Stone Cold Heart (Cat Kinsella Series #2)

by Caz Frear

Overview

The bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies brings back Cat Kinsella, an investigator "on par with Susie Steiner's and Tana French's female detectives" (Kirkus Reviews).
After a brief stint in the Mayor's Office, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police, wisecracking with her partner Luigi Parnell and trying to avoid the wrath of their boss.
But for Cat and Parnell, it's serious business when a young Australian woman turns up dead after a party thrown by her new boss. The initial investigation points to Joseph Madden, the owner of a coffee shop around the corner from police headquarters. Madden insists he's innocent, that he was home with his wife Rachel at the time of the murder. When police question her, Rachel contradicts his alibi, swearing that she was home alone.
While the team builds its case against Joseph, Cat is tasked with getting to the heart of the Maddens' marriage. Cat knows that one of them is lying—but the question of which one, and why, is far more complicated than she could have expected. As she tries to balance the demands of the investigation with a budding romance and unresolved family drama, Cat has to decide how far she'll go to keep her own past mistakes buried.
With her trademark wit and brilliant plotting, Caz Frear ratchets up the tension and keeps you guessing as she explores the secrets we keep from our loved ones—and the ones we'd kill to keep safe in the dark.
"Another can't-miss summer hit . . . spellbinding from start to finish . . . masterfully written." —New York Journal of Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062849922
Publisher:	Harper
Publication date:	05/21/2024
Series:	The Cat Kinsella Novels , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	354
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Caz Frear has a degree in History & Politics, and when she's not agonizing over snappy dialogue or incisive prose, she can be found shouting at Arsenal football matches. Her first Cat Kinsella mystery was Sweet Little Lies. She grew up in Coventry, England, where she now lives. 

Editorial Reviews

Caz Frear has fashioned her second terrific crime thriller . . . a sumptuously unsettling mystery that lives up to all the hype. . . . This is the kind of mystery Agatha Christie would have penned these days if she were still alive, with the personal sharing equal billing with the professional. And Kinsella is the best female detective from across the pond since Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison of the brilliant ‘Prime Suspect’ series.” — Jon Land, Providence Journal

“Terrific writing and self-deprecating wit.” — Jersey’s Best, “The 10 Best Books of 2019”

“Cat Kinsella seals her status as fiction’s most irresistible cop.”
— Sunday Express (UK)

“Engrossing. . . .Exceptional characters. . . . Frear caps a satisfying mystery with a fraught cliffhanger. Fans will clamor for more.”
— Publishers Weekly

“How Frear brings all the complex plot points together makes the big reveal worth the journey. . . . [A] savvy novel.” — Shelf Awareness

“What drives STONE COLD HEART is precisely what made SWEET LITTLE LIES one of my favorite novels of 2018. That special something (or someone, I should say) is Cat Kinsella.  . . . Frear has created one of the most engaging characters in the mystery/thriller genre, and this series is already drawing comparisons to the works of Tana French, who may very well be the best in the business.” — Book Reporter

“The plotting is excellent, and the twisty ending reveals a very surprising murderer. . . .  And the ending promises another entry in this very fine series.” — Criminal Element

“Frear once again excels at creating memorable characters and realistic dialog. Cat’s snarky attitude and youthful brashness are nicely balanced with her passion for justice and investigative skills. VERDICT:  Highly recommended for fans of police procedurals with compelling detectives.” — Library Journal

“The story, characters, and language here immerse readers in a twisty case that involves more than one dysfunctional family. Frear almost ties all these strands up neatly at the end, until Cat’s past comes back to bite her again, leaving things ripe for book three. Frear’s fans will enjoy the focus on grown-up Cat; Dervla McTiernan’s readers are another likely audience.” — Booklist

“The characters’ banter is a delight. Frear writes scenes of conversation between the detectives that make them all feel like familiar old friends—to each other but also to the reader.” — Kirkus Reviews

“I cannot think of a mystery protagonist who harbors more secrets or confronts more ethical challenges than Detective Catrina “Cat” Kinsella. . . . You will guess who did it, but you will be wrong.”
— BookPage

“Stone Cold Heart confirms Caz Frear as a crime fiction force to be reckoned with. A gripping, layered story—and a last line that left me desperate to read the next Cat Kinsella adventure!” — Erin Kelly, author of Broadchurch and Stone Mothers

“Kinsella is back, as complex, interesting and finely written as ever. A treat for all crime fans.” — Ann Cleeves, creator of the Vera and Shetland series

“An absolute knockout of a novel. Crime procedural at its best—tough, twisty, and uncompromising. Also, a brilliant tough female protagonist whom I loved.” — CJ Tudor, author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place

From the Publisher

The story, characters, and language here immerse readers in a twisty case that involves more than one dysfunctional family. Frear almost ties all these strands up neatly at the end, until Cat’s past comes back to bite her again, leaving things ripe for book three. Frear’s fans will enjoy the focus on grown-up Cat; Dervla McTiernan’s readers are another likely audience.

