A Cold Day in Paradise

Alex McKnight #1

by Steve Hamilton

Other than the bullet lodged near his heart, former Detroit cop Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner’s death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, the man convicted of the crimes has been locked away for years. But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cabin in the woods, a murderer with the same unmistakable trademarks appears to be back. McKnight can’t understand who else would know the intimate details of the old murders. And it seems like it’ll be a frozen day in Hell before McKnight can unravel truth from deception in a town that’s anything but Paradise.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 15, 1998

About the author

Two-time Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Nick Mason series, The Lock Artist, and the Alex McKnight series. AN HONORABLE ASSASSIN (Mason #3) coming August 27, 2024!

Reviews

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to credit, it must be given where it's due: this time, it goes to our multi-talented daughter-in-law, Lilla, for finding this series. Truth is, she didn't find it for me - but rather for my husband Jack. When it comes to books, he and I have similar tastes, but he's much harder to please. Turns out he loved this one (and as I write this, I believe he's in the middle of the eighth book in the series) - and he's been so enthusiastic about every single one that I simply had to see for myself what his fuss was all about.

This book, the winner of Edgar and Shamus awards for Best First Novel, features former Detroit police officer Alex McKnight - is the first of what is now, I believe, 10 books. On the job, McKnight was shot and nearly died (his partner was killed) ; to this day, he's still got a bullet lodged next to his heart as an unwelcome reminder. That alone probably would entice me to try the book, but the setting in Michigan's Upper Peninsula sealed the deal. We've done some traveling there, and it is to me one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Not wanting to stay in Detroit, McKnight accepts a disability pension and heads for the tiny town of Paradise, Mich., to live in a cabin in the woods. A local attorney suggests that he get a private investigator license, and in part to earn extra money and in part to put his former skills back in play, he agrees - albeit grudgingly.

But then, a gruesome murder happens, and McKnight ends up on the case on behalf of a friend (he's working for that attorney, who happens to be the attorney for the friend and his wealthy family). But gruesome isn't the only thing nasty about the murder; clues left at the scene appear to be tied to the man who shot McKnight and his partner - a man who supposedly has been in prison ever since.

Trying to solve that murder - and another - all the while keeping himself and his friend from suffering a similar fate takes McKnight all over the scenic Upper Peninsula. Sprinkled everywhere are places at which my husband and I spent quality time: Whitefish Point, with its impressive light station and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum? Check. Sault Ste. Marie, watching the gigantic freighters pass through the Soo Locks? Check. Tahquamenon Falls State Park and Houghton Lake? Check. And who could ever forget driving across the awesome Mackinac Bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Wolverine State's Upper and Lower peninsulas? Certainly not me!

From the beginning, McKnight butts heads with two important characters. First is the attorney's former private investigator, who blames McKnight for taking his job. Second is the local police chief, who takes an instant dislike to McKnight to the point of crossing the line of unprofessional behavior (one aspect I didn't much care for, in fact - there doesn't seem to be any valid reason for that much anger, especially given that they've had no previous run-ins).

Despite the murders and mayhem, the book is written in a relatively low-key fashion; as I swiped the pages of my Kindle Fire, I couldn't help thinking of C.J. Box's Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett (a favorite character from another popular series). There's a modicum of excitement and tension, although I never really feared for McKnight's life ((but really - what author would kill off the main character in a series in the first book)? The ending was seemed a little rushed and a bit of a stretch - it was hard for me to believe that the person who masterminded the whole thing had the knowledge to come up with that cunning a plan.

Nonetheless, I read every paragraph with gusto, and now I'm delighted to have another series I can turn to when I'm in between works from my favorite authors. But wait - this one has all the earmarks of a favorite as well. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy - one down, nine to go!

