Rating: 
Summary: Exciting, quite a page turner
Review: First time author Steve Hamilton does a wonderful job of keeping you guessing in 'A Cold Day In Paradise'.His flawed hero, Alex Mcknight a ex-policemen from Detroit, is tortured by a single event that changed his life forever. Alex's partner was killed by a madman who calls himself 'Rose'. The problem is that Alex lived, with a bullet one inch from his heart. It's a reminder and a hollow pain that won't go away. Alex tries to 'get away' to a small town in the upper Michigan Peninsula, to forget, and find some inner peace. He succeds for awile until a couple of murder's barring the unmistakable signature of 'Rose' appear in his quiet little town. Has Rose come back?, how could this be? Mr. Hamilton does a excellent job of weaving a fasinating mystery, the plot rarely slows, it's tight and as crisp as a artic breeze from Lake Superior. Alex Mcknight is a very likable character, i particularly enjoyed the atmosphere Hamilton provided and the local people that Alex interacts with. They all come across very real..Highly Recomended
Rating: 
Summary: I hate to be this harsh, but...this book is atrocious.
Review: How this book won the awards that it did says less about the author than it does about the state of the genre in which they were awarded. In a word, it's a train-wreck. There are so many reasons why I didn't like this book. Here are just a few: **First of all, the dialogue is hollow, and in some places laughably bad (Hamilton's characters condescend to one another with the word "little", i.e. "nice little town you've got here". This might not seem like much, but trust me, it gets REALLY old.) **The relationships we are supposed to care about (i.e. Alex and his cop partner, Alex and Sylvia) get little, if any development. **How a "knockout" like Sylvia would end up with a dork like Edwin is never plausibly explained (Although Hamilton tries to in one short anecdote in which Edwin behaves WAY out of character.) **Alex has an ex-wife. If you've haven't read the book, you already know as much about her as I do. **Alex is shot, and retires to Michigan's upper peninsula. Apparently he is cryogenically frozen for 13 years, because that's how much unaccounted-for time passes between his shooting and the events of the book. **Worst of all, the characters' motives (as they are revealed) fall ridiculously short of the acts they inspire. A pesky problem for a mystery novel. I hate to be so roundly negative, but this is one of the worst books, bar none, that I have ever read. I don't say that to be harsh, just honest. It really was THAT BAD. Mr. Hamilton, I'm sure you put in many long hours crafting this novel, and I commend your dedication. But this is stealing. At $6, I can't even recommend an investment as a chair-leg evener.
Rating:
Summary: Great start to a great series
Review: I began this series with vol 2 and although I went out of order it really didn't matter. The books are all very well written in a way that he explains what has happened in previous books without giving away the stories. I think that "Winter of the Wolf Moon" remains my favorite of the series, but they are all worth a read or two.
Rating:
Summary: Hot One
Review: I completed this book the same day I started it. I liked the character Alex McKnight he was flawed and definately not a 'super-hero' however he may have been a bit too flawed for my liking. Very atmospheric and well written. Kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to reading more of Hamilton's novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I hoped
Review: I had heard great things about this book, so my expectations were high. The setting (nothern rural Michigan) is interesting, the protagonist is reasonably likeable, but otherwise I was disappointed. The ending seemed to become obvious long before I would like it to in a mystery. Several scences involving driving drone on to the point of tedium. Overall, it is a decent read, but nothing special.
Rating:
Summary: Weak ending
Review: I kept reading this book expecting a great conspiracy of some sort at the end. I enjoyed the characters especially the P.I. This is a ery well told story. However, I was let down a little at the end. Not because it was not spectacular but because in one page the reader is wondering what is going on and in a paragraph or two our P.I. figures it all out without a hint. Still a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to believe
Review: I listened to the book on CD, read by Nick Sullivan. I tried to read the book at first, but got caught up in the simple writing style. It was more enjoyable to hear the well-developed characters "speak" and have life. At times, I found my heart thumping and getting carried away in the story. But as the book progressed, I found the plot to be extremely unbelievable. Hamilton's descriptions of the U.P. of Michigan were accurate and allowed me to reminisce of the time I lived there. However, I couldn't imagine such a wild story ever taking place in Paradise. I was disappointed with the ending. As for the reader, Sullivan, he made the book come alive. I thought that the voices he chose to represent each character were perfect. He did a good job with the U.P. accent. It was a little off, but still made me laugh.
Rating: 
Summary: A Cold Day in Paradise
Review: I loved this book from the first page. As a life-long resident of the Upper Peninsula, I appreciate that Steve didn't portray the "locals" as idiots. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and hope that he keeps on writing for a long time. I found it to be quite a page turner, just when you think you have it figured out, your wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining! This author's potential is truly exciting!!
Review: I simply couldn't put this book down. The verbiage, along with character and plot development were better than many experienced authors. I look forward to Mr. Hamilton's next book. Please don't rest on your laurels and become like Danielle Steele, Mary Higgins Clark, et al, whose first efforts were far better than their later works. Congratulations! I truly enjoyed this one - not predictible up to and including the ending.
Rating:
Summary: good stuff -
Review: I simply like Steve Hamilton's two books. This was the first. His leading character, Alex McKnight is not a super-man. One feels his integrity and his pain. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a quick read that has good writing and character development.
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