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lostinfrance's review against another edition
3.0
A random ARC that I picked up because I like to read about London....and mysteries. Finally pulled it off my shelf for this challenge....will I ever run out of books?
This book isn't very memorable....or anything to write home about. It was a good read....but nothing worth sending to a friend with a note that says "must read". Just a female detective and her team trying to figure out who killed a guy...finding a cold case...cheating wives, drug dealers, office parties...gloves.
You do not need to have read the first in the series to read this one....and honestly, I am not sure I am intrigued enough to track down the next.
Read if you are looking for a mystery.
2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge: a book with a mineral or gem stone in the title.
This book isn't very memorable....or anything to write home about. It was a good read....but nothing worth sending to a friend with a note that says "must read". Just a female detective and her team trying to figure out who killed a guy...finding a cold case...cheating wives, drug dealers, office parties...gloves.
You do not need to have read the first in the series to read this one....and honestly, I am not sure I am intrigued enough to track down the next.
Read if you are looking for a mystery.
2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge: a book with a mineral or gem stone in the title.
justelw's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
karenholmes's review against another edition
5.0
OK, where is number 3 already? I can't stop now, with that cliffhanger at the end! Cat left my heart racing and my head blowing with that final request.
Caz keeps writing solid procedural with characters that feel alive. I love the dynamics of the squad, specially Cat and Parnell, but also the good hearted relationship with boss Kate Steele.
It all starts with a murder, and then it keeps going with a family so full of lies you won't be able to tell truth from lie till the very end. And WHAT AN ENDING! So dramatic and so surprising and with such a demand!
Cat investigates a murder of a young Australian woman who works for Rachel Madden who happens to be wife of the principal suspect. But things are not as easy as they seem. And each new step, brings Cat to discovering more layers in the mystery as well as in her life. She also keeps layers of secrets, both to her family and to her boyfriend, even to herself. And she will have to decide where to stand or loose everything she's ever loved.
Amazing writng, superb character definition and wonderful oneliners.
Caz keeps writing solid procedural with characters that feel alive. I love the dynamics of the squad, specially Cat and Parnell, but also the good hearted relationship with boss Kate Steele.
It all starts with a murder, and then it keeps going with a family so full of lies you won't be able to tell truth from lie till the very end. And WHAT AN ENDING! So dramatic and so surprising and with such a demand!
Cat investigates a murder of a young Australian woman who works for Rachel Madden who happens to be wife of the principal suspect. But things are not as easy as they seem. And each new step, brings Cat to discovering more layers in the mystery as well as in her life. She also keeps layers of secrets, both to her family and to her boyfriend, even to herself. And she will have to decide where to stand or loose everything she's ever loved.
Amazing writng, superb character definition and wonderful oneliners.
sgkann's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jaimeeleigh_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kelseymcg20's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
That's book #150 for me, for 2020.
And a good book it is to mark that achievement! I just really like this series. I like the overarching plot about Cat's dodgy family, and the mystery in this book was really well done. It kept me guessing, and then it surprised me, something that doesn't happen with a lot of the mystery/thrillers I read. I think this is because this book--like all the thrillers and mysteries I tend to gravitate toward--is more interested in the "why" of the crime than it is in plot twists and contrived surprises. Between the two novels, I've found both Cat and those involved in the crimes she's solving deeply human, flawed, and complex. I'm definitely on board with book three.
And a good book it is to mark that achievement! I just really like this series. I like the overarching plot about Cat's dodgy family, and the mystery in this book was really well done. It kept me guessing, and then it surprised me, something that doesn't happen with a lot of the mystery/thrillers I read. I think this is because this book--like all the thrillers and mysteries I tend to gravitate toward--is more interested in the "why" of the crime than it is in plot twists and contrived surprises. Between the two novels, I've found both Cat and those involved in the crimes she's solving deeply human, flawed, and complex. I'm definitely on board with book three.
beate251's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is Caz Frear's second Cat Kinsella police procedural. Cat is a young Detective Constable with the Met Police in London, who has to deal with a murder case in which the suspect absolutely insists that he is innocent and is being framed. The problem is he's a shady character and nobody believes him.
This is the second in a series and isn't good as a standalone. I think you need to know Cat Kinsella's background to understand why she thinks how she thinks and acts how she does. Basically, her background makes her a compromised police officer, and she is battling hard for it not to come out, especially now that she is in a relationship with the brother of the murder victim from book 1, who can also never know her father's connection to the case.
This is well-written, with believable characters (I love her police colleagues), but I think book 1 and 3 are stronger.
This is the second in a series and isn't good as a standalone. I think you need to know Cat Kinsella's background to understand why she thinks how she thinks and acts how she does. Basically, her background makes her a compromised police officer, and she is battling hard for it not to come out, especially now that she is in a relationship with the brother of the murder victim from book 1, who can also never know her father's connection to the case.
