Cold Vengeance

June 3, 2024
In Mehl’s spine-chilling third entry in the River Ryland and Tony St. Clair series (after Cold Threat), the PIs search for the missing host of a true crime podcast. Hot Coffee and Cold Cases podcaster April Bailey vanished seven months earlier, leaving behind her belongings and a worried fiancé, Nathan Hearne. When Nathan receives a cryptic note suggesting that April’s still alive, he enlists the detectives’ help. River and Tony begin the investigation, but they have plenty of other stuff on their mind—like that the accomplice of the Salt River Strangler, whom they helped put behind bars when they worked at the FBI, has been sending them threatening letters and bugging their offices. To make matters even more complicated, River’s also dealing with her mother’s decline from Alzheimer’s. As River and Tony harness their faith to tackle personal and professional trials, the stakes for catching the culprit rise, until an unexpected turn of events leaves one of the investigators’ lives hanging in the balance. Mehl adeptly balances thrilling action with emotional depth as the dire circumstances draw the PIs closer to God and one another. Series fans will find this snappy, high-stakes outing irresistible.

July 1, 2024
There is no rest for the weary when it comes to private investigators River Ryland and Tony St. Clair. They put the Salt River Strangler behind bars, but the killer's unexpected prot�g� is still at large and dead set on revenge. Meanwhile, the former FBI duo's latest case reopens the search for a missing cold-case podcaster who may have gotten too close to answers that someone did not want to be found. As they piece together the case's evidence, River and Tony grapple with their safety, their pasts, and their chance to finally be more than partners. Mehl closes out her Ryland and St. Clair series (Cold Pursuit, 2023; Cold Threat, 2024) with a suspenseful story of loyalty, forgiveness, and faith that triumphs over any evil. Cold Vengeance features hair-raising tension, characters who share their Christian faith with conviction, and an intense dive into the sinister inner and outer workings of serial killers. The novel's unrelenting tenor of guarded high alertness paired with complicated family relationships and uncertain romance richly layer this excellent and chilling finale.

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