Eh. I think Piccirilli recently got an award for this one but it just wasn't for me. It was okay but not to my taste. But, like usual, Piccirilli does a neat job. The fact that I kept reading is likely a testament to his skill. He did especially well writing from the point of view of the recently blinded main character and his new perceptions of the world.
Finn was a cop in NYC with a wife he loved and a partner he loved but was unsure about. Finn gets blinded, his wife is killed, his partner is jailed, and Finn is now teaching English at a small girl's boarding school in Connecticut (or was is Mass. or somewhere else?).
Finn has had trouble at the school after a hot student came on to him and he almost banged her. Finn has a relationship with the school nurse, Roz, and the school's principal, WhatsHerFace, is a repressed drunk who is watching Finn closely.
Christmas break and a handful of students remain. A blizzard is coming. Finn takes a walk and finds a badly injured girl. Takes girl back to his cottage. She gives cryptic warnings of coming danger. I kept wondering if it was supposed to be a hallucination. Finn bangs Roz. Finn looks for disappeared girl.
Other characters introduced. Finn's history introduced. Storm hits. Rough characters appear demanding money and raping and killing. Finn fights back. Finn kills one. Finn gets lost in snow. Finn rescued and gathers others.
Finn finds out Roz and the school's cook were buying meth from the locals and selling through Finn's jailed cop partner. Locals are owed $9,000 and angry. Finn chokes out last of two killers. Injured girl holds knife to Finn's neck. Finn promises the money. Finn pays up a couple days later. Finn goes to meet old partner at Sing-Sing as partner is released. Finn plans to kill partner.
Comments:
1. Common Piccirilli themes: east coast, dead wife, feelings of failure by lead character, lead character duped by others.
2. Missing themes: no muscle cars, orphans, or scumbag parents.
3. I need to see when the next Cold book with Chase and Jonah comes out. Eh, why bother. I'll just get overly anxious and upset if it does not release for several months. Piccirilli will post the release info on facebook anyway.
4. Meth is a popular drug in both real life and recent crime fiction.
5. I think I bought another Piccirilli for the library that I have not gotten to yet.
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