NIGHT FREEZE

NIGHT FREEZE
by Lee Emory
Whooo Doo Mysteries/Treble Heart Books
ISBN: 978-1-932695-76-2 2008
$13.50
305 pages
Fiction/mystery

Warning: Do not start this book unless you plan to finish it in one sitting. Many times in people’s lives, you just need a change. Former Phoenix police detective, Niall Malone is in this position where he accepts a challenge from another state to find a serial killer before more people die. He is also grieving for the death of his son. This tragedy ended his marriage. More significantly is that now, he is terrified and hesitant of becoming close to another person. This particular serial killer has a longtime grudge against the medical examiner, Dr. Shyla Clifford and wants her to pay the pain she caused by sending him to prison. His revenge is to kill everyone who is important to her. He plans to annihilate all of her friends and family. For his grand finale, he is planning for her to have a slow and tortuous death in front of him. Part of the suffering for Shyla is the obvious obsession this killer has with her. She searches old files and her is constantly questioning and wondering who could hate her this much. As each friend and family member is killed, the body parts are sent to Shyla with a marine emblem stamped on them. The battle of keeping her family safe and forcing them to realize that they are in dangerous situations is overwhelming. She also attempts to keep a normal life and continues with her job and family responsibilities.All of this makes this story both realistic and haunting. This killer is making this extremely personal. What is more difficult for Shyla, is that as she grieves the death of the people in her life, she needs to be more diligent and alert in keeping herself and her family safe. The battle of balancing this within anyone’s life, is crushing. NIGHT FREEZE literally takes over your thoughts as you read. It is compelling and forceful in that you have to continue reading the story. You cannot put this book down. You are actually frightened if you have to stop and reflect on the characters and their problems. The pacing is blindingly fast. The characters are flawed and very believable.The realism is all too possible, but superbly written. Lee Emory has written many books. NIGHT FREEZE is the first one written by her of this type of mystery, fear, and intensity. She is the owner of her own publishing house, Treble Heart Books, Whooo Doo Mysteries, Sundowners, and MountainView Publishing. She resides in Arizona with her cats and husband. She is currently writing a science fiction novel, PERDITION.
Again, this book is from a small publisher and might not be available through some large- chain bookstore. This book is definitely an example of “good things coming in small packages.” I like to think that outstanding books come from small publishers.