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I sort of liked "The Second Life of Nick Mason", but the second book in that series was pretty ridiculous. That should have been a warning to me, however I was lured in by the fact that "A Cold Day in Paradise" won an Edgar Award. 1999 must have been a bad year for mysteries. Alex McKnight was a cliched ex-cop turned PI, the dialogue was poor, characters were cardboard and the plot was preposterous.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad start to this series even if it did get a little improbable there at the end. The main character, Alex, makes for an okay guy...although for a former police officer he sure does have little regard for or patience with standard police procedure. I'll give the second book a look but if the love interest sticks around I'm out. I did like the snarky,sarcastic humor though.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, relatively enjoyable, read. Not amazing, but not bad either. I will read the next in the series for sure.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfectly fine entry in the damaged ex-cop embroiled in a mystery genre. The book is set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula so I got the audio off Libby to listen to on a car trip from Traverse City to Munising (and back) with my son and my sister. I love reading books set in places I know well and places I am visiting. Michiganders will enjoy the way Hamilton captures Detroit and The Soo, and the places between as they were 25 years back. I think others will enjoy the scene setting too. The UP is like no place else I have ever been (that was true 40 years ago and now.) Its remoteness means things get done a little differently than elsewhere, and that plays into the story. The characters are all cliches from the Grosse Pointe rich folks to the aforementioned ex-cop, to the shyster lawyer, to the caring barkeep, and most especially to the beautiful woman stuck in a small town. I may read another in the series, but I am not rushing to do so.

ETA: The reader of the audiobook was not great. I might look to read this one in print if I were to do it again -- which is unlikely.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm supposed to be a big mystery / thriller enthusiast. I'm supposed to be familiar with all the heavy hitters and vintage stuff, the independent authors, and so on. But, since I joined Goodreads, I've discovered I don't know all that much. Somehow this author and series slipped right by me. But, a post on a mystery group brought Steve Hamilton to my attention. I can see why this book won so many awards.
This book was written in first person by Alex Mcknight. Alex was a cop until he was shot and he got to keep one of the bullets in his chest as a souvenir. Alex's partner wasn't so lucky.
So, Alex retires to Paradise, Michigan. He is approached by a lawyer who wants him to be his P I. So, Alex gets a license and here we are.
Alex' s friend finds one of his bookies murdered and calls Alex for help. This starts a two week nightmare for Alex. The killer leaves clues suggesting that he is the man that shot Alex fourteen years ago. The problem is the man is in prison.
This is a good old fashioned mystery with a "hardboiled " tone.
Alex is not a wisecracking, no it all detective. His human element is easy to relate to. He's a flawed character that could fall into a cliche, but sidesteps that trap. The plot twist and turns keep you on your toes and turning pages! I loved it! Overall this one gets an A

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

An interesting enough mystery that kept my attention and didn’t out stay its welcome but will be one I will no doubt forget before the turkey has even been carved. A private investigator in a remote location looking at his own inner demons whilst trying to hunt down a killer and possible crazy lunatic who seems to be hunting him down. The style of writing was a breeze to get through here and the book was relatively short considering there were a number of things going on so credit where credit is due to the author.

The characters in this were pretty 2 dimensional when you get past the main guy; there weren’t any which really stood out apart from Sheriff Maven who was just an ultra douche. The location was much better; a remote town in the north of USA, a storm approaching making the remote location seem even more hostile and dangerous. I was impressed by the layers added here but maybe some time could have been added to some of the other characters.

I was impressed enough to pick up the next book in the series but I will approach it when I’m looking for a thriller which won’t require too much thought process or time.

I’ve also realised that my brain is pretty lazy; one of the characters is called Franklin which instantly made my brain go here:



Describe the character as much as you want, but this is the image I will be using forever and a day for someone called Franklin.

