I haven't read the first book in the series, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this one!

Caz Frear has given us a gritty police procedural set in London and revolving around a dysfunctional family, none of whom can be trusted!  The book is intricately and very cleverly plotted and I loved Ms Frear's writing style.  It is paced just right and immediately drew me in and didn't let go.

I love the character of Cat Kinsella, who has a very interesting backstory.  She's feisty but sensitive, and not afraid to break the rules.  I   loved the relationship between her and the older DS Luigi Parnell, who is a bit like a father figure to Cat, and who I found adorable.  I also liked the character of Cat's DCI, Kate Steele.

I will definitely be reading Book 1 to discover more about Cat's backstory, and future books will be snapped up.

Initially I did not realise that this was the second book in the DC Cat Kinsella series but this book also works well as a standalone.
In 'Stone Cold Heart' we follow Cat and her team who are investigating the death of Naomi Lockhart, a young Australian woman who was working in London. Joseph Madden, a local coffee shop manager, is quickly identified as a suspect and coincidentally Cat knows Joseph through being her local barista. There was previously an awkward exchange between Joseph and Cat where he sought advice regarding his wife allegedly threatening him although was unable to provide any evidence leading Cat to question the validity of the claims. Joseph claims he is innocent and provides an alibi that he was at home with his wife at the time of the murder - an alibi that his wife will not corroborate. Cat knows there is more to this story and sets about to uncover the truth.
The story is told from the POV of Cat and she, along with her partner Sergeant Luigi Parnell, are wonderfully real characters with sharp and engaging dialogue throughout. Cat also has a very intriguing back story which is slowly being revealed - I imagine there is more to come from this series as the book seemed to end on a slight cliff-hanger.
Overall a very enjoyable read and an author I will look forward to reading again. 
4 stars and thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Naomi Lockhart is found dead from a blow to her head, in her flat. Circumstantial evidence seems to point to her boss’s brother in law as the killer, but DC Cat Kinsella delves deeper and uncovers links to an old case. Can she and the team find their way through the lies and misleading clues to the truth?

This was a clever story, with many twists and turns along the way, as all the characters have something to hide, including Kinsella. Running through the book was references to her father’s involvement in a girl’s disappearance many years earlier. I found the tantalising glimpses more annoying than intriguing as there wasn’t enough information to fully understand what had happened and I’m guessing this is leading to a sequel. For me, it made what would have been a really gripping ending into a disappointment.  I felt the book got bogged down in the middle, with not a lot happening, and probably could have been much shorter in length.

Slow start with several unrelated threads but once the story got going it was an interesting and very complex murder mystery. Some good, realistic characters and unexpected conclusion.

I am yet to give this a star rating. As a consequence I've listed it as 5* until the book proves otherwise.

Unfortunately I didn't have the time to read this before it was archived, but the plot sounds so interesting that I shall be purchasing it to read at a later date, I'm looking forward to it.

If I could have give three and a half I would have but three stars it will have to be. 
I enjoyed the characters more than the story on the whole so I am planning on reading more from Caz Frear even though this one wouldn’t be on my must read list.

An enjoyable book to read once I got into it, as it was a bit of a slow starter - not sure if that was because I hadn't read book 1?  But once I got into it, it was really good to read and kept you guessing all the way until the very end.

Not a bad read at all, a twisty turny tale that I thought I'd guessed but didn't at all, great story line all brought together well

I haven't read anything with this particular DI in before, but do not feel as though that mattered.  A real page-turner, filled with twists and turns.

Crikey, why have I only just discovered the Cat Kinsella crime thriller series now? Stone Cold Heart is the second book in the series and its a cracker - full of depth, intrigue and twists. As a lover of crime fiction, I really loved this - so much so I've lined up the first book in the series <em>Sweet Little Lies to devour on holiday cause I want more of Cat Kinsella. I can't wait!

I know loads of you love a good crime thriller and if you've not already discovered the Cat Kinsella books by Caz Frear, you need to read them. Believe me, you won't be disappointed!

Stone Cold Heart begins with DC Cat Kinsella feeling uncomfortable when the flirty guy in her local coffee shop claims that his wife is threatening him, yet is vague with the details. As there's nothing she can do, Cat tells him to report it at his local police station. 

Dismissing it as marriage trouble, Cat forgets all about it until Naomi Lockheart, a 22 year-old Australian girl is found murdered with all evidence leading to Joseph, the flirty coffee guy. Joseph claims his wife is setting him up yet his wife is adamant he didn't do it. This leads to even more intrigue...

This is a fast paced page turner, so it’s a brilliant read to really immerse yourself in. It’s also very character driven, which as you know is a real winner for me. In Cat Kinsella Caz Frear has created a fantastic lead character – extremely likeable, vulnerable, committed to her job yet massively conflicted by her loyalties to her family which live on the fringes of the crime world.

