Book Review for STONE COLD HEART by Laura Griffin

21/3/2019

When local rock climbers stumble upon abandoned human bones in a remote Texas gorge, Sara Lockhart is the first to get the call. She has a reputation as one of the nation’s top forensic anthropologists, and police detective Nolan Hess knows she is just the expert he needs to help unravel this case. Although evidence is scarce, Nolan suspects the bones belong to a teenage climber who vanished last summer.

But as Sara unearths strange clues, she finds chilling similarities to a case from her past—a case that now threatens to rock Nolan’s community. While Sara digs deep for answers, the stakes rise higher as another young woman disappears without a trace. Investigators work against the clock as Sara races to discover the truth, even if her harrowing search brings her face to face with a stone-cold killer

What a thrilling, suspense-filled investigation into a horrid killer's body dumping ground. The story left me speechless, and the conclusion, who the culprit was, blew me away. Rarely does it happen that I have absolutely no inkling of the killer - and Laura Griffin is one of the few authors who manage to do that.
Bones is one of my all-time favorite television shows, and when one of my favorite romantic suspense book series, Tracers, has a forensic anthropologist as the female lead, you bet I was super excited to read Stone Cold Heart. And it delivers in all fronts. This story swept me away, completely, and it was early morning hours and 'the end' until I was able to put it down.
The suspense through the investigation is intense. You can feel the frustration, the helpless feeling of the law enforcement when there are clues found but not the dots that would connect them to the killer. The tension arises, and as part of the story is told from a victim's point of view, it is petrifying, bone-chilling to live through the fear and dread of the assaults, if not death itself.
Sara Lockhart and Nolan Hess gave me the butterflies with the tangible chemistry that is in between them. Sara has never been successful in a romantic relationship, thinking it is just not something she could and would be comfortable in. Yet Nolan is tempting her in every turn with his presence, his character, and with his sexy physique.
But with the tender determination, patients with no boundaries, and giving her the space she needs, and time it takes, Nolan stays in her sights, charming her mind, protecting her when needed, and mostly, working side by side with her to find the killer.
I love this series, and the way it connects the previous books and the characters, yet still is a completely a standalone novel.
Stone Cold Heart has the perfect balance between eerily intriguing suspense story, and vastly entertaining, delightfully, tenderly ardent love story, just what is needed to balance the terror. Highly recommended!
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of writing romantic suspense. Her books have won numerous awards, including two RITA Awards (for Scorched and Whisper of Warning) and a Daphne du Maurier Award (Untraceable). Laura currently lives in Austin where she is working on her next book.