Cold Pursuit

by T. Jefferson Parker

Book Overview

From the Edgar Award-winning author of Silent Joe, a new hard-hitting thriller of murder, vengeance, and secret passions that will keep readers spellbound. Homicide cop Tom McMichael is on the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006059327X
• ISBN13: 9780060593278
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Genuine Page Turner

I have read many T. Jefferson Parker books and this is one of the best. You see the term "page turner" used a lot but this is one book that really grabs you and keeps you reading until the end. There is murder, a little romance and a dedicated cop who is tracking down a killer while dealing with his own demons. I dare anyone to start this mystery and not finish it in one sitting. It is really quite riveting.

An Excellent Whodunit

San Diego homicide cop Tom McMichael is investigating the murder of eighty-four-year-old city patriarch Pete Braga who was found bludgeoned to death. In a long ago past Braga shot McMichael's grandfather in a fight over a paycheck, then right after the shooting Braga's son was found badly beaten. Was it revenge? The investigation leads to many suspects, including members of both the McMichael and Braga families in this whodunit that will keep you up all night long as it did me.

Satisfying!

T. Jefferson Parker is magnificent! He doesn't write about shoot-em-up superheroes. This story begins with a murder and then investigates it. Suspects are found and either eliminated or investigated further. The solution was so obvious once you got there but the plot was so cleverly devised that you didn't figure it out until you turned that page.If you want to learn more than you need to know about the book, read the other reviews. Better yet, read the book.Unusual for a T. Jeff story, I did make one correct guess early on--usually I find something out when he's ready to tell me--but it didn't help much with the solution of the crime. I dismissed the clue I should have picked up.The story is rich with solid characters and their personal, working, and family relationships. Tom McMichael investigates the murder of Pete Braga realistically, picking up leads and following them to their conclusion. And the subplots are equally well-developed--the generations-old family feud, McMichael's past involvement with Braga's granddaughter, and his on-going relationship with his son, to name but a few.I have no reservations in rating this book the five stars it deserves!

Another great one from T. Jefferson Parker

When Homicide Sergeant Tom McMichael gets the call about Pete Braga's murder, he can't help feeling a bit of pleasure. The McMichaels have hated the Bragas for years, ever since Pete killed McMichael's grandfather. Still, McMichael is a cop and he intends to track down the killer. The pretty nurse looks like a good suspect--her story about buying firewood and getting all of the missing property as gifts sounds a bit suspicious. But McMichael is attracted to the nurse and his gut tells him that she's innocent. Still, does he dare go with his gut, or should he trust the evidence? Author T. Jefferson Parker delivers another exciting mystery. McMichael, with his conflicted feelings toward the nurse, his ex-wife, and the victim's daughter who was his childhood sweetheart and is single again, makes a strong and sympathetic character. A second case, involving smuggling contraband from Mexico adds complexity to the plot without taking the focus from Pete's murder. The nasty cops from internal affairs, sticking their noses into other cop's business feel authentic. When I read my first T. Jefferson Parker book (see our review of THE BLUE HOUR) I suspected that I had found a real talent. COLD PURSUIT convinces me that I was right. It is a wonderful and authentic police thriller. Parker delivers emotional depth, thoughtful police work, and exciting action in a tightly worded package. If you haven't discovered Parker, you are in for a treat and COLD PURSUIT delivers. If you're already a fan, you won't be disappointed. COLD PURSUIT is fully up to the high standards that Parker has set for himself.

In a word---spectacular!

T. Jefferson Parker's "Cold Pursuit" is a classic crime story...a complicated tale that unfolds effortlessly. He is a most visual writer.Unanswered questions from the past frame the narrative. No one is quite what he or she appears as Detective Tom McMichael and his partner Hector Paz endeavor to unravel the truth about the murder of eighty-four year old San Diego patriarch Pete Braga.There are three generations of bad blood between the Portuguese Bragas and the Irish McMichaels. McMichael's basic decency and personal code eliminate any chance of a clouded judgement.There is no shortage of suspects: City Council members, the Catholic Diocese, a smuggling ring, the police force, members of either family---any of them could have done it.As McMichael exhumes the past to explain the current crime, you can never anticipate what is coming next.Each and every clue seems conflicting...altering newfound clarity into opaqueness in the turn of a page.Wonderful misdirection. To paraphrase Inspector Clouseau: "I suspected everyone and I suspected no one."A powerful ending. Do not miss this one.