Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear is the second fast-paced whodunit novel in the Cat Kinsella series.

I could not stop reading.

I had originally purchased this one as soon as it came out, but with how crazy 2019 got, it fell down my TBR list. I’m so thankful that I was finally able to get to it!

The very first page of this story really starts things with a bang!! I love when authors do this to help set the tone. Not that Caz Frear really needs any extra help, because what came next kept things rolling right along!

When the first chapter begins, we meet back up with Cat and Parnell, two investigators, as they have arrived at a crime scene. The body of a young girl is sprawled on a kitchen floor and due to her injuries, foul play is suspected.

We learn that the victim hasn’t been in town long, but that she did have a job. That’s where our investigators go to chat first.

Throughout the investigation, we are introduced to a number of characters, each of them interesting and infuriating in their own ways. We learn very quickly that a number of them are lying… but why?

I love the characters in this book so much. The main character, Cat, has her secrets, and while I don’t love all of her decisions, I do love her as a strong female lead! She’s so smart and I love her dedication to her work. I also love Parnell and his father-like relationship with Cat and how protective of her he is.

The plot was super engaging and I was so interested to see how things were going to unfold. With how many people were involved and because many of them had been lying, I didn’t know what to believe! I was fully on board with each path they took as each sounded totally plausible!

One of my favorite things about this series so far is just how easy they are to read. The characters seem so real and their banter with one another is perfect and so funny. The authors way of setting a scene really makes the tale come off the pages.

My Favorite Passages:
Dr. Allen’s face says she’d expect nothing different. “Narcissists have no concept of other people’s needs.”
“Here, that’s not narcissists, that’s toddlers.” Cooke gets the laugh.

“I don’t suppose there’s any point in ordering you to go home?” she says, turning back to me. “I’ll only find you in the loos with a stack of witness statements.”
Once. I did that once.

My Final Thoughts:
I had so much fun reading this and spending more time with these characters! I cannot wait to see what comes next!

This is definitely one that I would recommend to fans of fast paced mysteries with wonderful characters that really drove the story!