Synopses & Reviews
In the frozen reaches of Michigans Upper Peninsula, fierce winter storms can hit without notice. In the white opacity of one such blizzard, Norman Haas simply walks away from his prison work detail without detection.
After agonizing days of blistering cold, Norman finds himself at the farmhouse of a lonely middle-aged woman who gives him temporary shelter while keeping him at a comfortable distance with her late husbands shotgun. When she tries to turn him in, he escapes again. Thus begins a riveting story of Normans journey back to his past, back to the woman he loved who betrayed him, back to the brother who helped put him away, and back to a dangerous web of family allegiances, deceptions, and intrigue.
On Normans trail is Del Maki, the hard-working sheriff of Yellow Dog Township, a fork in the road on the way to Canada. Cold takes us deep into an intricate, fascinating tale, where love, greed, and the promise of a last chance compel six people toward a chilling and inevitable reckoning.
Review
"John Smolens is that rare and gifted writer who can capture both our exterior and interior worlds with equal dexterity, grace, and power. Cold is a novel so riveting you will absolutely not be able to put it down, and these characters will stay with you long after turning the last page." Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog
Review
"Cold is a finely crafted, wild yarn set in the great north. John Smolens gives us a suspenseful tale in a style somewhere between Jack London and Raymond Chandler. A fine read." Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall
Review
"Those who read suspense novels for their projection of justice and resolution will find a winner here in this well-plotted and well-written tale fueled by a sense of impending disaster." Danise Hoover, Booklist
Review
"In prose that is as pure and clear as the cold it evokes, Smolens probes intimate relationships and reveals nefarious schemes in a gripping story. Absolutely compelling." Michele Leber, Library Journal
Review
"Smolens's skill in rendering scenes of stunning brutality and uncommon tenderness, his crisp dialogue, vigorous writing style and keen descriptive powers all make this a first-rate thriller." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
When his prison work detail gets caught in a blinding snowstorm in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Norman Hass uses the opportunity to walk away, as though slipping behind an opaque white curtain. Thus begins a riveting tale of Norman's journey back to his past, to the woman he loves who betrayed him, to the brother who helped put him away, and to a dangerous web of family alliances, deceptions, and intrigue.