Dead of Winter

Rating:
Summary: Exciting police procedural
Review: Police Officer Louis Kincaid lived a troubled childhood until special foster parents helped set him on the path that has led to his wearing a badge. Louis is half-black and half-white keeping a foot in both worlds, but not accepted by people in either of them.

Louis serves as an officer in the bucolic town of Loon Lake, Michigan. Two weeks ago, someone murderd a police officer and the killer left behind a playing card left marked with numbers and a skull. Soon a retried officer is killed with a card also left at the scene. Apparently, an unknown assailant hates the Lake Loon police department for heinous crimes committed years ago.

P.J. Parrish has written an exciting police procedural thriller that shows what it is like to serve as a police officer in a small community. The complex hero rarely allows his emotions to surface even though he seems to feel very deeply about honor and integrity. The reasons for the cop killings are tragic, but understandable, which makes DEAD OF WINTER a special tale worth reading by sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Hot Read for a Cold Night
Review: Reading this book is like watching a movie. The images are vivid and fast, and the characters stayed with me for days after I put it down. Definately on my top ten best reads.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This is a great book that I couldn't put down. I loved the people...all of them..Louis, Ollie and even the jerk Jesse. I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read about realistic people in a fast-paced, beleivable, action-filled story. Tell me there will be more.

Rating:
Summary: Vivid mental pictures
Review: This is a very complex and multilayered story that is put together so well that you'll never notice the change as it takes you from one player to the next, developing their characters so richly that you'll feel that you know them personally; a face on each cast member.
Louis Kincaid is looking for a fulfilling police career. He seeks out a northern Michigan community in search of an appreciative population, where he can serve and protect. What he encounters is far worse than his worst nightmare.
In this seemingly peaceful, innocent village, someone is killing off cops, one at a time, assassination style. Louis sees no apparent motive or logic to the crimes but is given responsibility for investigating the case by a Police Chief who appears to have a General Patton fixation.
Along the way, Louis encounters "Zoe", a beautiful and mysterious artist who inhabits a woodland cabin. Zoe holds the keys to many of Louis's puzzles while harboring dangerous secrets of her own.

As Louis becomes aware of a past coverup by the police department the picture becomes much clearer and much more perilous.
The reader will attack this book, putting it down grudgingly and diving back into it at every opportunity. The story is alive, the descriptions are striking, and it has been formed with amazing clarity.

Rating:
Summary: A Winner!!
Review: This was an excellent police procedural and an incredible story. You will be glued to the pages. The characters were really drawn out. That Gibralter was, what can I say, beyond words. To live so nonchalantly after the incident with those kids. The man was sick. Jesse was a troubled soul who you couldn't help but feel sorry for. But no bad deed goes unpunished. As always, Louis Kincaid was wonderful. As I mentioned before regarding the other novel featuring Louis, you can't help but get behind him. I admire his honesty, integrity, sense of honor, and his thought process while trying to solve a case. I can't wait to see where he ends up next. Hopefully, his next crime to solve is coming up soon. There is no doubt in my mine it will be as good as the first two. I highly recommend "Dead of Winter".

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Discovery
Review: Very fine, thoughtful writing; great characterizations; good action; very suspenseful. This story revolves around the investigation by one African-American cop into the murder of his predecessor, another African-American cop (in northern Michigan where few African-Americans live or work). The investigation is conducted under the watchful eye of a police chief whose motives in assigning this investigation to Louis Kincaid and whose intentions regarding the outcome are at the very least suspect. Furthermore, the chief's personality, in a kind moment, could best be described as whacked. All of this sets the stage for some interesting and unusual alliances and points of view. I loved this book. I loved the main character, Louis Kincaid. I look forward to reading P.J. Parrish's other books and sincerely hope he's at work on a new Kincaid adventure.