The Cold Nowhere by Brian Freeman is the 8th book in the “Jonathan Stride” suspense series. Publisher: Quercus, April 2014

Sixteen-year-old Catalina Mateo shows up unannounced one night in Detective Jonathan Stride’s home, dripping wet from a desperate plunge into the icy waters of Lake Superior. Her sodden clothes stained with blood, Cat spins a tale of a narrow escape from a shadowy pursuer.

Stride decides to trust this girl, but his judgment may be clouded by memories of Cat’s mother. Ten years earlier, Cat hid under the porch of her family home while her mother was brutally butchered by her ex-con father. Stride still blames himself for not preventing the slaughter.

But is Cat telling the truth? Stride’s police partner, Maggie Bei, doubts the homeless girl, who has been living rough on the streets of Duluth since her mother’s death—and now sleeps with a knife hidden under her pillow.

As Stride investigates Cat’s story, more violence trails in the teenager’s wake—and Maggie’s suspicions about her deepen. Now a single question haunts the void between them: Should Stride be afraid for—or of—this terribly damaged girl?

I’ve missed this series and I’m so happy that I can now enjoy it again. Stride is on the case when his past comes back and he’s determined to protect his young victim who has a stalker after her. With a connection to Serena’s case, the two are working together bringing back the dynamic duo that I loved so much. The author did a great job in keeping me in suspense with plenty of twists and turns at every corner in this fast-paced and action-filled drama. The tension, the emotions and of course a search for a killer was skillfully executed and I enjoyed every chapters as the story moved forward to a conclusion teeming with possibilities. This was a great read and I can’t wait for the next book with Stride and his friends.