Product Description

The new bestseller from Cartier Diamond Dagger winner John Harvey, bestselling author of Darkness & Light and Gone to Ground

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6407 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-31
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Guardian
'Harvey is a master craftsman'

Synopsis
Valentine's Day, and a dispute between rival gangs escalates into bloody violence. One teenage girl dead is left dead, another injured, and a police officer is caught in the crossfire. Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick, nearing retirement, is hauled back to the front line to help deal with the fallout. But when the dead girl's father seeks to lay the blame on DI Lynn Kellogg, his colleague and partner, Resnick finds the line between personal and professional dangerously blurred. Meanwhile, a murder case in which Kellogg was the chief investigating officer has stalled. One vital witness is threatened, and another is missing. But when SOCA - the Serious and Organised Crime Agency - start to show a keen interest in the case, believing there are links to international gun running and people trafficking, Lynn Kellogg finds herself drawn into a web of deceit and betrayal that puts both her and Resnick in mortal danger...

From the Inside Flap
Valentine's Day, and a dispute between rival gangs escalates into bloody violence, leaving one girl dead, another injured, and a police officer caught in the crossfire.

Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick, nearing retirement, is hauled back to the front line to help deal with the fallout, and when the
dead girl's father seeks to lay the blame on DI Lynn Kellogg, his colleague and partner, Resnick finds the line between the professional and the personal dangerously blurred.

Meanwhile, a murder case in which Kellogg is the chief investigating officer has stalled. One vital witness is threatened, and another is missing. And when SOCA - the Serious and Organised Crime Agency - starts to show a keen interest, believing there are links to international gunrunning and people trafficking, Kellogg finds herself drawn into a web of deceit and betrayal that puts both her and Resnick in mortal danger.

Customer Reviews

Gripping and gritty story
If you like realistic, sometimes brutal crime detective stories you'll like this book. A multi-stranded story and a cast of well-rounded characters keeps you gripped to the end. Personally, I find all the stuff about Resnick's taste in jazz music a bit boring as I don't know anything about that genre. Nevertheless, I like John Harvey's writing and always buy his latest book.

Crime Novel of The Year?
Cold in Hand is an absolute belter of a novel from John Harvey. Returning to his much-loved character Charlie Resnick, Cold in Hand reminds you just why the original series of Resnick novels was so good. Put simply - you care about Resnick as a character, and boy does he go through the wringer in this story.

John Harvey is a hugely talented writer, but he's produced something above even his usually high standards here. Everything about the book works: superb storytelling, great characters, crackling dialogue, unexpected shocks, twists and turns - you really can't ask for more in a book. And at the heart of it all: the city of Nottingham - modern, fast-paced, violent, out of control - but still the place Resnick calls home.

As a long-standing fan of John Harvey's work, I've been a little disappointed by some of his recent previous efforts, which seemed to lack something despite being well-crafted. But Cold in Hand shows just what's he capable of - it's a cracking return to form.

An old friend returns
I was disappointed when Resnick disappeared from this authors main characters, but can understand that sometimes a writer has to develop other characters. I found that the Frank Elder books were not as good as I hoped and was therefore glad to see the resurrection of Resnick and to see the old familiar crew there. The book was as good as I hoped for, and did not disappoint.
You can feel the weariness in Resnick as he gets older, and copes with the greatest loss in his life. I wonder if the introduction of Shields and Ramsden, who really take over the second part of the book, and who are developed strongly set the path that author is going to take in the future. I for one think that there is great scope for these two characters in other books and hope that I am right.

Dont miss it - a great read,