Full of intrigue and twists, this is a novel that totally gripped me; but it also made me laugh, which I found so refreshing in a crime novel. I absolutely loved the banter in Kinsella’s police team as it was dry, funny and so real. I also loved the skilful use humour brilliantly juxtaposed with the dramatic tension of the story;

‘Woke up to find the new puppy’s chewed nearly every shoe I own, and then to cap that off, some idiot parked his Beamer in front of my drive so I couldn’t get the car out. Which meant I had to walk to the station, and then there was a signal failure on the Victoria line.’ He wrestles with his top button, loosens his tie. ‘Christ, this never happened to Starsky & Hutch. You never saw them getting in a flap topping up their Oyster card. They just jumped in the Gran Torino and off they went.’

So if you’re like me and you love being gripped by a damn good story, go and grab your copy of Stone Cold Heart now as it was only published a few days ago.

Thank you to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to be part of the Stone Cold Heart blog tour – I loved it and am going to be reading Sweet Little Lies very, very soon. A massive thank you to Caz Frear for giving us a truly great read with brilliant characters full of life, warmth and humanity.



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This is a fantastic book, I do feel I’d have been better to read the previous book in the series as there were a few references to Cats past and personally I like to know everything about the characters I’m reading. However not knowing didn’t take anything away from this book which I really enjoyed. I was gripped from start to finish and only put it down to sleep.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This was a new author for me and I have to say I wasn’t disappoint, the storyline was steady all the way through and the characters were relatable. There were two stories intertwined within the narrative and I found myself wanting to know more about the story of Cat, her dad, her boyfriend and the history that binds them together. The main storyline kept me guessing right to the end and as with any good book there were characters I warmed to and there were characters who deserved a good dose of karma. I will certainly look out for other books by this author and maybe if this book becomes part of a series. The story was well written and easy to read definitely my kind of book and written in a style I like.

A beautiful young Australian girl, Naomi,  arrives in London with everything to look forward to.  At 22 years old she finds work as a temp and spends her free time exploring the sights.

DC Cat Kinsella teams up with DS Luigi Parnell when they are called to the scene of a murder.  They have worked together for a number of years in the Murder Investigation Team, headed by DI Steele.

Naomi worked for Kirstie Connor and attended a work party with fireworks, the day before her death.  The police call at her house where some of her close family are visiting.

This is a keen observation of family strengths and weaknesses.  In the midst of their inquiries, is Joseph Madden who is a narcissistic fantasist and bully.  He appears to be at the forefront of this investigation and his lies are quite incredible.

The author manages to keep us guessing and the plots has twists and turns.  This certainly deserves a 5***** from me.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my advanced copy.

This is the second book featuring Cat Kinsella. I think I should have read Caz Frear’s first novel, Sweet Little Lies which outlines Cat’s back story. But this certainly didn’t put me off as it could be read as a stand-alone thriller.

Written in the first person with a great plot and a ‘he said/she said’ premise. 

Highly recommended.
Rating: 3.5/5

Firstly, I’d like to thank Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book before the release date. 

Description: When DC Cat Kinsella is approached by Joseph Madden for help with his wife, Rachel, there's not much she can do. Joseph claims that Rachel has been threatening him, but can't - or won't - give Cat details as to why. Dismissing it as a marriage on the rocks, Cat forgets about it.

That is until Naomi Lockhart, a young PA, is found dead after a party attended by both Joseph and Rachel, and Joseph is arrested for the murder. Joseph says his wife is setting him up. His wife says he didn't do it. The trail of evidence leads to even more questions.

All in all a very enjoyable read, with some very interesting characters, particularly Rachel and her womanising and fantasist husband Joseph. The book is fast paced with plenty of twists and turns, however as a word of warning I would read the first book in the series first before reading Stone Cold as the first book tells you about The lead character Cat’s backstory. This is important as she has a complex history and the first book explains this. 

Looking forward to the next book in the series

#2 book featuring Cat Kinsella, but while you miss the background to the Maryanne story it’s easy to read as a stand-alone.

DC Cat Kinsella is picking up her coffee from The Grindhouse, and the flirty barista, chases after her, he wants a quick chat. He asks for advice on his wife, said she’s acting oddly and threatening him, saying she will make him pay…..he won’t elaborate any further so Cat tells him it could be Controlling and Coercive behaviour and to speak to his local police station……she then forgets it, but gets her coffee elsewhere from then on…

Then the body of Naomi Lockhart is found and when interviewing friends and family, they find Joseph, the flirty Barista….is a prime suspect.

He says his wife is setting him up……she says he didn’t do it…just who did kill Naomi?

This is told in Cat’s voice, her humour and personality shine through with all its flaws and personal life issues alongside her determination as a detective. The working relationship she has with Parnell feels so true to life, with its banter and emotions…all credit to Caz Frear’s creative writing…..

It’s not a fast paced read, but there are plenty of twists and turns, with Cat’s internal thoughts adding to the investigation, to make this a compelling page-turner…..

