Long running soap operas are known for going off on wild tangents. Characters are dead, then alive, then cloned, then get amnesia, then a sex change, then babies are kidnapped, then aliens arrive, and the twists go on. We have the same situation here. "Cold as Ice" is the latest in a long series about Lucy Kincaid, her colleagues, her enemies and her friends. The problem for me, coming in at the tail in a series of thrillers like this, is that while the protagonists' experiences were incremental and probably seem kinda normal to fans, they seem quite bizarre clustered together. In one paragraph Lucy summarizes her experience: rape, torture, gunshot wounds, etc., etc. Real people don't have lives like this. Real bodies don't survive trauma like this.

The story itself is one of those "bad guy secretly executes a master strategy that out maneuvers our guys at every turn but in the end good triumphs, but not without cost" tales. Not my favorite plotline but if you like this kind of story it's a cracker. Really good and well written. Except – and this is quite a strong reservation – has Seth always been such a self-pitying wuss? He acts as if he has just joined the spy team without any training. It's an unattractive portrayal.

Followers of Lucy Kincaid will like this book. As a newcomer, left me a bit cold.

I received a review copy of "Cold as Ice" by Allison Brennan from St. Martins Press through Gumshoe Review where this review originally appeared online in the April 2021 issue. ( )

I did not want to put this book down. I had not read a Lucy Kincaid book in a long time and am sorry that I gave missed many in the series. This was a wonderful story of suspense and intrigue. I also love how the love shines through between Lucy and Sean. I also loved that they brought in storylines that included most of Lucy’s and Sean’s families. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I received a copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )