I was looking on the "What's New" shelf in my local library a couple of days ago and found Cold Dawn (c2010) by Carla Neggers. It had been awhile since I read her but I remembered that I really got caught up in her characters and plots, so, I picked it up.
Although you can read this as a stand-alone, it is book #3 in the Black Falls series and you will do yourself a favor if you read the others first. I found myself knee-deep in characters and a little adrift in the plot. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy Cold Dawn and it did keep me turning the pages, but as I have stated so many times, one of the most enjoyable experiences for me in reading a book is watching the characters grow and change as they interact with events and with each other. I want to know what happened before so that I know why a character is reacting to this situation in this manner. Everyone reads in a different mind-set, so if you are not so much into characters, then go ahead and get acquainted with Black Falls, Vermont through Cold Dawn.
In Cold Dawn, the inhabitants of Black Falls are just beginning to once again feel safe in their beautiful New England village. Nick Martini has arrived, he says, to search out Rose Cameron and see if their first encounter, back in Beverly Hills, was more than just a one-night stand. On his first morning in Black Falls, he finds Rose but, unfortunately, she finds a badly burned body and the stage is set for more than just a pleasant romance. Nick, a smoke jumper, also is sure that an arsonist is on the loose, leaving a trail from Vermont to California to Washington, D.C. The suspense builds as Rose and Nick, along with a host of friends and relatives, rush to stop the arsonist before he, or she, can claim another victim.
Once this case is solved, I'll bet you will find yourself going on a hunt for the first two books, Cold Pursuit and Cold River, and eagerly looking forward to the next Black Falls adventure!
