Book Review: Cold Pursuit

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Cold Pursuit     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
T. Jefferson Parker
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Hyperion, April 2003, $25.95, 372 pp.

In 1952 San Diego, a Braga killed a McMichael in what was called self-defense. A few months later Pete Braga’s son Victor was beaten up so severely that he sustained brain damage. He would always have the mind of a ten-year-old. The rumor went around town that Gabriel McMichael beat up Braga’s son but it was never proven.

In the present San Diego Police Homicide Detective Tom McMichael is on duty when Pete Braga’s body is found in his home, beaten to a bloody pulp. When he arrives on the scene, McMichael finds the nurse with blood on her face, clothes and shoes but she explains that she was trying to revive her client. Paintings and jewelry from the Braga home are found in the nurse’s apartment but she has proof that he gave them to her as gifts. McMichael is forced to look at Braga’s enemies, including those from his own family. In the course of his investigation he almost gets himself suspended for dating a suspect and then almost loses his life when the killer kidnaps him.

COLD PURSUIT is a tour de force police procedural thriller that starts off fast and just keeps increasing in speed. Readers will love the protagonist, a loving father and a man who is willing to own up to his mistakes. It’s fascinating watching Tom connect the dots in the investigation, so much so readers will ignore why he was not removed due to a conflict of interest as he uses professional police methods and intuition to crack the case. T. Jefferson Parker has once again proven he is a gifted writer who delivers a best seller.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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