Nancy Mehl: Cold Vengeance

By Kelly Bridgewater

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Cold Vengeance
Series: Ryland & St. Clair #3
Author: Nancy Mehl
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: July 16, 2024
Genre: Romantic Suspense

When a renowned crime podcaster vanishes without a trace, former FBI behavioral analysts turned private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair are called upon to track her down. As they wade through the evidence she left behind, they unearth a startling connection--she may have discovered the existence of an unknown killer, and he will stop at nothing to carry out a deadly plan.

As the pair delves deeper, they soon find themselves the targets of a relentless enemy determined to silence them. With their lives--and hearts--on the line, can they confront the evil that threatens them before it consumes them both?

Nancy Mehl presents pulse-pounding suspense with . . .

 

My Thoughts:

Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl continues the story of Tony St. Clair and River Ryland. Behavioral Analysts who have turned Private Investigators. This time around, they are asked to search for a missing cold case podcaster who has been gone for about seven months. Mehl takes the readers through the journey of their thoughts and their process to solve the mystery. Along the way, Tony and River want to solve more cases that the podcaster was working on when she went missing. Also, the overarching mystery that has plagued River since the story began starts to unravel a little more, coming to a conclusion. While the action is not non-stop and heart pounding, it does take readers into the world of private investigators and the work that they do to solve a mystery. A little bit of romance between the two that has been hinted at since the series started. Mehl does include more spiritually than some of her other suspense writers in the Christian book series. Nothing too preachy. A little bit more of a vocal perspective from Tony and River as they tried to deal with what is going on around them. Overall, Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl will keep readers focused and engaged if they are introduced in the procedural type of suspense story. Not that there is not a mystery or two that does get solved, but the main characters are not being shot at and chased by the bad guys.

I received a complimentary copy of Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl from Bethany House Publishers through JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop

More Books from this Series:

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About the Author

Nancy Mehl is the author of more than fifty books, a Parable and ECPA bestseller, and the winner of an ACFW Book of the Year Award, a Carol Award, and the Daphne du Maurier Award. She has also been a finalist for the Christy Award. Nancy writes from her home in Missouri, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson.

Connect with Nancy by visiting NancyMehl.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive the complete paperback set of the Ryland & St. Clair series and a $15 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 24, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on July 31, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Nancy Mehl: Cold Threat

By Kelly Bridgewater

Twenty years ago, several people were murdered in Des Moines, and the only evidence left behind was a snowman ornament hanging on a tree on their front lawns. With a suspect behind bars, the killings have come to an end--or so everyone thought. But now crimes with a similar MO are happening in a small Iowa town, and a local detective believes the killer is back and ready to strike again.

With little time on the clock before they have another murder on their hands, private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair must work alongside Tony's father to find evidence that will uncover an evil that has survived for far too long.As the danger mounts and the suspect closes in, it will take all they have to catch a killer--before he catches one of them.

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Mehl continues her explosive new FBI profiler series with an intense story of revenge and redemption.

 

My Thoughts:

Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl has a spine-chilling synopsis that I could not wait to dive into. Yes, there are moments of high tension and full of suspense. But as the story progresses, River and Tony spend a lot of time at Tony’s parents’ house trying to help Tony’s father with a Cold Case that has bothered him for years. Of course, the clock is ticking until the next climactic moment. But the characters spend so much time trying to come to terms with what happened in the past and River wants to know Tony’s parents better, to me, the suspense element at times was shoved to the back of the stove. One thing I really did enjoy about Mehl’s story is that she starts to show feelings between Tony and River, but she is writing a three-book series, so they don’t jump into an engagement or marriage by the end of the first novel. Readers are actually seeing their romance blossom across the pages of the series. Plus, being the same hero and heroine in all three books make developing the characters a little more realistic. The first time, anyone meets somebody they don’t know everything about them right away. It takes some time. I like this idea. As for the setting, I do love that it is set around the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not actual Christmas novel, but in the cold part of the year. Overall, Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl does have a wonderful suspenseful storyline, but at times, the suspense element did not seem that important. I do love the development of the characters and the romance across the three-book series.

I received a complimentary copy of Cold Threat by Nancy Mehl from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

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Nancy Mehl: Cold Pursuit

By Kelly Bridgewater

 "Guaranteed to captivate with plot twists you won't see coming."--Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author

"This story is sure to leave you breathless from the thrill of the ride. Hold on tight, it's about to get exhilarating!"--Lynette Eason, bestselling and award-winning author of the Extreme Measures series

"Cold Pursuit sucked me in from the first riveting page and pulled me deeper into an intricate, danger-filled plot."--Elizabeth Goddard, bestselling author of Cold Light of Day


Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They're soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son, who disappeared four years ago. River knows there's almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy's trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. As River and Tony race to stop him before he kills again, an even more dangerous threat emerges, stirring up the past that haunts River and plotting an end to her future.

 

My Thoughts:

Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl features a serial killer who is hiding in plain sight. There is two subplots to this story. First, readers are introduced to River and her past encounter with a serial killer. Then the story moves forward into the present day with Tom and River working as Private Investigator who used to work in the Behavior Analysis's unit. One of my least favorite items in a suspense novel is actually telling the name of the villain. By doing that, it is no surprise to the readers as they work alongside the heroine and hero to solve the case. I prefer stories where it is just a genre or third-person pronoun, so I do not know who the villain is. As for the plot, it was a little different. The villain's deeds were actually showcased near the end of the story. I wanted more of that. I wanted more of the villain taunting the heroine and hero. That did not happen either. While the plot did capture my attention and I couldn't wait to see who the bad person would meet their doom, for my level of suspense, it did not dive deep into that aspect. Overall, Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl could have dove deeper into the suspense and taunting the main characters a little more. They just appeared to co-exist with one another.

I received a complimentary copy of Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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