A review by skconaghan
Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cheeky. Witty. Absorbing. Brill. 

Cat is a danger to herself, but worse than herself are her dodgy relatives, poised to muck up her life, job and relationships if they can get at them—but she works hard to keep her private and professional lives on opposite sides of the city and in polar arenas.

Cat idolises the Boss Lady, even comes close to letting her in, but settles for discreet swooning in the aftermath of her praise. Her partner is the father figure she’s always craved, and the father she has is the bane of her existence, the focal point for all her agonies and joys. She’s a desperate mess, and we come to love her and hope for her in all her arrogant and ignorant blunders. Cat badly craves accolades in the job—but more so, she is consumed by an internal motivation to bring justice to the innocent young girl left dead on her kitchen floor.

And this mysterious murder has us stumped as well.

There are so many layers in this story it goes beyond ‘police procedural’ and sucks up family drama, social commentary, and lures us to the dark, to walking that rickety fence between righteous and criminal. You just don’t know what side Cat will end on, even though we see the purity of her tainted heart.

The writing is quick, smart, sparse on wordy explanations, but full of vivid and artful descriptions. Plot and periphery whip into place with intricate detail in a seemingly effortless delivery.

Can’t wait till they turn this into a mini-series; rich and layered, this is perfect for the small screen.