Praise for The Murder Book:
An Amazon and Barnes and Noble Bestseller
"A simply riveting read from cover to cover."—Midwest Book Review
"Fans of contemporary police procedurals will want to see more of the plucky Lauren."—Publishers Weekly
"A pulse-racing pace, well-chosen details of Buffalo's mixed industrial landscape and characters to bleed for make this a stunningly good second book. Highly recommended."—Kingdom Books
"I loved the friendship between Buffalo Police's Lauren Riley and Shane Reece, and long to see The Murder Book as a movie."—Crime Thriller Hound
Praise for A Cold Day in Hell, Book 1 of the Cold Case Investigation series:
"Recommend this one to anyone who loves courtroom dramas where lawyers tear into witnesses like pit bulls. And to anyone hot for a police procedural where tired cops make mistakes but slowly, relentlessly—and with morbid humor—get the job done. Redmond delivers both in one package...The real attraction here is a keyhole view into a world that turns our expectations upside down—a world where a bullying, quasi-fascist cop can be the only one with a handle on reality. Keep your eyes on Redmond, a retired cop who knows how to write."—Booklist
"Redmond, a recently retired Buffalo PD homicide detective, keeps everything moving nicely in this well-constructed crime novel."—Publishers Weekly
"An excellent police procedural combined with a psychological thriller."—Kirkus Reviews
"Redmond has concocted a well-crafted story with plenty of twists, but more importantly good characterization."—Mystery Scene Magazine
"A Cold Day in Hell is a fine first novel and Lauren Riley is cool new addition to the world of PI and cop protagonists. A retired detective, Lissa Marie Redmond gives it to the reader without the sugarcoating and lifts the veil off how the system really works...or doesn't."—Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of What You Break
"Ex-cop Lissa Redmond has a sure hand with police procedure, which should be no surprise. The joy of A Cold Day in Hell comes from her equally sure hand with storytelling. This is a welcome new voice on the crime scene."—SJ Rozan, bestselling author of Ghost Hero
2018-11-13
A Buffalo cop's crucial mistake in an old case comes back to almost literally haunt her.
Lauren Riley and her partner, Shane Reese, are the stars of the Cold Case Homicide Unit. Staying late to finish up some work, Lauren's attacked by a man wearing police-issue boots who steals her murder book. Only the timely return of Reese, who's come back for his hat, saves her life. Her two college-age daughters, Lindsey and Erin, and her snowbird parents keep vigil at her hospital bedside, and Reese and his dog, Watson, move into the big house Lauren got in a divorce settlement from her wealthy second husband to protect her while she recovers. Lauren's love life is complicated. Her first husband left when the girls were young. Then she was in an abusive relationship with fellow cop Joe Wheeler. But the man she worries about most is David Spencer, a young man she helped beat a homicide charge (Cold Day in Hell, 2018) before she realized he was guilty. Since Lauren and her friends know her attacker was a cop, they also know they can't trust anyone, certainly not whomever's leaking information to the press. The DA tells Lauren and Reese that several calls on an unused tip line that's still recorded indicate knowledge of an old homicide case that may explain why someone is so desperate to get Lauren's murder book. Lauren calls on the services of her retired boss, the legendary Charlie Daley, an expert on drugs and vice, who recognizes the voice as that of a former informant. When Joe Wheeler is murdered by an unknown assailant, some people think Reese killed him for mistreating Lauren even though he has a solid alibi. Lauren must walk a dangerous line in order to find the cop willing to kill to hide a secret even as she's stalked by Spencer.
Redmond, a retired Buffalo homicide detective, fleshes out an intriguing tale with solid procedural detail.