This is well-written, with believable characters (I love her police colleagues), but I think book 1 and 3 are stronger.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
aelius_'s review
3.0
Stone Cold Heart is the second book in the Crime Thriller trilogy written by Caz Frear
Firstly, i would like to make a precaution that this review is written by me, a person that has never read the first or third book of the series. I have only read Stone Cold Heart and my thoughts and review are dedicated solely to this book entirely.
Overview:
My thoughts for this book laid simple as summarised, i felt that this book is it neither underperformed or came out extremely shocking for me to read through. It's more of a simple read and a clichè murdery mystery story that involves a slightly bigger context due to the protagonist's personal issues.
Not that it's a red flag, but it's more of preference. As for me, i picked this book up anticipating a swift and easy read through without any mind boggling twist and turns and it did what was expected. It was absolutely a good read but not anything over the top.
The Protagonist:
The story follows a young policewoman set in UK London, Catrina Kinsella, with occasional troubling flashbacks of her personal endeavours haunting her. While facing that, she was met with a pre-encounter of a prime suspect that will play a part of a forthcoming homicide that left a young girl dead in her rental apartment. The protagonist enters with a right sense of justice but with a spice of what can be described as an emotional person. Sometime along the way, she would let her emotions cloud her judgements as she is vulnerable to sympathy and pity for the suspect's family and so on.
Nothing out of the ordinary policewoman, and that's where the perspective of the story is driven through most of the time, through her. A normal policewoman with personal issues but amplified for the dramatical context of the wider story.
Supporting Characters:
The characters were delightful to be working by Catrina Kinsella, they were there for a reason and for the story to move upwards. Since she is just a policewoman, she has to answer to her colleagues and higher ups, and that makes her life ideal for the audience to and feel a sense of relation while reading through. Every character has its purpose in the story, and as for crime scenes, most characters come flooding in the first few pages of the book already with the incident gathering forensics and more policemen on the grounds. It would seem difficult to catch up with the supporting characters and there isn't much room to love them and they seemed very much temporary through Catrina Kinsella's eyes, which fits because she is just the ordinary policewoman of a department. Only one stood out and shared a deep bond which was Sarge. Luigi Parnella, her partner in work that tagged along for most of the investigations. Parnella, or called Lu, is someone to be rooting for slightly, a cop that is getting on his age but still has the drive to become a better man and employee.
Plot:
The plot was nothing spectacular, it's what you would find throughout a venture in a homicide happening in a busy but pale town of UK. A case riddled with lies and distraction by the affected people surrounding the arrested prime suspect. Gathering more lies and truths as more evidences are compiled and drafted out to hand out to the Crown Prosecution Service. But the story made sure there was significant lump of attachment available between the reader and the victimised characters involved. It has this compelling feature to root for the suspects and generate some sense of drama behind the scenes between families.
As for the details, most details are answered and chapters would always end in a intriguing way promoting the readers to dive into it and think about the mystery more. Sometimes it's done excessively but the context is always answered back in the deeper plot, it's only a matter of time.
The story also involves a large portion of the first book flashbacks and the audience would need the bigger context to understand what's going on by reading the first installment to the series. It's definitely keeping and levitating the mystery element of the book in doing so, and I feel extremely captivated to read through to understand the issue in question. But the thing was that i felt that the ongoing homicide case to be more of a dread reading it sometimes, as most of the book was just lies over lies and lesser suspects fighting for their own lives to be answered for, and i would rather if the story dive more on the personal issue of the protagonist instead because that was a real mystery for me.
But nevertheless the portion of the story is more to the life of working as a policewoman and that fits what its ment to do. It is only my thought and preference said. Like mentioned, the story follows an ordinary policewoman so the setting is completely what you would expect it to do. But most of the time it was just local police fumbling the wrong statements and gambling on the right evidence with the right details to use as leverage on the prime suspect to spill the beans.
Only at the quarter back of the story it starts to be really interesting, almost like a straight horizontal axis finally going upwards. The twist is a good read but nothing amazing honestly. It's ment to be a good and easy read without a doubt and that's the purpose of the book. But then the twist starts and there's just alot of information compressed at the quarter end of the book so it's alot to go through in one go without pausing to understand the whole blueprint of thr situation.
Audience Recommendation:
I would highly recommend this book to readers that were taking a venture into a high fantasy with a complex story and fictitous universe read and left extremely exhausted to go through another because this book is relaxing after something rough like that and a breeze to read. You don't have to understand much because its on a real world context and most things come with general knowledge. Nothing to boggle your mind over on. I would not recommend someone that wants something to replace their need for another wild ride of a mystery thriller plot after something like A Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, its more of a mystery clichè and that is all to it at the end.
I would rate it 3/5 stars, two of them deducted from the lack of pacing by cramping important stuff only at the final quarter of the book and having a thick plot of arguing over lies and whatnot, it has its bright points but not much to tackle over its low ends. Second star deducted from the lack of establishing a better relationshio between the supporting characters and the readers, it would be better if the characters from the police department had more to reveal about themselves.
