Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Blog Tour for Booktoure

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Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Synopsis: "Make sure you wrap up warm for school, honey. A blizzard is on the way." Ten-year-old Teddy rolls his eyes at his mother. But then he hears a bang... By the time police arrive, Teddy's mother is dead. His open school backpack is strewn across the hallway. And Teddy is nowhere to be found.   When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake,  Agent Tori Hunter  races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that  ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared . His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy's father,  Tori finds he is missing too.   Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy's father, Tori's gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child?  An...
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The Other Girl by Erica Spindler Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

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Title: The Other Girl 
Author: Erica Spindler
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
Genre: Psychological thriller, Police procedural
Format: Audiobook
Listening length: 8 hours and 3 minutes
Date of Publication: August 22, 2017


Description: A horrific crime. One witness―a fifteen year old girl from the wrong side of the tracks, one known for lying and her own brushes with the law.

Is it any surprise no one believed her?

Officer Miranda Rader of the Harmony, Louisiana PD is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis―but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from the town of Jasper, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to earn the respect of her coworkers and the community.

When Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the brutality of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about that terrible night fifteen years ago. The night she’d buried, along with her past and the girl she’d been back then. Until now that grave had stayed sealed…except for those times, in the deepest part of the night, when the nightmares came: of a crime no one believed happened and the screams of the girl they believed didn’t exist.

Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop. Not just any cop―the one who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common―except Miranda.

My Thoughts: This is not my first Erica Spindler book, but it has been quite a while since I have read one of her books, so I was unsure what to expect. The first chapter, to be quite honest, was hard to swallow due to the nature of that chapter. The first chapter is about Randy when she was a 15 year old girl who is almost raped, not once but twice. The first attempted rape is done in some great detail and I have to say that I was not too fond of this part of the story, specifically the very beginning of the event. The part that I really did not like was where Randy states that she owes Billy Bo something for him providing her with beer and a ride, so she thought she should kiss him and maybe give him some tongue. I don't believe that you owe anyone anything sexual for giving you something, especially if you don't want to. This part really got underneath my skin. Randy did eventually say no once it progressed passed a kiss and did state "no means no", which I did appreciate. 

Once you get past the two attempted rapes of Randy, the story gets easier to get into as the events are not as gruesome. It did take me a while, specifically until chapter 8, for me to get the confirmation and clarification that Randy and Officer Miranda Rader were the same character. I would have appreciated some clarification that Randy and Miranda were the same a lot sooner. Randy is the 15 year old and Officer Miranda is the adult version of Randy and the version that the story follows primarily. The story does flashback every once and a while back to Randy. 

The connection between Miranda's "flashbacks" and the current case that she is working, the murder of Professor Stark, is not made until Chapter 12. Until then, you are trying to figure out why these two stories are being told back to back. I prefer it when the connection becomes more evident sooner. 

I read this book as an audiobook and I was not the most fondest of the narrator, Tavia Gilbert. I think it was the southern accent that the narrator was using for some of the characters. Tavia Gilbert tries to use different voices for each character in the story. As mentioned, the story takes place in the south, specifically Harmony, Louisiana. 

Erica Spindler does well with character development, specifically that of the main character Randy/Miranda. She develops from being a scared, untrusted, trouble making 15 year old to a strong woman who is fighting back. This is great to see, especially given what our country has currently been going through, like the Me Too movement. 

The story is not fast paced, like most books that I like to read, however it does move at a pace that at least keeps you interested in the story. It is not filled with a town of action. It follows Officer Miranda as she tries to figure out who killed Professor Stark and who is trying to frame her for his murder. 

Rating: I am giving this book a 3 out of 5 for two reasons. The first reason, as previously mentioned, the first chapter was hard to get through and I did not appreciate the statement that Randy made about owing Billy Bo something. The second is because I was not too fond of the narrator of the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook is important because it can make or break story and make me not want to complete the book if I don't like the voice.

Purchase book: Amazon


About the Author: New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler has written many novels, including Breakneck, Blood Vines, Watch Me Die, Bone Cold, In Silence and Last Known Victim. Her books are published in 25 countries. Raised in Rockford, Illinois, Spindler planned on becoming an artist, and earned visual arts degrees from Delta State University and the University of New Orleans. But one day in 1982, she picked up a romance novel and was immediately hooked. She soon tried to write her own romance, but it was when she leapt from romance to suspense that she found her true calling. Spindler has won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence, the Kiss of Death Award, and has been a three-time RITA Award Finalist. She lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

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