First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. This is crime fiction and a thriller in one book. DI Emily Kenyon is investigating a local family who have been found murdered, the elder son is missing and a presumed suspect. We learn about Emily , her daughter, Jenna and her estranged husband as the story progresses. Their relationships play a part in this investigation , as do the dynamics of the murdered family. The characters are real and the pace of the story is fast. However, I somehow felt slightly ill at ease with the conclusion. It didn't feel right to me. I am sure that others will have a different opinion, so I will still recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Emily Kenyon.

Its small-town setting enhances this dark murder mystery. Detective Emily Kenyon knows the town and wants to keep control of the case. She has a personal connection, as she knows the victims, and when her daughter becomes entangled in it, this challenges Emily's objectivity. I appreciated the atmospheric ambience, the menacing undertone, and the small-town setting of this crime thriller.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A Gruesome Killing..
A gruesome killing at a remote farmhouse, a missing boy and a detective leading the hunt. Detective Emily Kenyon is in charge of the investigation- seeking both killer/s and missing boy. Yet when almost identical incidents occur in other places just days apart, can Kenyon tie up the crimes? A pacy thriller with a well drawn and credible cast of characters populating a propulsive plot with a well imagined sense of place. Fast and immersive.

Loved this one. It's a good mix of thriller and only shows the personal and emotional connects. The characters are well written and the supporting characters do well.

Told in multiple perspectives I liked how it ties together. The murder cases and the race to find out the killer and what is going on is interesting. You see the lead's life unfold in parallel to this mayhem. Quite a thrilling read!

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I enjoyed A Cold Dark Place! It started off a little slow, but about halfway through I couldn’t put it down! I’m excited to read more books in this series and get to know Emily more.

BOOK: A COLD DARK PLACE
AUTHOR: GREG OLSEN
PUB DATE: MAY, 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I loved the murder mystery in this book, it was amazing with the most satisfying ending. Anyway, the murder was that of a family of four with the first son being the prime suspect and the main detective on the case, Emily Kenyon. The book was equally focused on solving the case and Emily's personal life.
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The murder case was really interesting, and I felt like the author managed to bring it home. However, there were a few things I'd have changed or added. But, I liked how the past and present came together. At first, it was confusing to see how both parts would connect. I was pleased when I finally understood the hows and whys. However, there was a mention of another family murder case similar to this one, but it was abandoned in the end. It was disappointing for me. But, I liked how Emily solved the case using the available clues even when her daughter ran away. She was good enough. But, Olga Morris was also a good detective, she was a character from the past.
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Emily's personal life was complicated with her divorce from her cheating husband, a breakup from a problematic ex with a missing daughter. Some times, Emily was kinda difficult, especially with her ex's new wife. At the same time, she's only human, so I allowed her that. But, she was an amazing mother.
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I liked the storyline, the characters, the fast pace and the setting. I read this book in two days alone, so eager to know who the culprit was. I would definitely recommend this
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Dark ,gritty thriller with a great many twists and turns. Interesting characters who make strange choices. Also quite a strange plot.

Emily Kenyon is a local detective and a single mother to a teenage girl named Jenna. Their life is uprooted when a recent tornado touches down, and they discover the bodies of a local family. However, it wasn't the tornado that killed them. The mystery draws Emily and Jenna down a dangerous path and into the sights of a notorious serial killer.

Detective series, primarily featuring female leads, are my go-to genre, and this is a good first entry into a new series. Emily is strong and fierce, with a deep love for her daughter and a passion for justice. I look forward to meeting her again in book 2!

Thank you, Storm Publishing, for the e-book ARC. All opinions are my own.

A Cold Dark place was a fast paced and well written book. Quite a few twists that really made the book hard to put down.

Wow, this is an amazing experience! Emily Kenyon is a detective for the Cherrystone Police Department. Cherrystone is a town in Washington State its population is less than 15,000 people. Their town had recently had a tornado hit it and Emily hadn't gotten any sleep because of it. Her daughter, Jenna, was on her own to get herself up and ready for school. Sometimes even for dinner time, as well.
Emily was a single mom doing the best she could, seeing how her ex David lived in Seattle with his new girlfriend and new baby to be.. Emily got called out, after having dinner with her daughter to a scene that at first looked like the tornado had ripped it apart. Then after the first police officer had gotten there, he showed her what he thought looked like a homicide. Then they found the next body and, the next. It was a family of four though so where was the fourth young boy?

After work Emily comes home and yells out to Jenna that she needs to get going because her ride for school is here. Shali was Jenna best friend. She picked her up for school every morning. When she showed up this morning there was no Jenna. Emily went running around the house looking for her screaming for her and she was no where.

Jenna was gone!

This is an awesome thriller, and if you don't loose your breath while reading this then you are already dead!

Emily Kenton is a flawed person but there is so much depth to her character that you can’t help but back her all the way as she fights to save her daughter and solve both a past and present mystery. Full of amazing supporting characters, this is a deep and rich book which allows you to feel truly part of the story. It’s pretty dark at times and the author doesn’t shy away from some shocking details as the full extent of the historical crimes comes to light. I was absolutely riveted and am delighted to see there is more to come featuring Emily.

I enjoy Gregg Olsen's Waterman and Stark series, and also the two non fiction books that I have read. This one sounded good- and so I started reading. I quickly discovered that I had read this book before. It was originally published in 2007, and I guess I read it a couple years after publication. It is getting re-published. And I realized why I never rated it- I did not enjoy it at all. The characters are very two dimensional, and the lead detective, Emily Kenyon, made some questionable choices that did not ring true. She doesn't seem to have a good relationship with anyone, including her daughter. Yet we are given no backstory as to why. So the relationships seem to begin one way, then suddenly change- and I couldn't tell why they changed- except to further the plot or add tension????
The plot was all over the place, with more questions than answers. And the end and the solution came out of left field.