If you like this try: “Sleepyhead” by Mark Billingham

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first 15 chapters of the book. In fact, I mentioned it to a friend as a book to look for. And then we reached chapter 16 and the entire book went weird. As in, I wondered if I had accidentally plugged in the wrong book. A suspect suddenly appears, the former cop makes a series of stupid B-movie decisions and an implausible showdown occurs. At that point, the end seems clear but I listed to the next few chapters while I waited for him to figure it out. I finally reached chapter 22 and I was so irritated by the author's closing technigue that I'm still annoyed by it, hours later. I feel that a good mystery wraps up with a solid closing and all questions are answered in a quick conversation. I'm even fine with epilogues. But a monologue? And a suggestion of illegal revenge? I feel like I started a great book, lost it in the middle and ended with a bad book.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Year of Mystery Continues!"... This book was a great surprise! I picked it up at Partners & Crime after discovering it on the "first in a series" display, after I noticed that a) it's set in Michigan (had just got back from a week's vacation there), b) it won the Edgar Award for best first novel, and c) it's relatively short and I was looking for a break from another book that I was having a hard time getting into. The overall premise seems formulaic at first - former cop now PI encounters a killer reminiscent of the case that ended his career... But the main character was interesting (think Harry Bosch but less grating) and the main mystery kept me guessing right up to the end. I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of Steve Hamilton's books!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after a Goodread friend suggested I try reading Steve Hamilton. Sorry for my ignorance but I had never heard of him but decided to read his first novel anyway.
How glad I am, I got into the book instantly and finished it the same day. The style of the book reminds me of one of my favourite authors, Harlan Coban. The story is fast paced and full of action and more than a hint of humour.
Thank you Jan I will be reading more of this author.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've never read an Alex McKnight book, let me fill you in on the background information. Fourteen years ago, Alex, a Detroit cop, was shot 3 times and his partner killed. Alex should probably be dead too as one bullet is still lodged next to his heart. The mentally ill man who shot them has been in a maximum security prison for the last 14 years. Alex took disability pay and moved to Paradise, Michigan where his father left him land and 6 cabins, which he rents out. He recently took work as a private investigator. His best friend calls him in the middle of the night for help and when Alex arrives, a bookie is dead and blood is everywhere. Then Alex starts to receive rambling letters that sound just like they're coming from the guy who is supposed to be locked up.

I read book #11 in this series a few months ago and liked it so much that I made myself a note to find others. This book is the first one in the series and it's a winner. I really like Alex. For me, it's a perfect mystery format -- murder occurs, strong main character who refuses to quit tracks down the killer while clashing with local cops who don't like him and are going off in the wrong direction. Just the right amount of sarcasm. The person behind it all wasn't too obvious, although clues were there for suspicious minds to put together.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting mystery with a damaged main character who has to come to grips with his fear. His phobia or PTSD (He was a cop who got shot on the job.) is the main thread running through the story. Occasionally it was a bit much & it was a long, twisty road to a satisfying end. Very well read.

The path was a bit too long & the characters weren't particularly well developed save for a couple of main ones. Several were just caricatures, but this was his first book. I came close to giving it 4 stars, so I expect future ones to be a real treat.

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published December 2011
Spoiler warning for details on second book in this series

“There is a bullet in my chest, less than a centimeter from my heart. I don’t think about it much anymore. It’s just a part of me now. But every once in a while, on a certain kind of night, I remember that bullet. I can feel the weight of it inside me. I can feel its metallic hardness. And even though that bullet has been warming inside my body for fourteen years, on a night like this when it is dark enough and the wind is blowing, that bullet feels as cold as the night itself.”

So begins A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton. Former Detroit police officer Alex McKnight now lives in Paradise, Michigan. He works reluctantly as a private investigator for a lawyer named Lane Uttley.

Alex thought he had put the nightmare of his partner’s death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. Maximilian Rose was convicted of his crimes, and has been locked away in the state pen for years. But on a cold and windy Halloween night in Paradise, a bloody death in a hotel room brings back the images of the night when Alex’s partner was murdered. Alex begins to think of his old partner Franklin more and more, and of the night a mad man took his life.

