A Cold Day In Paradise

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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.

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Summary: This Book Is Awesome
Review: This will win the Edgar Award for the best first novel for an american author.... Trust me!!! This book is the greatest !!!!!!!!!!!!

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Summary: Forget the mystery, this is just one good story.
Review: The characters, the interactions between them, and the location all feel real. It didn't take me long before I felt like I had to sit down and keep reading until I had finished the book, because I kept wanting to find out more about the characters. A 4 stars because stylistically, Hamilton has a way to go, but I'll look forward to his next book.

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Summary: A well written, highly entertaining book!
Review: Steve Hamilton has produced an excellent work of fiction. A Cold Day in Paradise immediately draws you into Alex McKnight's world and does not let you out until the end. The pace and tension continue throughout the book. The twists and turns provided through the plot keep you guessing, just when you think you have it figured out, Hamilton pulls the rug out from under you! Hamilton's writing style is clear and concise but full enough to paint the entire picture for the reader. This book is an excellent read and will provide any reader with the satisfaction of a story well told.

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Summary: Not a "formula" private-eye novel!
Review: I tried to write a formula private eye novel -- you know, with the wise-cracking PI sitting in his office, waiting for the client to come in (either the rich guy or the beautiful blonde). There's nothing wrong with that formula -- it still works to this day. But I couldn't do it. So instead I just tried to tell a good story, with a main character you can really care about, some suspense, some dark humor, and a sense of what it's like to live next to the coldest, deepest lake in the world. If you read it, I hope you like it, and I hope you let me know about it!

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Summary: I was right there - very readable, believable.
Review: Mr. Hamilton's debut novel was delicious. Being from Michiganand having visited parts of the UP, I can vouch for the accuracy ofhis descriptions of Lake Superior and the kind of folks that choose that frontier lifestyle or who want to get away from it all. Mr. Hamilton's writer's voice is developed, calm and clear and I look forward to more books. A good read to me is when the characters come alive and I care about them, no matter what side of the line they are on. Mr. Hamilton wrote for the reader. Thank you.

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Summary: Wonderful
Review: A gripping, straight-on detective novel that grabs you from the first few lines and never lets go. Alex McKnight is a character for the ages, one who I hope will be around for many more adventures. A must read!

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Summary: A Gripping Mystery
Review: This book is a wonderful read. The main plot is gripping, with suspense building throughout the book. The author also provides the reader with an excellent flavor of the culture of Michigan's Upper Penninsula. The development of characters is also very well done. I look forward to more adventures of Alex McKnight.

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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.

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Summary: A Cold Day In Paradise (An Alex McKnight Novel)
Review: In this first novel by Steve Hamilton, Alex McKnight is an ex-cop from the mean streets of Detroit. With a bullet imbedded next to his heart, he retreats to the cold of Paradise, Michigan. Now a private investigator for a lawyer, Alex is content until he stumbles across a murder scene, and the sight of blood stirs horrible memories of his partner's death in Detroit. Eerie messages addressed to him sound remarkably like the disturbed psycho who shot him and his partner fourteen years ago. But he's in jail! How can he be in two places at once? Hamilton writes a superb thriller that catches you right from the start. Alex is an intriguing character--not mancho and yet not a wimp either. His fear of the past was so gripping that it really set the tone for this eerie murder mystery. Can't wait to read the next one in the series!