That is all from me, thanks for reading and have a good day!
Firstly, i would like to make a precaution that this review is written by me, a person that has never read the first or third book of the series. I have only read Stone Cold Heart and my thoughts and review are dedicated solely to this book entirely.
Overview:
My thoughts for this book laid simple as summarised, i felt that this book is it neither underperformed or came out extremely shocking for me to read through. It's more of a simple read and a clichè murdery mystery story that involves a slightly bigger context due to the protagonist's personal issues.
Not that it's a red flag, but it's more of preference. As for me, i picked this book up anticipating a swift and easy read through without any mind boggling twist and turns and it did what was expected. It was absolutely a good read but not anything over the top.
The Protagonist:
The story follows a young policewoman set in UK London, Catrina Kinsella, with occasional troubling flashbacks of her personal endeavours haunting her. While facing that, she was met with a pre-encounter of a prime suspect that will play a part of a forthcoming homicide that left a young girl dead in her rental apartment. The protagonist enters with a right sense of justice but with a spice of what can be described as an emotional person. Sometime along the way, she would let her emotions cloud her judgements as she is vulnerable to sympathy and pity for the suspect's family and so on.
Nothing out of the ordinary policewoman, and that's where the perspective of the story is driven through most of the time, through her. A normal policewoman with personal issues but amplified for the dramatical context of the wider story.
Supporting Characters:
The characters were delightful to be working by Catrina Kinsella, they were there for a reason and for the story to move upwards. Since she is just a policewoman, she has to answer to her colleagues and higher ups, and that makes her life ideal for the audience to and feel a sense of relation while reading through. Every character has its purpose in the story, and as for crime scenes, most characters come flooding in the first few pages of the book already with the incident gathering forensics and more policemen on the grounds. It would seem difficult to catch up with the supporting characters and there isn't much room to love them and they seemed very much temporary through Catrina Kinsella's eyes, which fits because she is just the ordinary policewoman of a department. Only one stood out and shared a deep bond which was Sarge. Luigi Parnella, her partner in work that tagged along for most of the investigations. Parnella, or called Lu, is someone to be rooting for slightly, a cop that is getting on his age but still has the drive to become a better man and employee.
Plot:
The plot was nothing spectacular, it's what you would find throughout a venture in a homicide happening in a busy but pale town of UK. A case riddled with lies and distraction by the affected people surrounding the arrested prime suspect. Gathering more lies and truths as more evidences are compiled and drafted out to hand out to the Crown Prosecution Service. But the story made sure there was significant lump of attachment available between the reader and the victimised characters involved. It has this compelling feature to root for the suspects and generate some sense of drama behind the scenes between families.
As for the details, most details are answered and chapters would always end in a intriguing way promoting the readers to dive into it and think about the mystery more. Sometimes it's done excessively but the context is always answered back in the deeper plot, it's only a matter of time.
The story also involves a large portion of the first book flashbacks and the audience would need the bigger context to understand what's going on by reading the first installment to the series. It's definitely keeping and levitating the mystery element of the book in doing so, and I feel extremely captivated to read through to understand the issue in question. But the thing was that i felt that the ongoing homicide case to be more of a dread reading it sometimes, as most of the book was just lies over lies and lesser suspects fighting for their own lives to be answered for, and i would rather if the story dive more on the personal issue of the protagonist instead because that was a real mystery for me.
But nevertheless the portion of the story is more to the life of working as a policewoman and that fits what its ment to do. It is only my thought and preference said. Like mentioned, the story follows an ordinary policewoman so the setting is completely what you would expect it to do. But most of the time it was just local police fumbling the wrong statements and gambling on the right evidence with the right details to use as leverage on the prime suspect to spill the beans.
Only at the quarter back of the story it starts to be really interesting, almost like a straight horizontal axis finally going upwards. The twist is a good read but nothing amazing honestly. It's ment to be a good and easy read without a doubt and that's the purpose of the book. But then the twist starts and there's just alot of information compressed at the quarter end of the book so it's alot to go through in one go without pausing to understand the whole blueprint of thr situation.
Audience Recommendation:
I would highly recommend this book to readers that were taking a venture into a high fantasy with a complex story and fictitous universe read and left extremely exhausted to go through another because this book is relaxing after something rough like that and a breeze to read. You don't have to understand much because its on a real world context and most things come with general knowledge. Nothing to boggle your mind over on. I would not recommend someone that wants something to replace their need for another wild ride of a mystery thriller plot after something like A Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, its more of a mystery clichè and that is all to it at the end.
I would rate it 3/5 stars, two of them deducted from the lack of pacing by cramping important stuff only at the final quarter of the book and having a thick plot of arguing over lies and whatnot, it has its bright points but not much to tackle over its low ends. Second star deducted from the lack of establishing a better relationshio between the supporting characters and the readers, it would be better if the characters from the police department had more to reveal about themselves.
That is all from me, thanks for reading and have a good day!