At 3:00 in the morning Alex receives a call from someone claiming to be a friend and taking responsibility for the killing of the bookmaker in the motel room. He tells Alex they will be together soon. Then a single red rose shows up on the doorstep of Alex’s cabin. With Rose locked away, who else could be killing people and leaving the same signature as Rose?

Steve Hamilton’s character, Alex McKnight, is a man haunted by the past who just wants to live a quiet life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He lives in one of six cabins his father built in the 1960s.

In Winter of the Wolf Moon, Hamilton’s second Alex McKnight novel, Alex has been content to sit by the fire at the Glasgow Inn with a bottle of Canadian beer, but events seem to spiral out of control. He is drawn into the life of an Ojibwa woman, and has to deal with an entire team of drug-crazed hockey goons, two mysterious men wearing guns and hunting caps, and a cold-blooded killer.

A Cold Day in Paradise won Steve Hamilton the Private Eye Writers of America/Martin’s Press Award for "Best First Mystery by an Unpublished Writer." Once published, it won the 1999 Edgar and Shamus Awards for "Best First Novel" and was short-listed for the Antony and Barry Awards. His second Alex McKnight novel, Winter of the Wolf Moon, was named one of the year’s "Notable Books" by the New York Times Book Review, and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, as did his third and fourth novels, The Hunting Wind and North of Nowhere.

Steve Hamilton’s books will draw you in and you will find yourself identifying with Alex McKnight.

Find this book and other titles within our catalog.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex McKnight was a Detroit police officer who witnessed the brutal murder of his partner and was nearly killed himself (he still has a bullet lodged an inch from his heart) by a psychopath named Rose. For fourteen years, McKnight has lived with the knowledge that Rose is behind bars. It's been a long, cold fourteen years, and McKnight doesn't carry the badge or the gun anymore. He lives in a quiet, uneventful little town called Paradise in the Upper Peninsula area of Michigan, far from Detroit and the bad memories that still, occasionally, trouble his sleep.

Somehow, McKnight fell into his current job of private detective, working for a lawyer. Nothing dangerous. Mostly boring stake-outs with a camera, or, if he's lucky, some delving into documents at the hall of records and Google searches.

Then, one night, his friend (a loose term, on his part), Edwin J. Fulton III, a sad-sack pathetic millionaire with a bad gambling problem and a gorgeous wife with whom McKnight had a regrettable affair, calls him up and begs him to come to a shady motel on the town's outskirts. McKnight does, only to find a gruesome murder scene. One of Edwin's bookies was supposed to meet him at the motel, but Edwin walked into the room (he claims) to find the man dead already. Unfortunately, Edwin's first instinct was to call his lawyer first, and then McKnight.

McKnight quickly butts heads with the sheriff in town, and it gets worse when other bookies show up dead. On top of everything, someone is leaving hints that Rose is somehow back in town, seeking some weird retribution against McKnight, despite the fact that the prison reports that Rose is still safely in his cell.

Thus begins Steve Hamilton's novel "A Cold Day in Paradise", the first in a series featuring Michigan private eye McKnight. It's a good, solid detective thriller, and McKnight is a character with a lot of interesting baggage. It's good enough that I look forward to reading the next in the series.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retired Detroit cop, a near victim of a deranged man's shooting who still carries one of the bullets lodged in his chest, moves to Paradise, Michigan, to start over. Alex McKnight lives in a cabin in the woods, one of six that his father built, that McKnight rents to hunters during the various hunting seasons while he becomes a private investigator for a local lawyer. McKnight befriends a wealthy man and has a short-lived affair with the Edwin Fulton's wife but remains the man's friend.

One night, he gets a frantic call from Fulton that turns his world on its edge. He's known fear before ... when he and his partner were shot, now he will experience it all again. Is he imagining it? Why is it happening? It's a race to discover to either insanity or resolution and McKnight isn't sure how much more he can take before all the pieces come together in a stunning conclusion.

