A Cold, Cold World
by Elena Taylor

An amateur female sheriff tries to fill her late father’s boots and be the sheriff her small Washington State mountain town needs as a deadly snow storm engulfs the town, in this dark, twisty mystery.

The world felt pure. Nature made the location pristine again, hiding the scene from prying eyes. As if no one had died there at all.

In the months since Bet Rivers solved her first murder investigation and secured the sheriff’s seat in Collier, she’s remained determined to keep her town safe. With a massive snowstorm looming, it’s more important than ever that she stay vigilant.

When Bet gets a call that a family of tourists has stumbled across a teen injured in a snowmobile accident on a mountain ridge, she braves the mounting storm to investigate. However, once she arrives at the scene of the accident it’s clear to Bet that the teen is not injured; he’s dead. And has been for some time . . .

Investigating a possible homicide is hard enough, but with the worst snowstorm the valley has seen in years threatening the safety of her town, not to mention the integrity of her crime scenes – as they seem to be mounting up as well – Bet has to move fast to uncover the complicated truth and prove that she’s worthy of keeping her father’s badge.

Genre: Crime & Mystery

Reviews

“Smart, action-packed suspense. Taylor perfectly captures the tension and determination of a small town sheriff facing down an isolating blizzard while racing against the clock to solve a murder and save a missing child. Sheriff Bet Rivers will be your new favorite character”

Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A terrific ensemble cast in a total immersion setting! When the brutal environment is as diabolical as the bad guys, intrepid Sheriff Bet Rivers must battle impossible odds in this page-turning mystery. Fans of CJ Box and Julia Spencer-Fleming will adore this novel – – it’s whipsmart, completely cinematic, and full of heart. Not to be missed!”

Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today best selling author of One Wrong Word/b>

“Sheriff Bet Rivers is back with a suspenseful and shrewdly plotted story of deadly small town secrets. Taylor’s trademark vivid characters pull you in and the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat as Bet uncovers the truth behind a snowmobile accident—a truth that will shake the entire town. Think Longmire meets Yellowstone”

James L’Etoile, award winning author of Dead Drop and Face of Greed

“A Cold, Cold World delivers in spades. Sheriff Elizabeth “Bet” Rivers struggles to protect the people of Collier, Washington, a tiny mountain town, from a monster blizzard — and a potential murderer on the loose. A sleeping bag soaked with blood, a missing father-daughter, an arrow found at the site of a fatal snowmobile accident . . . the threats and threads tangle into a complex mystery, the investigation of which is hampered by power outages and several feet of suffocating snow. Tense and divinely atmospheric, this is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s day — or any day you long for a chilling, thrilling read. It was worth the wait”

J.L. Delozier, author of the multi-award-winning mystery The Photo Thief

“Taylor skillfully sets the scene, [while] the introspective, conflicted Bet proves her mettle. Readers will look forward to her next outing”

Publishers Weekly on All We Buried

“Extremely hard to put down . . . Would recommend this to anyone who loves mystery thrillers”

San Francisco Book Review on All We Buried

“A wonderful protagonist [and] a stellar mystery with a current of tension and suspicion powerful enough to quicken your pulse”

Allen Eskens, USA Today bestselling author of The Life We Bury and Nothing More Dangerous, on All We Buried

“Atmospheric and addictive. You'll stay up all night to finish this novel”

Nichole Christoff, author of The Kill Chain, on All We Buried

“At the forefront of this haunting, impeccably plotted mystery by Elena Taylor is a sharp new heroine, Sheriff Bet Rivers, that crime fiction fans are sure to fall in love with”

Sheena Kamal, author of The Lost Ones, on All We Buried

“A late-night read that mystery lovers will devour”

Lili Wright, author of Edgar-nominated Dancing with the Tiger, on All We Buried

Elena Taylor

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to novels. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries – written under the name Elena Hartwell – introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.The Bet Rivers mystery series returned Elena to her dramatic roots, with darker, more atmospheric novels. Elena is also a senior developmental editor with Allegory Editing, a boutique editing house, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish their manuscripts. She also writes the Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet!) series of short books on the writing craft. Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with horses, Jasper, Radar, and Diggy, dogs Polar and Wyatt, and cats Coal Train and Cocoa. Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

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Editions

A Cold, Cold World by Elena Taylor is available in the following formats

Hardback97814483140656th August 2024144 X 222mm256$29.99
Hardback97814483140656th August 2024144 X 222mm256£21.99
Ebook97814483140726th August 2024N/A256$24.99
Ebook97814483140726th August 2024N/A256£20.99
Paperback978144831640329th April 2025138 X 216mm256$18.99
Paperback978144831640327th February 2025138 X 216mm256£13.99
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