I am so glad that I didn't remember this, because I really like his non-fiction, as well as the other series.

Thank you NetGalley and Pinnacle Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

If you’re in the mood for a gripping, fast-paced thriller with just the right dose of psychological tension, A Cold Dark Place delivers.

From the opening pages, I was hooked by the brutal farmhouse murders in Cherrystone. It’s the kind of scene that sends a chill down your spine—and sets the tone for everything that follows. Detective Emily Kenyon is a strong, layered protagonist. I appreciated that she’s not just a sharp investigator but also a single mom juggling the emotional rollercoaster that comes with raising a teenager. That personal angle gave the story more weight for me.

What really pulled me in, though, was the dynamic between Emily and her daughter, Jenna. The fact that Jenna reaches out to the missing boy, unsure if he’s a victim or a killer, added a whole new layer of tension. You want to trust her instincts, but you’re also constantly bracing for something terrible to happen.

The mystery spans multiple states and generations, and the way the murders tie together is cleverly done. I didn’t see all the twists coming, which I always appreciate in a thriller. There were a few moments where I had to suspend disbelief—especially how quickly Jenna inserts herself into a dangerous situation—but overall, the story felt grounded and genuinely suspenseful.

My only minor gripe is that some of the villain's motivations felt a bit underexplored, and the final confrontation, while intense, wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste. Still, I raced through this book in two sittings and felt thoroughly satisfied by the end.

A Cold Dark Place is dark, twisty, and emotionally charged. It’s not just about solving a murder—it’s about the lengths a mother will go to protect her child. Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction with heart.

I really enjoyed reading this book which I hope continues with a follow up as I became very invested in the characters almost from the first chapter. The characters are well drawn and three dimensional and the story is well plotted. The writing grabs you from the outset and you find yourself reading just one more chapter.

I understand that the author has been lauded for his work in the true crime field, but I'm afraid that this book of fiction isn't up to par with the rest of his oeuvre.

First of all, I didn't like the protagonist Emily Kenyon. She is obtuse and makes strange decisions when it comes to her work, and even stranger ones when it comes to her personal life. I truly felt sorry for her daughter and I certainly could understand why her ex left her. I don't mind that fictional detectives are flawed and human, but they should be intelligent enough not to rush to illogical conclusions - something Emily did more than once.
Then there is the character of the serial killer. Even at the end of the book we don't know his motivation or his development.

And last but not least, the plot didn't make much sense to me. I understand what the author tried to do, but it just didn't work and ultimately there are so many contortions to fit everything in that it becomes one mess. I actually hate to be told how everything fits at the end of a mystery, but in this case I really struggle to see the whole picture.

Onwards to the next read...

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been a fan of Gregg Olsen for years, and A Cold Dark Place is exactly why I keep coming back to his books. He knows how to write a thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. This one was especially gripping—a dark, twisty mystery that’s both emotionally intense and completely unpredictable.

The story starts with a brutal murder in a quiet Washington town and quickly unravels into something far more complex. Olsen weaves together multiple threads—past crimes, family secrets, and a killer who always seems one step ahead. What I really loved was how layered the plot felt. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist would throw everything into question.

Emily Kenyon, the former Seattle detective leading the investigation, is such a compelling character. She’s tough, smart, but also deeply human. The relationship between her and her daughter, Jenna, added a lot of emotional weight to the story, especially as Jenna starts digging into the case on her own. That mother-daughter dynamic really stood out—it’s not just about solving a crime; it’s about trust, protection, and figuring out how far you’d go for the people you love.

What makes Olsen’s writing stand apart, at least for me, is how real everything feels. The psychological depth he brings to his characters—especially the villains—is chilling. You get the sense that he’s not just making things up; he understands the dark side of human nature, probably thanks to his true crime background.

This book moves fast, with tension that keeps building right up to the end. If you’re like me and love thrillers that dig deep while still delivering all the suspense and drama, A Cold Dark Place won’t disappoint. Every time I finish one of Olsen’s novels, I’m reminded why I’ll read anything he writes.

From the beginning I didn't want to put this book down. It held my attention with its twisty, complicated plot that weaved together what had happened 19 years ago with the present. There was a wide array of characters - some of whom wish you could just punch them in the face. It was very intense in a few parts and there was plenty of suspense throughout. A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Cold Dark Place is a narrative set within a remote farmhouse where a family has suffered an immense tragedy- an entire family minus one son has been brutally murdered. The remaining son is missing, as is the daughter of police detective Emily Kenyon. I would have liked more character development of Emily Kenyon and her family, although, this novel will set the scene nicely for future novels with Detective Kenyon. It was a little difficult to follow the story due to the fragmented timelines, but I did enjoy the plot and the characters. I am looking forward to more stories with Emily Kenyon. It was difficult at times, to ascertain the importance of the characters introduced. Notwithstanding some of the shortcomings previously discussed, the book was engaging and had unexpected plot twists that kept my interest. Olsen does a good job with crafting a storyline fraught with tension and unpredictability. I am looking forward to future works. The blend of suspense, mystery, and intrigue that Olsen presents in this story will fascinate readers that are interested in a good psychological thriller. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

This was a strong thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Some of the twists were slightly easy to anticipate but others shocked me so I appreciated the many different twists that came along throughout the book. Overall, a really solid read and I now appreciate Gregg Olsen's fiction AND nonfiction and am looking forward to reading the second book in this series!