This is amazing strong storytelling — a mystery and a thriller — and a definite hold-on-to-your-seat to the very last page. The characters are interesting, the dialogue realistic and the situations believable. Its almost too set to believe but while you are reading, you will be enthralled. Trust me, you won't want to put this one down.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started looking in to this series after reading The Second Life of Nick Mason, which was great.

This is the first of eleven in the series and it won the ‘99 Edgar and Shamus awards for best first novel. I liked how author didn’t overcommit on the cast of characters, and he incorporated the setting and the sense of a cold, dreary Michigan throughout the story. I just hope the depth of the character in Alex develops more in book #2.

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad mystery, with an interesting small-town Michigan setting. I only picked this up because it got recommended in a vague "readers also liked" kind of way for Julia Spencer-Fleming's books. Small town setting it had, ex-cop now PI for ex-army now chief-of-police it had, but other than that - Alex is no Russ, though he's mostly a pretty decent guy. I don't even know what to say about the "love interest" (it wasn't love)/ex (of an affair, as she's married)/clichéd gorgeous but maybe heartless rich-by-marriage woman. (I'm guessing she does *not* reappear, so it doesn't matter, in all likelihood.) Ending was about equal measure "well, yeah" and "didn't see *that* part coming". Mostly I enjoyed it in a lukewarm way, although sometimes I started getting very annoyed about all the driving while under the influence/half-dead of sleep lack. I thought there was potential for development of some pretty strong secondary characters (his friend in the bar and his other friend who works in one of the Ojibwa-owned casinos nearby), but not enough to make me commit to reading on in the series.

[Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio Book
2.0 Stars out of 5.0
This novel is the first in a series by author Steve Hamilton. "Alex McKnight" is retired policeman who was shot while on duty and now lives deep in the woods, living in and maintaining a row of hunter's cabins left to him by his uncle, or grandfather, or whomever, while also working as a stop-start PI. The story meandered from the beginning becoming less credible and less readable and I listened to the last one and half discs only because I was intrigued as to how the author would engineer the reasons for the rather boring and highly unlikely end.
I have read one other book by Steve Hamilton, "The Lock Artist" - 4.0 stars, hence the decision the start the McKnight series. I'll try book 2 and see if Hamilton and McKnight can salvage their joint reputations with me.
As other reviewers have mentioned, an excellent narration was provided by Nick Sullivan.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree that the overall premise seems formulaic at first - former cop now PI encounters a killer reminiscent of the case that ended his career. None the less I found that Alex McKnight is a detective that I can care about and I didn't guess the end too soon. It was also one of those books that makes me start casting the movie in my head which is a good sign.

I agree that this series is a "You might also like" for the earlier Julia Spencer-Fleming books. I would also recommend it to someone who likes to read something like James Lee Burke but not as edgy as Lee Child. And dress warm.

[Nel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning piqued my interest, but that was all. I started out liking McKnight, but soon lost interest & just wished he would go away. Alex is like most of the others in this genre ... divorced/loner, alcoholic/addict, ex-military/ex-cop, horrible people skills/terrible relationships ... the list goes on. Plot was too weird & no resolution ... by the end of the story ... I just didn't care about any of the 2D characters ... just wanted them to go away. And of course the whole Sylvia thing could have been left out of the story ... I wish writers & editors would get it out of their heads that you don't need a "Sylvia" in every book written. Not sure I will pick up another in this series or anything else by this writer.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author and series to me, and I am always glad to find both. I like the former Detroit cop, Alex McKnight as he fights the demons of dealing with the death of his former partner. Along with the nightmares, Alex is faced with unraveling the mystery of whether the man who shot both he and his partner is able to perpetrate the killings when he is in prison. I didn’t see the resolution at all, and there is an interesting cliffhanger at the end. My only criticism is all the cursing. That way of talking is so far from how my family, friends and I talk. I know that is realistic for law enforcement and also the criminal element, but too much is overkill. And with audio it really hits me harder.

