COLD FURY

A lawyer and her FBI handler struggle to evade a serial killer in this installment of Anderson’s Cold Justice romantic thriller series.

Assistant District Attorney Hope Harper was not always a prosecutor. Earlier in her career, she was a Boston defense attorney on the rise, already on the verge of making partner at a prestigious law firm before the age of 30—then her world came apart. After she successfully defended accused serial killer Julius Leech, the man repaid her by murdering her husband and daughter. In the seven years since, Hope has dedicated herself to making sure violent men go to jail for as long as the law allows. When Julius manages to escape from prison during a winter storm, exacting revenge on Hope—whom he blames for his incarceration—is the first thing on his mind. Aaron Nash of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team is tasked with keeping Hope safe until Julius is apprehended, a job that Hope makes infinitely more difficult by refusing to go into hiding. She’d rather help catch Julius: “Putting him back in prison for the rest of his miserable life would be my absolute pleasure,” she tells Aaron upon meeting him, “but it doesn’t mean I need protection.” With Aaron bunking in Hope’s apartment, the two spend a lot of time together, and their initial bickering soon leads to grudging respect and eventually something more. For the first time in seven years, Hope is finally making some good memories. But will the monomaniacal Julius, already adding substantially to his body count, find a way to cut them short? Anderson has a talent for capturing the way people move around one another, as during this early dance between Hope and Aaron: “Their gazes collided as their fingertips brushed. Her pupils widened and his breath locked in his chest. He stepped away. Moved to the window to ease the blind aside and check the street outside.” The suspense elements are as taut as the sexual tension, with many welcome twists along the way.

A satisfying offering for fans of this romantic series.