Cold-Blooded

When compassion turns dangerous, trust can get you killed.
Mattie Saunders has always believed in saving creatures no one else will—wounded birds, abandoned parrots, all the wild things left behind. So, when Liz, an old high school friend, asks for help housing reptiles from a refuge under police investigation, Mattie doesn’t hesitate. But this time, her generosity drags her into something far darker than animal rescue.
When two drug squad detectives come knocking, Mattie learns the Reptile Refuge was a front for criminal activity—and Liz may be in deeper than she admits. As the secrets untangle, Mattie must decide where loyalty ends and survival begins.
Torn between her instincts to protect and her growing sense of betrayal, she discovers that “cold-blooded” doesn’t just describe the reptiles. It describes the people willing to use friendship, trust, and even love to their own ends.
With tightly-wound tension and emotional depth, Cold-Blooded is a compelling story of morality, betrayal, and the cost of caring too much—proof that doing the right thing can sometimes mean losing everything.
Fans of strong female leads, modern mysteries, and character-driven drama won’t want to miss this gripping second installment in the Mattie Saunders Series.