Practical Sins for Cold Climates
by Shelley Costa
I really liked how this book ended. I liked the way the author made Val Cameron grow throughout this book. I think that her stories can be a worthwhile series, but I nearly didn’t find out. I struggled to get though this book. I nearly gave up on it a couple of times. If I had a book that I REALLY wanted to read sitting near the top of my TBR pile, Practical Sins for Cold Climates would have been toast. I started two other books, but neither of them grabbed me, so I dropped back and decided to give it one last shot.
The story started off fine, but seemed to bog down once we actually made it to northern Canada. The various characters were not well enough differentiated, and that, along with some unknown characters doing mysterious things, just confused me. Plus I didn’t really connect with Val Cameron at first. I’m afraid that many people will just give up at that point. I’m glad that I didn’t.
The storyline started to sort itself out somewhere around the midpoint of the book. The characters filled out a bit and I could finally start to enjoy the story. The ending worked very well, and I am looking forward to reading another book in this series. After all, what book lover doesn’t like to read stories where books are one of the principal characters, and the publishing industry plays a major role. That premise was what attracted me to Practical Sins in the first place.
I give Practical Sins for Cold Climates 3 1/2 Stars out of 5, and a Thumbs Up. I really am torn. The ending had such a great feel to it, but I’m afraid that many people will never get there. Just keep ploughing though. It will be worth it.
I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.
Book Description
When Val Cameron, a Senior Editor with a New York publishing company, is sent to the Canadian Northwoods to sign a reclusive bestselling author to a contract, she soon discovers she is definitely out of her element. Val is convinced she can persuade the author of that blockbuster, The Nebula Covenant, to sign with her, but first she has to find him.
Aided by a float plane pilot whose wife was murdered two years ago in a case gone cold, Val’s hunt for the recluse takes on new meaning: can she clear him of suspicion in that murder before she links her own professional fortunes to the publication of his new book?
When she finds herself thrown into a wilderness lake community where livelihoods collide, Val wonders whether the prospect of running into a bear might be the least of her problems.
Book Details
Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: Henery Press (January 26, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 194339041X
ISBN-13: 978-1943390410
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
About the Author
A 2004 Edgar nominee for Best Short Story, Shelley Costa is the author of You Cannoli Die Once (Agatha nominee for Best First Novel) and Basil Instinct. Practical Sins for Cold Climates (Henery Press, January 2016), is the first book in her exciting new mystery series featuring New York editor Val Cameron, who is sent to the Canadian Northwoods to sign a reclusive best-selling thriller writer. Murder ensues. Shelley’s stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Blood on Their Hands,The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories, and Crimewave (UK). Although she reads across the mystery genre, in her own work she especially likes writing an amateur sleuth with a lot of heart who investigates a murder – it’s so utterly outside the comfort zone. Shelley Costa is on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she teaches fiction writing. http://www.shelleycosta.com.
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