ARC Review: Cold Woods by Karen Katchur

Cold Woods
Author: Karen Katchur
Series: Northampton County (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (August 13, 2019)

Description: Buried bones of the past rise to the surface in this chilling mystery from the bestselling author of River Bodies.

When the long-buried bones of a man turn up in the middle of December, Pennsylvania homicide detective Parker Reed knows he’s in for a cold case.

Trisha and her friends were teenagers when Trisha’s stepdad went missing. Now, thirty years later, his remains have been found in the mountains. The women have always known there was more to his disappearance than meets the eye, and they must confront their grim past. Secrets can stay secret a long time in the lonely Appalachian foothills—but not forever.

When Parker and his partner identify the remains, their investigation leads them to Trisha’s childhood home. But the deeper Parker digs into the crime, the more he realizes that the truth isn’t always simple. In fact, it’s so complicated that even Trisha and her friends don’t fully understand what really happened in those cold woods.

My Thoughts: Homicide detective Parker Reed is called in when the long-buried bones of a man are discovered in the Pennsylvania woods. He gets the call because he's his lieutenant's last choice. He's still dealing with the trauma of an earlier case.

Meanwhile Trisha Haines has fled her husband and life in Las Vegas to come home for the funeral of the mother of one of her best friends. She wants to try to rebuild relationships with her mother and the best friends she hasn't seen since the Spring of her Senior year.

When they bones are identified as Lester Haines - Trisha's stepfather, Parker is busy trying to find out what happened thirty years ago. We, however, have a pretty good idea because the story flashes back to the 1980s and tells how Trisha met her friends Carlyn and Dannie and what happened to Trisha's low-life stepfather. But maybe our idea is wrong...

We do know that Trisha was sexually abused by her stepfather and that abuse colored her self-image such that she looked for a husband who would continue on the abuse. We know that Trisha has carried the belief that she caused her stepfather's death. But, why are the police focusing more on her mother? And what secrets are her friends and their mothers holding close?

This was an engaging and twisty thriller. The characters were interesting and well-rounded - also, damaged in various ways. I enjoyed the story with all its twists.

Favorite Quote:

The only clue Parker could ascertain that she was nervous was from the way she gripped the leather case in her lap. "There are very few surprises in life. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked Geena.

Geena didn't answer her one way or the other.

"People surprise the hell out of me every single day," Parker said.

The corners of Carlyn's lips turned up slightly.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.