A Faint Cold Fear

It was bound to happen. I did not really enjoy this installment of the Grant County series for a few reasons. The location and some of the disparaging side plots. I'll get into that later, but this book focuses on a murderer who starts picking off students and faculty using questionable methods and setups. Are they all connected? Time will tell.

What makes this one unique is that Sara's sister is also a victim. While Sara is assisting the police in finding the killer, she is also watching her sister cling to life and trying to mend relationships with her ex-husband at the same time. It's panic-inducing, and it's hard not to feel sorrow for the family as the grisly story unfolds.

As I stated before, it is the college location that feels ordinary. We are introduced to stereotypical college kids, questionable faculty, parties, and those bending the law for a good time. It is fairly easy to figure out who to add to a list of possible suspects and who you can tick off and leave to indulge in their vices.

Do not get me wrong; this one is a dark book, but most of the content is much too obvious. There is no pizazz to the mystery, no exciting hook. The story's connective tissue (quite literally) is just dull. It definitely has that third-book or movie curse. i.e., Robocop 3, Superman 3, Terminator 3, Matrix 3, Godfather 3, etc., you get the point. I could have used more emphasis on Jeffery and Sara's relationship and less on Lena's constant downfall and noncommittal attitude to help with the murder investigation. I get why she is unwilling to help; believe me, it's horrible what she goes through, but it gets a bit much towards the end. I guess what I am getting at is that the story is just a bit thin. It has the usual trappings of the previous novels, but this one does not do too much more to lift the story to a new level.

The shocking ending will definitely rub most people the wrong way, and I don't even truly know where I stand with the twist until I check out the next installment.

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