegert writes. She is a go to author for me every single time. In The Coldest Case everyone seems to be either a suspect, a potential victim and maybe both. Shana just continues to be one of my favorite series characters and this is a page turner for sure.

This is such a great series, and The Coldest Case keeps the momentum going. This book can be read as a standalone, but I will bet you will be drawn in and want to start from the beginning if you have not discovered this series yet. The setting is very atmospheric, and the characters are great. This book will keep you guessing right up to the end.

The Coldest Case
by Tessa Wegert

The Coldest Case delivers a chilling, atmospheric mystery that kept me on the edge until the last page. Set on the isolated, icy island of Running Pine, the book follows Investigator Shana Merchant as she searches for a missing social media influencer. When she’s called to the frozen island, where only eight people remain for winter, Shana faces secrets, distrust, and memories of an unsolved case that haunts her past.
Wegert’s writing perfectly captures the eerie, frozen isolation of the island, making you feel the creeping cold and suspense. The locked-room mystery style heightens the tension, as nearly every character is both a suspect and potential victim. Shana is a compelling lead—determined and fierce despite the dangers to herself and her unborn baby. Packed with surprising twists and well-developed suspense, The Coldest Case is an immersive, page-turning addition to this captivating series. Highly recommended.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

This book was so hard to put down!!! It was very fast paced and absolutely thrilling! Must add to your TBR!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!!!

Pretty typical police/detective book. It was easy to follow along with the story. I like the premise more than the execution.

I love the cold/locked in/partially abandon atmosphere and trope. It makes it feel like a cozy read. I also enjoyed the social media influencer tie in of this.

I would overall recommend if you like detective books. This one was a little bit slow for my liking but overall still a decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Shana is called to a remote island in winter to investigate the disappearance of a social media influencer. She has to take extra care in the icu conditions as she is pregnant but that won’t stop her. I love Shana’s tenacity and the relationship with her husband, Tim, also on the police force. This is a book that once you pick up you’ll find it hard to put down. The setting is amazing and dangerous at the same time being on a remote island accessible only by crossing a frozen river, and the river ice could break at any time.

The Coldest Case by Tessa Wegert plunges readers into the icy, isolated world of Running Pine, a tiny island in the Thousand Islands, where eight people are braving the winter, including social media influencers Cary and Sylvie. When Cary mysteriously vanishes during an ice fishing trip, the islanders fear the worst. His frantic partner, Sylvie, insists on speaking only to Senior Investigator Shana Merchant, pulling Shana into a case that stirs up haunting memories of an unsolved homicide from her past. As Shana races against time to find Cary and uncover Sylvie’s secrets, a storm is fast approaching, threatening to trap them on the island—and making everyone a potential victim.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s fast-paced, thrilling, and packed with suspense from start to finish. The remote island setting during a snowstorm was atmospheric perfection, adding to the tension and isolation that heightened the stakes. The way the story alternates between the present case and Shana's last investigation from four years ago, now a cold case, was seamless and gripping. And in true Tessa Wegert fashion, the twists were jaw-dropping—major surprises that left me stunned. This series has quickly become one of my favorites, and while I’m sad to be caught up, I’m eagerly hoping for more. The Coldest Case hits shelves on November 5th—definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to the author, Tessa Wegert, the publisher, Severn House and Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really good addition to the series. A fair warning, you definitely need to read the previous books to have any sense of what is going on here. The first four books had a wide, over-arching storyline that is still referenced and important in the next two books.

It's February and everything in the Thousand Islands region is frozen solid. A small group of eight people are spending the winter on Running Pine island, remote, isolated, and fairly cut off from the rest of the world. One of the residents comes into town frantically searching for Shana. The boyfriend of one of the newest inhabitants of the island has gone missing and his girlfriend will only speak with Shana. The problem? Shana is seven months pregnant and the trip there is treacherous and dangerous. Tim and Val decide to go, but things aren't what they seem and as time passes things get stranger about the case.

I really like this series, and this installment has two cases that are equally as captivating. The author has an excellent ability to communicate setting and I could feel the cold creeping into my bones as I was reading. There are a few good twists, one I saw coming from a mile away but the others I was surprised and intrigued. This book is kind of like a locked room thriller, as there are very few people who could have committed the crime in this isolated community. It made the story more creepy as you don't know who is telling the truth and who is lying and even who is in danger.

A stellar book to read cuddled under a warm blanket on a cold day.

"News of a missing Instagram celebrity brings Senior Investigator Shana Merchant to a frozen island community of just eight people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she'll never forget . . . "

Shana Merchant puts her life and that of her unborn baby in danger when she is called to investigate the missing influencer Cary who is wintering on the island. His girlfriend Sylvie will only talk to Shana but soon Shana realizes she is hiding something along with the other native Islanders. This case reminds Shana of an unsolved homicide from four years ago. This brings up her past with Bram that still haunts her. A snow and wind storm has Shana and her team stuck on the island with a killer. Can she solve both crimes before someone else is killed?

Tessa's writing is so atmospheric that I was shivering in 80 degree weather. Shana is a badass investigator and at times had me afraid for her life. There are several suspects and the twists kept me guessing. I like how the unsolved homicide is weaved in with the current story. THE COLDEST CASE is the sixth book in the series and my favorite book of the series. Each book can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend you read the series from the beginning.

Thank you Tessa Wegert, the publisher and netgalley for the #gifted ebook and this is my honest review.

I don't know how I missed the earlier books in this series but I did- and that didn't matter because this worked just fine as a standalone. The pregnant and intrepid senior investigator Shana Merchant finds herself on Running Pine Island because an influencer who was spending the year there alongside the real residents has gone missing. There are, of course, secrets, lies, and a bit of closed island mystery here but some of the secrets come from Shana's past. This is nicely atmospheric and just twisty enough. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.