4.5 stars.

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear is an absorbing mystery. Although this second installment in the Cat Kinsella series can be read as a standalone, the first book in the series, Sweet Little Lies, provides valuable background information about Cat and her family.

Detective Cat Kinsella and her partner Detective Sergeant Luigi Parnell are investigating the death of Australian national Naomi Lockhart. There is little doubt the twenty-two year young woman has been murdered but there are scant clues at the crime scene. Cat and Luigi's first stop in the investigation is the victim's boss, Kirstie Conner. They quickly discover that Kirstie's husband Marcus set Naomi up with her roommate Kiernan Drake, a thirty-four year old personal trainer. Further complicating the situation is the fact Naomi was at the Conner's house for a party the day of her death. Cat and Luigi soon have reason to believe Kirstie's brother-in-law Joseph Madden was having an affair with Naomi. The only problem? Joseph's wife Rachel insists her husband was at home the night Naomi was murdered. Cat and Luigi continue their investigation but all roads lead back to Joseph. Is it possible that Rachel is lying for her husband? Can Cat uncover the truth about who murdered Naomi?

Cat is still dealing with the fallout from her previous case but she is determined not to allow the fraught situation to affect her at work. She has carefully compartmentalized her life and she does everything she can to keep the various areas separate. Unfortunately, Cat's boyfriend is growing impatient with her refusal to introduce him to anyone in her life. And Luigi and her other co-workers are giving her a hard time about her "secret" boyfriend. Cat's life grows even more complicated when someone from her past suddenly reappears in her life and she is suspicious about what this person wants from her.

The investigation into Naomi's murder is a bit of a slow burner as Cat and Luigi try to find definitive evidence that Joseph is, in fact, their killer. The complex family ties muddy their search for answers but it does not take long for Cat to make some headway. Rachel quickly begins to unravel but she remains adamant Joseph is innocent. Kinsella and Parnell soon untangle Joseph's web of lies but will they uncover irrefutable proof that he murdered Naomi? In the meantime, Cat is chasing down a few puzzling details although she is not sure how this information fits into their investigation. A stunning discovery turns the case upside down, but will Cat and Luigi discover the identity of Naomi's murderer?

Stone Cold Heart is a fast-paced and engrossing police procedural. Cat, Luigi and the rest of the team are vibrantly developed characters that are quite personable. Cat is quite intelligent with an intriguing moral compass due to her family history. The current investigation is completely wrapped up novel's end, but a cliffhanger involving Cat will leave readers awaiting the next installment in Caz Frear's clever Cat Kinsella series. ( )

Second in series and like the first it starts out slowly. Kinsella has such an interesting back story which is for me a major draw, and here it threatens to spill over into her personal life. A body of a young woman is discovered, there has to be a body, right? Kinsella and her partner are given the case and are soon embroiled in a maze of contradictory statements, and a family with much to hide.

A good solid series with some interesting characters and a p!of that twists and turns until I was quite lost. Everytime I thought I knew who done it, something else would be revealed that made it clear, I had no clue. Though there were clues, many of them, but which ones were real? As I said, a cat and mouse game with no idea who had the actual cheese. It ends with a provocative request, so I'm looking forward to how this will be after on, or not.

ARC from Edelweiss. ( )

A special thank you to the author, Edelweiss, HarperCollins Canada, and Bonnier Zaffre Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a brief stint in the Mayor's Office, 26-year-old Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police’s Murder Investigation Team. She is on the hunt for the killer of Naomi Lockhart, a visiting Australian temp worker who was last seen alive at a party thrown by her boss, Kirstie Conner. Her flatmate, Kieran Drake, an ex-con turned personal trainer, made the gruesome discovery of Naomi's body in their living room.

The evidence points to Kirstie's brother-in-law, Joseph Madden, who Cat recognizes as the owner/barista from the coffee shop around the corner from the police station. Madden insists he's being framed because at the time of the murder he was with his wife. But when the police question Rachel, she contradicts his alibi.

As the force build their case against Joseph, Cat is the one assigned with investigating the Maddens. She knows one of them is lying—she needs to figure out which one while also struggling with her own relationship issues.

Frear explores the secrets we keep from those we love and the ones that we want to remain in the dark.

The second instalment of the Cat Kinsella series is another banger! Frear is meticulous with her execution and is exceptionally gifted with character development and plotting. Even in the passages of Cat's inner dialogue there are so many subtle nuances that add layers to the storyline and ratchet up the tension.

Frear's ear for dialogue is exceptional—Cat and Luigi have such witty banter and I love DI Kate Steele. Why is this series not a TV show? But the best part, Frear has left her readers with a cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book! ( )

This is the second novel in a series featuring Detective Constable Cat Kinsella, who, at 27, has been with the London Murder Investigation Team 4 (MIT4) for five years. As Cat explains about her job:

“Humanity is everywhere. It shows its face in the very best and the very worst of situations. It’s actually quite rare that the sinkhole opens up, sucking away everything that’s pure and light and hopeful in its wake. And when it does, that’s when the likes of Murder Investigation Team 4 come in.”

Cat and her partner DS Luigi Parnell are assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman, Naomi Lockhart, who was in London on a temporary work permit from Australia. Naomi was last seen at an office party at the home of her boss, Kirstie Connor.

Thus, to untangle this murder, Cat has to deal with The Family from Hell: Kirstie, her husband Marcus, her sister-in-law Rachel Madden, Rachel’s husband Joseph, and Clara Madden, the seventeen-year-old daughter of Rachel and Joseph; all were at the party. Each one of them outdoes the other not only as an unreliable narrator but as a generally all-around awful person.

The saving grace of this book is the Murder Squad, the members of whom we got to know in Frear’s earlier book. Cat is still suffused with shame over her behavior in the previous case: “Shame is buried so deep that eventually the false you becomes the real you and no one ever comes close to knowing who you really are.” To me, what Cat did doesn’t seem so outrageous, but it’s good to know some police operate on a strict moral code of what does and does not constitute professional behavior.

As for the rest of the team, the standouts are Cat’s partner, Luigi Parnell (he is like a father-figure to her and she calls him “Sarge”), and her DCI Kate Steele. Both of them are very likable, and add different outlooks to the mix of MIT4.

The many twists and turns of the plot had me guessing until the end, a feature I always appreciate since it takes a deft hand to construct. The author is touted as appealing to fans of Tana French, and indeed, she has something of French’s same style.

Evaluation: This book combines an absorbing and well-crafted police procedural with an even more interesting drama about family secrets and detective force interactions. The supportive relationships in Cat’s Murder Investigation Team keep them going in the face of the horrors they encounter on the job.

The range and depth of the character portrayals are impressive. Frear also adeptly creates an atmosphere and mood as palpably as a movie might do, so that you feel as if you are experiencing all that Cat does right along with her.

I am impressed with this author and look forward to more books from her. ( )