Book Review: Hard Cold Winter by Glen Erik Hamilton (Van Shaw #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, can’t put down story

Cons: A bit dark for my tastes

The Bottom Line:

Van’s out of Army

Finding Seattle danger

Dark, enjoyable

Bodies at a Cabin

I enjoyed the first novel featuring Van Shaw earlier this year, and I was looking forward to seeing just how author Glen Erik Hamilton would continue his story in Hard Cold Winter.  The result was as gripping as I expected it to be.

It’s been ten months since we last saw Van, and he is now back in Seattle permanently, having finished his time as an Army Ranger just weeks ago.  Van hasn’t settled into a new job yet, so when Willard, one of his grandfather’s old friends, asks for a favor, Van is more than willing to do it for him.  Willard’s niece went off with her boyfriend to a cabin in the woods for a night, and no one has heard from her since.

When Van arrives at the cabin, he makes a horrific discovery – two dead bodies.  It appears to be a murder suicide, but Van doesn’t quite buy it.  As he tries to figure out what happened, he discovers more danger than he bargained for.  Will his Ranger training keep him alive?  Or are the forces at work too great for him?

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that Van was trained in the family business, which involves crime, as a boy.  That gives him a different skill set and a different outlook on the conflict.  It also makes him a different character from what I normally read.  I enjoyed getting to know him in the first book, and I enjoyed catching up with him again here.  A few of the characters from the debut are back, and we meet some interesting new characters here as well.  All of them are well developed.

And the story?  It starts out well, but it builds in intensity as each chapter goes along until it reaches an explosive and page turning climax.  You won’t want to put the book down.

This is definitely darker than the cozies I normally read.  Know that before you pick up the book.  That includes more language and definitely more violence.  The themes are also a bit darker.  Even knowing this, it got to me at times, and lessened my enjoyment a little.  Yes, this is completely a personal issue.  I recognize that.  If you enjoy darker books, you’ll definitely love this one.

One thing that I did appreciate is the spotlight the book shines on the struggle that vets have when they leave the service.  It’s not something I normally think about, but this is worked into the novel in a natural way, and I suspect will be a recurring theme as the series progresses.

Once again, I listened to this book on audio.  The series gets a new narrator here, R. C. Bray.  He does a much better job of bringing the characters and story to life.  If you enjoy audio books, I would definitely recommend this one.

While Van’s adventures are darker than I would normally pick up, I am enjoying getting to know him.  I plan to move on from Hard Cold Winter soon.

If you are interested in more, here are the rest of the Van Shaw novels.