[Kathy]

I can't go on reading this Edgar award winner. Alex is not my kind of anti-hero.
Leaving it unfinished at 29%. I had not tried this author before, and since a number of goodreads reviewers like the series I gave it a try.
The area is familiar to me, a place where I have unhappily vacationed years ago (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan). Gave it a fair chance - both the town and the book. No revisits for me.
After reading some more critical reviews on Amazon, I plan to try his stand-alone novel that is being made into a movie about a kid who knows locks.

Library Loan

[L.A. Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am familiar with the Michigan setting and so especially liked the book for the places and climate I recognized.

Hamilton keeps the action going and the tension high throughout. His ending twist is worthy of O. Henry.

My only quibble is with the plot device of the cell phone left in the truck (so no means of communication when the landline is cut)--that's hard to believe.

This is stellar writing; it is easy to understand why A Cold Day in Paradise got an Edgar.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book in the series introduces Alex McKnight, and tells how he got shot, with a bullet lodged close to his heart. Retreating to a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, he eventually gets bored enough to become a PI for a shady lawyer.

His wealthy friend has a gambling problem. When he goes to pay a bookie, the bookie is dead, shot and stabbed.

It seems like the perp may be the guy that shot Alex years ago. Alex gets on the case, and spends most of his time driving around, confused.

Got a lot of fanfare, but I found it a bit above average.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up
New author and very enjoyable series starter.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cautionary note: this review was written after reading the first novel in this series. Series reviews are fickled, unpredictable, and sometimes downright wrong if you base the entire series review on just the first puzzled bite. Maybe the cold weather outside's is making me grumpy, or I just don't wanna go all the way downtown to work, or maybe I just don't feel like pouring honey over my cereal. Whatever!

Not that this isn't a good read. I finished it in record time. Frowning for an acceptable answer, I think I'm just overdosing on the formulaic approach of the genre: alcoholics, disturbed detectives, problematic relationships, flat characters thrown in for window dressing, PTSD, distrust with authority figures, all of it put together in relatively short novels (As compared to, say, Jo Nesbo's much longer novels). It's been done a million times over by very good authors and not so good authors. Steve Hamilton probably falls somewhere in the middle, or probably leans strongly towards the good side (If I look beyond my grumpiness).

Personally, if you like Michigan novels, small town settings, detectives turned PI, loners and if you enjoy a colorful heritage thrown in than my preference (as compared to this first Hamilton novel) is for the work of William Kent Krueger. If you enjoyed Hamilton's book for its location and mystery than read the Cork O'Connor series. Krueger's novels are set just West in Minnesota and are superior to Hamilton's in my opinion. The Cork O'Connor series has more depth, better character development, portray a deeper insight into American Indian culture so prevalent in the region, contain deep philosophical musings and moral insight into who we are as human beings, and deliver great mysteries. Ok, I'll stop plugging O'Connor now (LOL). The two authors are very similar in their subject matter and setting.

So, I guess if you're in the mood for an easy read, some genre escapism, something enjoyable, a book that moves fast and it's over, but are not in the mood to be flabbergasted by the author...than these book are for you. Enjoy!

Grumpiness update: ok, since I've only read the first in the series, I gave Alex #2 a try...mainly because I have a (hopefully)short layover while I hunt down a copy of Frelseren(The Redeemer), Nesbo's 7th. I found Winter of the Wolf Moon an equally enjoyable read: nothing extra-ordinary. I have come to see this series as something to read when I can't find other books I really, really want to read.

[Manray9 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shamus and Edgar Award Winner? Very disappointing!

Too much hype for a disappointing novel. Sappy dialogue, virtually no character development, and a hero who can't decide if he's Dirty Harry or Pee Wee Herman characterize this "award winner." The ending is a let down. After an interesting, but not unforeseeable plot twist, the story just ends -- no resolution, no follow up -- it just leaves you hanging. Steve Hamilton apparently ran out of ideas, reached his word quota, or was saving up for a sequel. You should save up your money.

[Jaksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this book won several awards when it first came out, but I see it as an average mystery thriller - and I kept in mind the time period - mid-1990's - and where we were, technology-wise, etc.

Alex McKnight, former policeman with a bullet lodged next to his heart - which can't be removed - and who lost his partner in a bizarre shooting years ago has moved to the small time of Paradise, Michigan. (He carries around memories, and regrets, about he how he lost his former partner.) Alex manages a string of cabins on a lake and does some PI work. This is a similar scenario to many a good mystery series involving a man or woman, older or younger, retired or still working. The setup here: a local bookie has been found violently murdered, followed by another one, and then a friend of Alex's is missing, presumed dead.

The current police chief is a beast-to-the-max, whom Alex barely tolerates. AND - and it's a big 'AND,' the friend who's missing is married to a woman Alex was intensely involved with. In fact, Alex used to see the woman behind the friend's back. Add in the fact that the man who killed Alex's partner - now in prison - is sending Alex messages, some pinned to his door with a knife. Yeah, this is all sort-of-tropey, yet interesting.

I had no problem with any of this, but certain things just read false, one of them being the way Mr. Hamilton treats women...

When Alex and this woman get together they throw hate-sparks at one another that could trigger a gasoline fire at fifty feet. But who knew that beneath every dark, mean, nasty comment there was a deep and abiding love? Or if not love, attraction? Plain old lust? Even for the 90's, it felt artificial and false. Chemistry between a man and a woman doesn't always involve zingers and dirty looks and lots of arguments, etc. It read to me like so many cop/detective TV shows do when a man and a woman seem to hate each other, but ya know, they really do like each other. At any rate, Alex and the woman's relationship was waaaaay over the top.

There's another woman in the book, too; his missing friend's mother. She's not much better: pushy, manipulative, and altogether unpleasant. But then, she's pushing sixty, so you know how old women get.

However, I just might read the next book in the series, and the reason? I did like McKnight. He's an intense, non-stereotypical, former police detective with enough back story to keep me interested despite my criticism.

Three stars.

[Michael L Wilkerson (Papa Gray Wolf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a previous book by Mr. Hamilton - The Second Life Of Nick Mason - and I liked it. This book didn't quite measure up to Second Life but I'm going to give Mr. McKnight another try if for no other reason than I like the title of the next book, Winter Of The Wolf Moon. Hey, there are worse ways to choose a book! I also have Exit Strategy, the second in the Nick Mason series. That should give me plenty to determine whether I'll stick with Hamilton or not.

So what was wrong with A Cold Day? Not a lot wrong, just not a lot right with it either. A very middle of the road book. There is also a conspiracy that defies logic and an ending that was so open ended as to be hardly an ending at all. But then maybe that's the point. I'll find out in Winter, I hope.

I'm not saying a lot about this book because. . . well I'm not sure what to say. It left me going. . . hmmm. I'm hoping Winter won't change that into a humph but rather a hmmm! We'll have to wait and see.

[Rob Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

I bought this book during a road trip through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It appealed to me for three reasons: 1). The book’s story took place in the area I was traveling in, so while reading it I’d be able to picture the settings (love that!); 2). The book won an Edgar Award for “Best First Mystery” (I work Edgar-Award winners into my reading cycle on a regular basis--always worthwhile); and, 3). My purchase of it helped to support a local small business! Win-win-win!

In short, this is one of the best written and most intriguing mysteries I’ve read in a long time. Strong narrative, interesting (if sometimes a tad cliched noir) characters, and plotting that kept me engaged and guessing the entire time. When you’re in the mood for some genre fiction, this would be an excellent choice!

P.S. This author won a second Edgar Award (!!!) for Best Mystery (“The Lock Artist”) ten years after winning his first Edgar for this book. Remarkable! Can’t wait to read the later one.