With a seemingly endless supply of snow, suffering, and suspense, Cold Snap is the best in the series and my new favorite Marc Cameron book.
The discovery of a dismembered human foot during low tide ramps up the investigation for a brutal serial killer around Anchorage. Coming from the last place anyone expects, a surprise witness thinks they may be able to identify who the appendage belongs too.
Despite the desire to assist, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter is sent north to Deadhorse, Alaska on a routine prisoner transfer. Unfortunately for Cutter, nothing in the harsh environment is routine. Having to switch planes last minute, the pilot takes a detour of their original flight path. This simple flyby of a remote atmospheric science station has calamitous consequences.
With the old saying of “I don’t have to be faster than the bear, I just have to be faster than you” playing out in real time, Cutter has to make life and death decisions for himself, the prisoners, and the latest additions to his party. If the wildlife and weather outside their temporary shelter don’t kill him, the convicts and conspirators inside just might.
Busy assisting the local police with their investigation, Cutter’s partner Lola Teariki is unaware of the unfolding disaster up north. Having just discovered the psycho who has been chopping up women is actually one of Cutter’s prisoners, Lola is informed of Cutter’s disappearance. Without the ability to communicate and a harsh storm moving in, Lola will move mountains to help rescue Cutter.
After teasing out the existence of a serial killer over the last few books, Cameron brings that story arc to a head. While you’d think the uncovering and arrest of the killer would be the dramatic conclusion, you’d be wrong. The stakes only get higher and the chances of survival plummets faster than the Arctic temperatures.
The episodic pacing in Cold Snap would have me binge watching the entire season in a single session… if it was a tv show. Instead, I binged chapter after chapter and finished this book off in one day. Cameron’s efficient and effective writing style propels the reader through the pages, while the environmental descriptions will have you wrapping yourself in several layers of blankets. The constant ratcheting up of tension will have you pulling those blankets tighter and tighter until you read the last sentence.
If you haven’t read the Arliss Cutter series, this is just the fourth installment. There is more than enough time to grab the first three books and get all caught up before Cold Snap is published.
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