This was well written but I would have to reread sections and pay close attention due to the time variances which was an issue for me. I found it dragging a bit.

As far as historical fictions go, A Cold Wind Down the Grey" was very interesting. The novel is set in New Zealand during the mid-1800s. Inspector James is the main character in the story. In the town of Greymouth, there's been a disappearance. Not only that he's dealing with "The Burgess Gang" - the story is captivating and keeps you interested until the very end.

In 1888, William Henry James has worked his way up the ranks, in both the Australian and New Zealand police forces. He lives in Greymouth, in New Zealand, with his wife Elizabeth, he’s shocked when he’s forced to retire due to funding cuts and he looks back at his thirty seven year police career.

In 1866, the Burgess gang killed five innocent men on the Maungatapu track and soon after another body was discovered. George Dobson was from one of New Zealand’s most affluent families, he was a nice young man, his future was bright and he worked as a surveyor. He’d been missing for six weeks, when detective James found his body in a shallow grave, the case still haunts him and all these years later.

A Cold Wind Down the Grey is based on a true story and the author Wendy M. Wilson is distantly related to George Dobson by marriage. William Henry James did his best to keep crime in the area under control, it was impossible in the gold fields, and unfortunately for poor George Dobson he was a tragic victim. You’re given an idea of what it was like in New Zealand at the time, it was a wild place to live and even ex Australian convicts had moved there. The personal toll being in the police force took on the James’s marriage, they moved around a lot, lived in very remote and unsanitary places, the couple lost five young children and the infant mortality rate at the time was shocking.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, an interesting read and about an infamous criminal case in New Zealand in the 1860’s, and three and a half stars from me.

Too bad this book was not compatible with my kindle e-device. I love reading stories, both contemporary and historical, set in New Zealand.

This book was alright. I'm a fan of true crime and memoirs but this was historical fiction. And I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction. I find it drags and I get a bit bored, which is what I found with this. I struggled a little to get into the story.

It just wasn't for me... :/

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Cold Wind Down the Grey is a good historical fiction novel. The storyline is interesting and the characters are well developed. I enjoyed the book.