Booklist

Caz Frear has fashioned her second terrific crime thriller . . . a sumptuously unsettling mystery that lives up to all the hype. . . . This is the kind of mystery Agatha Christie would have penned these days if she were still alive, with the personal sharing equal billing with the professional. And Kinsella is the best female detective from across the pond since Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison of the brilliant ‘Prime Suspect’ series.

Jon Land

The plotting is excellent, and the twisty ending reveals a very surprising murderer. . . .  And the ending promises another entry in this very fine series.

Criminal Element

Cat Kinsella seals her status as fiction’s most irresistible cop.”

Sunday Express (UK)

How Frear brings all the complex plot points together makes the big reveal worth the journey. . . . [A] savvy novel.

Shelf Awareness

What drives STONE COLD HEART is precisely what made SWEET LITTLE LIES one of my favorite novels of 2018. That special something (or someone, I should say) is Cat Kinsella.  . . . Frear has created one of the most engaging characters in the mystery/thriller genre, and this series is already drawing comparisons to the works of Tana French, who may very well be the best in the business.

Book Reporter

I cannot think of a mystery protagonist who harbors more secrets or confronts more ethical challenges than Detective Catrina “Cat” Kinsella. . . . You will guess who did it, but you will be wrong.”

BookPage

Kinsella is back, as complex, interesting and finely written as ever. A treat for all crime fans.

Ann Cleeves

Stone Cold Heart confirms Caz Frear as a crime fiction force to be reckoned with. A gripping, layered story—and a last line that left me desperate to read the next Cat Kinsella adventure!

Erin Kelly

An absolute knockout of a novel. Crime procedural at its best—tough, twisty, and uncompromising. Also, a brilliant tough female protagonist whom I loved.

CJ Tudor

The story, characters, and language here immerse readers in a twisty case that involves more than one dysfunctional family. Frear almost ties all these strands up neatly at the end, until Cat’s past comes back to bite her again, leaving things ripe for book three. Frear’s fans will enjoy the focus on grown-up Cat; Dervla McTiernan’s readers are another likely audience.

Booklist

The second police procedural by this young Brit. Praising her first one, Sweet Little Lies, the column dared to predict that this one would be as good or better. Good call, column! The dark ending of that one clearly took a little out of our friend, the mouthy young London police detective Cat Kinsella; we re-join her now as she re-joins the force. We’re more eager than she is at first—she knows of the uncertain strength of her nerves—but that mouth convinces others pretty quickly; herself, soon enough.

The Sullivan County Democrat (New York)

Caz Frear has done it again. The author of the critically acclaimed bestseller Sweet Little Lies (2018), has created another can’t miss summer hit. . . . In Stone Cold Heart we witness the highly anticipated return of the unforgettable Cat Kinsella, the smart and sassy London Detective Constable. And like its predecessor this novel is spellbinding from start to finish. Frear effectively combines a family drama with a captivating psychological mystery, while incorporating effective descriptions of police procedurals. Blend all of that with an unpredictable and intelligently witty storyline and you’ve got a winner. . . .masterfully written.

New York Journal of Books

2019-04-14
Detective Cat Kinsella of London's Metropolitan Police returns to solve the murder of a young Australian woman in Frear's (Sweet Little Lies, 2018) latest procedural.

Cat's still spooked from the fallout of the Maryanne Doyle case; it brought her and Aiden Doyle together, sure, but she can't tell anyone about their romance. Still, she and her partner, DS Luigi Parnell, are on good working terms, and the rest of the team is holding their own, with beautiful, unpredictable DCI Kate Steele still making everyone's life hell but also keeping them to high standards. Called to a crime scene, they find the body of a young woman. Of course, the layers of lies and family tension quickly mount: Naomi Lockhart, the dead woman, was temping at a recruitment firm owned by Kirstie Connor, whose husband, Marcus, runs a charity for ex-felons, including Naomi's roommate. Marcus' sister, Rachel, is married to Joseph, who has made no secret of his numerous infidelities and actually had propositioned Cat several months before. And then there's Rachel and Joseph's daughter, an aspiring forensic investigator. As the detectives scramble to find evidence that proves the guilt of the prime suspect, they find more and more inconsistencies in all these stories. Throughout it all, Cat struggles to keep her mind clear and her personal relationships solid; Aiden resents the fact that she won't introduce him around, and her dad's old "colleague" Frank Hickey is making ominous suggestions of blackmail. He will expose what Cat has done to protect her father if she doesn't help him in return. The characters' banter is a delight. Frear writes scenes of conversation between the detectives that make them all feel like familiar old friends—to each other but also to the reader. The mystery, however, is less compelling in this second outing. Ultimately, the discovery of the perpetrator feels a bit obvious and anticlimactic, not so much careful police work as a story in need of better editing.

The emphasis on the minutiae of the investigation will be interesting, perhaps, to fans of CSI, but even they may chafe at the slow pace.

Kirkus Reviews