Publisher: Brigham Distributing
Date of Publication: September 2011
Mandy Steenburg thinks her doctorate in education has prepared her to run any school district - until she tangles with the moonshine-making, coon-dog-owning denizens of a tiny district in Pacific Northwest timber country. She's determined to make a difference, but the local populace still looks to the former superintendent for leadership. When Mandy lands in the middle of an old feud and someone keeps trying to kill her, instinct tells her to run. And though she has to literally swim through perilous waters, she finds a reason to stay and chance the odds.
Cold River is an enjoyable story. Mandy Steenburg makes a move to a small town to take over as superintendent, but nothing has prepared her for the opposition she meets. At first I wasn't sure I liked Mandy all that much. She did come off very strong in the beginning, as if she was going to come in and save everyone. But, as I read the book, I began to like her more. She wasn't afraid to stand up for her beliefs, but she was also able to allow people to change her attitude about the town.
I was under the impression going into this book that it was a romantic suspense. I would have said it was more of a suspense novel. The romance in the book is almost non-existent. I'm not even sure when Mandy and Grange were supposed to have fallen in love. So the HEA in the end of the book seemed off and forced to me. I did have a hard time figuring out who the bad guy was and was surprised in the end.
Cold River is worth picking up. Give it a shot.
Books by Liz Adair include the Spider Latham Mystery Series, consisting of The Lodger, After Goliath and Snakewater Affair and Mist of Quarry Harbor. Liz is also the co-editor (with her daughters Terry Gifford and Ruth Lavine) of Lucy Shook's Letters from Afghanistan. Her book Counting the Cost, a novel based on family history, won the 2009 Whitney Award and was a finalist for the Willa Award and Arizona Publisher Association’s Glyph Award. Her newest book, a romantic suspense set in Pacific Northwest timber country and titled Cold River, is out in October 2011.
Liz and husband, Derrill, live in Sedro Woolley, Washington. Besides writing, Liz works as a forensic scheduler doing project delay analyses.
Liz is active in American Night Writers Association and LDStorymakers and belongs to the Skagit Valley Writer’s League.
2 comments:
Thanks for reviewing COLD RIVER, Kari. Wow. Your blog is impressive. I appreciate the service you do to readers and writers alike as you publish your book reviews.
I don't know how I happened to post as 'unknown.' It said I could pick my identity after I posted, but I've had this tussel with Google before. Anyway, t'was I, Liz Adair, who thanked you for reviewing Cold River.
Post a Comment