Thank you to The publishers, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook.  This is my honest, unbiased review

This was another fantastic addition to one of my favourite crime series. It was great to be able to catch up with Kinsella and the team again!

Cat Kinsella is fast becoming my favourite female protagonist and I really enjoyed the careful balancing act she does between her work and dealing with her rather dysfunctional family. She’s strong, brave, and capable but is able to show her vulnerabilities too which makes you warm to her quickly. Her team in the police are also very likeable and I loved to read about all the banter between them. They seem very able to play to their strengths and weaknesses which made for fascinating reading. They are all very well drawn characters and seem to work together very effectively which was very nice to read about.

This was a well paced book which was easy to get into and I soon found myself emersed into the story. The plot is very clever with lots of twists to keep me firmly on my toes. Just when I thought I had figured everything out, something would happen which would send the story in a completely new direction. It was a very engaging story with lots of different threads happening alongside each other to keep the reader interested. The cliffhanger at the end was very intriguing and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre Books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

All I’m thinking after turning the last page of Stone Cold Heart is, whoa. Suffice to say it has left me eager to get my hands on the next Cat Kinsella novel as soon as possible.

Caz Frear is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. When I read her debut, Sweet Little Lies, I absolutely loved her writing style, and I instantly got on with Cat Kinsella. She is a character who is full of wit, but she isn’t without her own flaws. Events in the last book nearly broke her after she learned the truth about a girl who went missing from her hometown in Ireland almost twenty years previously. Although there are some references to that case in this book, it can still be read as a stand-alone, but I would definitely recommend that you read the first one as well. 

The novel starts with a shifty individual, Joseph Madden asking Cat for help after he has become concerned about threats his wife has made against him and he is desperately seeking advice. Cat is quite quick to dismiss the claims, but after a girl has been found dead, after a night out at a party which Joseph attended, along with members of his family, she has to get to the bottom of what’s going on. And she has to unpeel the layers sewn together by those closest to events which took place to uncover the truth. 

There are so many interesting aspects to Cat Kinsella’s character. I particularly enjoyed reading the scenes when she is with her own family and her relationship with them, particularly with her father, is put to the test, both in this book and in the last. 

Caz Frear is a writer who really adds depth to her characters. It is as though they could be people you know in real life. Stone Cold Heart is utterly brilliant. Once the next book is out, I’m sure I’ll be dropping everything to read it. Great stuff. If you haven’t yet read Caz’s books, you really need to.

Do read Sweet Little Lies, the first book in this series before this one as there is so much background on why DC Cat Kinsella is like she is, both in relationships and her work. She really is a tough little cookie that I want to see make it big, as no-one really tries harder. 
When Joseph Madden asks Kinsella for help, but won't explain what the problem really is, she dismisses him as a man with marriage troubles trying to pull a fast one on her but when a young woman is found murdered in her flat after a party attended by Joseph and his wife Rachel then it certainly pricks her interest. The Maddens are one extremely unlikable family that can't seem to live together but can't live apart. 
The Maddens have a turbulent relationship that felt like everything they said was a lie. The more that was uncovered and the further away from the truth I seemed to get.  
I loved the parts that involved Kinsella's family, a dark side of her life that she is desperate to keep away from the new one she is making. There is nothing worse for someone though than being told to keep out of her past. It only makes them more determined to find out why. What she sees recognises as trouble someone sees as glamour, something is brewing and bubbling, but I am not sure if she is reading this right. 
Caz Frear has become to me the Queen of suspense in slow burn novels that have an almighty side punch at the end. Brilliant conclusion but left desperate for the next book.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

My thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an eARC via NetGalley of Caz  Frear’s ‘Stone Cold Heart’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published on the 27th June and I have since purchased my own copy on Kindle. 

I wasn’t aware in advance that this was the second in her series of police procedurals featuring D.C. Cat Kinsella. However, there was enough background so that I didn’t feel lost. There was snippets of information about the case covered in ‘Sweet Little Lies’ but as I intend to read it I just skimmed over these.

When D.C. Cat Kinsella is approached by flirty barista Joseph looking for advice about his wife, claiming that she was threatening him, Cat can only suggest that he contact his local station. 

Then a few months later she is called to a crime scene. Naomi, a young Australian woman, has been murdered. It soon is revealed that Naomi was working as a PA to Kristie Conner, who just happened to be the sister-in-law to Rachel, Joseph’s wife. Joseph quickly becomes a suspect in this twisty whodunnit.

This was a very solid police procedural, the kind that I appreciate for the sense of authenticity linked to the investigation. It is not a fast moving read but one that carefully develops the case point by point with plenty of detail and strong characterisations.

Cat’s voice as narrator was very easy to relate to and her observations about her colleagues brought wry humour to a tense situation. 

It certainly proved an engaging read and as said above I plan to read the first in the series and to remain on the lookout for further cases for Cat and Co.