A Cold Day in Paradise

Alex McKnight, Book 1

By: Steve Hamilton

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Other than the bullet lodged less than a centimeter from his heart, former Detroit police officer Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner’s death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, Maximilian Rose, convicted of the crimes has been locked in the state pen for years. But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cozy cabin in the woods, a murderer with Rose’s unmistakable trademarks appears to be back to his killing ways. With Rose locked away, McKnight can’t understand who else would know the intimate details of the old murders - not to mention the signature blood-red rose left on his doorstep. And it seems like it’ll be a frozen day in Hell before McKnight can unravel the cold truth from a deadly deception in a town that’s anything but paradise.

©2000 Steve Hamilton (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Just ok.

Characters are better than just cardboard cutouts, but didn't really grab me either. Missing also is much like memorable dialogue that makes a really good book for me.
Having said that, the plot is fairly original and the story moves along nicely. There's even interesting twists.
Language is saltier than I care for, but I suppose that's normal. Gratuitous sex is kept to a minimum.
Mr Miller isn't bad , but never gets a handle on a real Yooper accent. (I've known people from the UP.) He sounds more Scottish.

A modern Agatha Christie thriller

This is a well written book, the dialog between the characters is written with depth and realism and I loved it. One comment on the characters, they are a quirky lot and are fun to follow as you listen to the story. This book reminds me of some of the early mystery writers, as I stated in my headline like Agatha Christie, not high on the body count or action hero stuff, more Nero Wolf style, which I like. I would say that if you like some of the early mystery writers of the 1900's then you will like this book a lot. If you like a well written mystery but have never read any of the early mystery writers then you will like this book and will find it a great gateway to some wonderful classics in the wold of mystery writing.

Complete story with no obvious dangling threads

(as posted in Goodreads)
What a gripping suspenseful tale! When it seemed like it was over, there were still two hours left! There were interesting twists that still had to come about.
Of course, I like liking the main character; it makes the whole thing much more enjoyable :-), and there still being questions that can reasonably (but not NECESSARILY for this particular book) be answered leaves an opening for sequels in the series. I actually am looking forward to more of Alex McKnight.

Language

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, to much use of distasteful language

Would you be willing to try another book from Steve Hamilton? Why or why not?

No, most of my friends would not like all the language in this bood

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book as far as the story, just not all the language. I downloaded two of the books in this series and after listening to the first one had no desire to listen to the second one. Just with any verbal presentation after you hear the word "GD" so many times you stop listening to what is being said and start counting how many times that word gets said you lose what the actual conversation is about.

Surprising ending on this story.

this story kept me interested throughout. a lot of twists and turns with surprising ending.

Bleak Northern Michigan perfect setting for murder

The upper peninsula of Michigan is just the bleak, stark backdrop for a good murder mystery and Alex McKnight, like Harry Bosch and other tough guy/warm heart protagonists, fits right in.

Surprise Ending

Suspenseful and intriguing. I never saw the ending coming. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.

Listened to this in Paradise

This set the mood perfectly for a trip to paradise. Best part was that despite the name, I didn't realize the book was set the until my ride up.

People read more than 1 of these?

I understand the book ends with a sequel-bait "cliffhanger" of sorts, but I can't imagine anybody wanting to spend any more time with Alex McNight after reading this first book. The protagonist is a wholly unlikeable character without any redeeming qualities. He's a coward, a wimp, an adulterer, and completely directionless. Nothing that happens is due to his own actions, instead everything is caused by his lack of action and apathy. If we're supposed to dislike Alex, then author Steve Hamilton succeeded in his mission. If this is supposed to be the origin story of a tragic hero, it falls well short. He's not tragic, just worthless.

good locales, lacks a main character

Knowledge of the locales for the story earns high marks, and two or three scenes had well written tension, while most lacked any semblance of suspense or tension. Part, but not all, of the major problem for me is that the character is not believable.
His dialogue becomes almost comic at times, he repeats words in monologues and in direct address to the point of boredom and amateurish writing, he mutters and thinks out loud and from this he moves on to the next scene.

His character, an ex cop and now a PI, makes decisions that even a rookie cop would not make and don't seem justified in scenes meant to escalate his desire. He speaks like someone who has only seen 40's gangster films and wants to be one of those characters. At times he talks tough but there isn't anything behind it.
.
The dramatic thrust of the story doesn't hinge on situations or actions that engage the character, rather on his musings. He often simply ruminates in a monologue about wanting to find out more, then we go to a new scene. I never felt there was a strong thrust that kept me involved. This happens in the last two major sections of the book, where you want tension driving the character to risk and pull you, the reader, along.

I don't experience knowledge of a locale to be a substitute for engaging dramatic writing that is rich with tension, suspense and mystery.

I try to avoid comparing writers to other writers and let their work stand on its' own. Having said that, this story, for me, doesn't warrant a read or a listen.