world of Lauren Riley, a police detective

who moonlights as a private investigator. Tom Hunt

When defense attorney Frank Violanti asks
for her assistance in absolving the son of
his family friend, she initially declines to
help the smug, antagonistic lawyer. But
after interviewing Violanti’s client, she de-
cides to take on the case, a decision that
will lead her into conflict with former flames,
coworkers, and her own beliefs.
Redmond has concocted a well-crafted
story with plenty of twists, but more impor-
tantly good characterization. Riley is a pro-
tagonist whom the reader trusts and wants
to follow. She’s strong-willed, tough, and
while she sometimes makes questionable
choices, her motivations as well as her mis-
takes are marked by her humanity. It is a joy
to watch Redmond throw Riley into different
situations with the people in her life.
By the end of A Cold Day in Hell, readers
not only get a resolution to the case, but the
answer to a larger mystery that Riley is after.
We also get a fully formed picture of a detective
trying to do her best with the situations she
has been dealt. As the book draws to a con- there’s a condition: Gary has to kill a man. the police department due to his penchant
clusion and Redmond works to wrap up At first Gary rejects the offer out of hand, for getting personally involved in the cases
loose ends of the plot, the reader might feel but then he thinks about what life would be on which he consults, ends up being a suspect
a gnawing sense of loss. Don’t worry. It’s nor- like without Beth. From there follows a series when both the woman and her boyfriend
mal. It often happens when you’re not ready of twists and turns that will leave readers’ turn up savagely murdered. Quickly cleared,
to let a character go.—Matthew Fowler heads spinning. the doctor is confronted by the real murderer,
The characters in Killer Choice are not Sebastian Maddox, a brilliant killer with an
Killer Choice necessarily likable, but they are compelling— axe to grind against Rinaldi. The only problem
by Tom Hunt as is the story line. Few readers will find them- is that Rinaldi has no idea who Maddox is
Penguin Random House, January 2018, $26 selves on middle ground about the ending. or why he would be his target.
What would you do, how far would you They’ll either love or hate it. Either way, the Maddox goes on a killing spree that targets
go, to save the life of the person you love and verdict is in on author Tom Hunt; he has a Rinaldi’s friends, colleagues and patients,
can’t fathom living without? That is the prem- great future ahead of him.—Eileen Brady and the doctor, who has been forbidden by
ise of this thriller from debut author Tom the killer to contact the police, turns to a
Hunt. Gary Foster is an ordinary Joe, married Head Wounds retired FBI agent, Lyle Barnes, who was once
to Beth, who, after 20 years of marriage, is by Dennis Palumbo his patient, and Agent Gloria Reese to help
finally seven months pregnant with their Poisoned Pen Press, February 2018, $26.95 put an end to the twisted game being played
son Tyson. Money is tight; Beth just recently The fifth book in the Daniel Rinaldi series by Maddox.
lost her teaching job, and the outdoor apparel picks up soon after the events of the previous From the literal bang that starts off the
store Gary and his brother recently opened story, 2014’s Phantom Limb, and finds Dr. story to its fiery conclusion, author Dennis
is doing only so-so. But they feel they’ll be Rinaldi, a psychologist who consults with Palumbo keeps the adrenaline and action
able to get by. the Pittsburgh Police Department, studying flowing. Head Wounds is a fine example of
Then their world falls apart. Beth has a a dossier that supposedly holds a clue to the cinematic storytelling—not a surprise, given
seizure and is rushed to the hospital where unsolved killing of his wife years earlier. It Palumbo’s previous work as a screenwriter.
they discover she has a brain tumor. Tradi- is a calm night, the doctor enjoying some The psychological detailing of the killer’s
tional treatments don’t work, and they’re Miles Davis on the stereo, until his window mind also rings true thanks to Palumbo’s
told she has only a few months to live. But is shot out by a neighbor’s abusive boyfriend. day job as a practicing psychotherapist. Head
there is hope: a clinical trial in Germany has As the story unfurls, it is soon learned that Wounds, possibly the author’s best work yet,
shown remarkable results. The problem is, the woman lied to her lover, claiming she is a fantastic read, and one that I already
the trial costs $200,000, none of which is had cheated on him with Rinaldi. While this predict will be hard to beat as a favorite
covered by insurance. would be a good setup for a story, in Head thriller of 2018.—Jay Roberts
Then a miracle happens. A stranger ap- Wounds it is only the catalyst for more intense
proaches Gary and tells him he’s read his darkness and tragedy to come. Strangers
David Field

and Beth’s story in the paper. He will give Dr. Rinaldi, who has never been all that by Ursula Archer and Arno Strobel
them the entire $200,000. But, of course, popular with the powers-that-be inside of Minotaur Books, January 2018, $25.99
MYSTERY SCENE 63