Cold Echo

COLD ECHO is the first book in the Harry Hope series, a brand- new psychological thriller series by C.J. Carver.<br /><br />Harry Hope, Lucas Finch and Guy Bowman were best friends when they were nine years old kids. They had been warned to stay off Mr. Evans farm, but like all young boys they didn’t listen. They were in the barn playing with matches, when Mr. Evans catches Lucas. Then Harry and Guy are alarmed by smoke and fire. Mr. Evans goes in to save his cows, but he and one of his cows are killed in the fire. They had made a terrible mistake and now their friendship was shattered, forcing them to cut all ties.<br /><br />They were friends no more…<br /><br />Years later, Harry, a psychotherapist, is divorced and the father of three.<br /><br />Theo McCannon, a Detective Inspector requests the assistance of Harry on a recent case which involved the discovery of a man’s head in the woods, skinned and with the tongue cut out. Harry is shocked to learn that the victim is his childhood friend, Guy, now an MP. <br /><br />Old memories, “Cold Echoes” come flooding back.<br /><br />Nick, one of Harry’s patients, who had been working for Guy took the tragic news of the death poorly, and soon disappeared. Harry is being followed by a man…the killer, who is looking for Nick.<br /><br />Forced into a desperate hunt to save the boy, Harry finds himself closing in in on a shocking secret, a secret someone will do anything to keep safe…<br /><br />This great read offers a plot full of suspense, believable characters and a book that will grip you from start to finish. Really enjoyed it! I would highly recommend this book.<br /><br />Many thanks to the author and Bloodhound Books for my digital copy. <br /><br /><br />

4.5 STARS<br /><br />Harry, Lucas, and Guy are childhood friends. They committed a serious crime and their friendships dissolved. They cut all ties with each other and never spoke of what they did again.<br /><br />It's now 30 years later and Harry, now a psychologist, is asked to assist local law enforcement when a man's head is discovered. His face has been skinned and his tongue cut out. They have yet to find the man's body or an actual crime scene.<br /><br />Much to Harry's surprise, the man is identified as Harry's childhood friend, Guy. But that's not the only surprise for Harry. Old skeletons seem to be appearing everywhere. He accidentally runs into his old friend, Lucas .... and then the local cop from 30 years ago.<br /><br />Guy's wife attempts suicide after the death of her husband ... but was it suicide ... or murder?<br /><br />One of Harry's clients disappears .. a young man who was close to Guy. Has his disappearance to do with Guy's death? Does he know .. or see .. something he shouldn't?<br /><br />Do these events have anything to do with their childhood crime ... or something much, much worse? As Harry hunts for his client, he tries to put the pieces together. The only thing he knows for sure is that someone is willing to do anything to protect an unspeakable secret.<br /><br />The ending is unpredictable .. totally surprising ... and explosive.<br /><br />Many thanks to the author and Bloodhound Books for the digital copy of this crime thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.<br />

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️? / 5<br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/48089057.Cold_Echo" title="Cold Echo by C.J. Carver" rel="noopener">Cold Echo</a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/19539553.C_J_Carver" title="C J Carver" rel="noopener">C J Carver</a> was one hell of a ride, and it totally shocked me in more ways than one!<br /><br /><b>What it's about:</b> Harry, Lucas, and Guy were all best friends as kids until a terrible accident tears them apart and they go their separate ways. Flash forward to present time and Guy's head is found skinned, but his body is missing. The police bring Harry, who is now a psychologist, in to consult on the case when one of his clients goes missing right after Guy's head is found. But the case is about to dig up a large part of their past, and a huge secret that someone is willing to kill to protect. <br /><br /><i>Cold Echo</i> had me gripped from the start and it's incredibly well-written. The ending also made my mouth drop open which to me is the best thing a book can do! I loved the humor as well, and even though there are darker subject matters, it's not all doom and gloom. That being said, there were also a couple of parts that made me tear up, so this book definitely runs you through a few different emotions which I liked. <br /><br /><i>Cold Echo</i> was also a pretty quick read and I read it in just over 4 hours, but I bet lots of people could be done sooner. C J Carver is a new-to-me author but someone I will for sure be reading again as soon as I can get my hands on more of her books!<br /><br /><b>Song/s the book brought to mind:</b> Can't Hold Us Down by Tommee Profitt Feat. Sam Tinnesz. <br /><br /><b>Final Though:</b> If you are looking for a fast-paced mystery that will keep you on your toes then <i>Cold Echo</i> is the book to read! Since Harry has a cop friend and gets involved in the investigation of his friend's death it also has a nice police procedural vibe even though he is a psychologist and not a cop. Carver has already impressed me with her writing in this book, and I can't wait to read more from her.<br /><br /><b>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.</b>

<a href="https://melovebooks.files.wordpress.com/2021/11/yvonnesshortiesgr-1.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1636986044i/32191717.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="125" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><b>Finished November 24th 2021</b><br><a href="https://melovebooks.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/3.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434041543i/15170353.jpg" alt="" width="101" height="26" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><blockquote>‘Promises can be broken,’ he warned. ‘Not necessarily intentionally, but it can happen despite the best of intentions.’</blockquote><br><input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="bde92111-78b9-47ba-826f-1f70c99aef36" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="bde92111-78b9-47ba-826f-1f70c99aef36">I got a copy of <strong>Cold Echo </strong>last Christmas with the <em>Bloodhound Books </em>promo and it has been hanging out on my kindle along with a bunch of other titles from the same publisher ever since... I thought it was about time to actually start reading them, and <strong>Cold Echo </strong>ended up being first as I was intrigued by the blurb. The main character Harry is a psychologist, which gives us a different angle in our crime thriller than the usual detective/killer perspective. Harry is very close to the investigation though, both because he is involved himself and because he is great friends with the detective in charge. But while I do like the premise of the story, I also have to state that the pace during most of the story is quite slow and I never did warm up to the main characters. On top of this, I also guessed most of the final twists quite early on... As a whole, I don't think <strong>Cold Echo </strong>is a bad thriller, but I can't say the story really stood out for me either.<br></label><br><br><b> <i>P.S. Find more of my reviews <a href="http://melovebooks.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.</i> </b></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

What a story! I’ve literally spent my day reading this and it’s a cracking read. <br /><br />Harry, Lucas and Guy were the best of friends until something happened and changed everything. The author brings us back thirty years to tell us what happened then we jump forward to thirty years and the story takes off from then.<br /><br />I really liked Harry and would have loved to read more of his private life but I’m greedy like that lol <br /><br />The blurb is enough of a tease for you. If you enjoy thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat then I highly recommend this story.<br /><br />I’ve not read anything by this author before but I’ll certainly be looking to read more by her in the future.

Mixed feelings<br />I was pleased to find this book, which is the start of a series, but after finishing it I feel somewhat ambivalent towards it. Am I glad I discovered it or do I regret reading it?... Well, I'm just about as happy to have found it as I am happy to have read it. Basically, it was an ok read but never got close to raising my pulse. The hero's occupation struggles to maintain the most tenuous connection to the plot, in fact his behaviour is quite often more of a fumbling detective than psychotherapist. His personal life is dreary and didn't add anything to the overall plot. It's not an overly long story but at times it felt a little drawn out with needless complex connections between characters, many of which are unlikable. I felt too many of these characters were already too conveniently and neatly associated with the main protagonist for it to be convincing.<br />Although there are a few tense moments, I wouldn't describe this book as a page-turner but more of a slow burn. I had issues with credibility but from a whodunit perspective, it's adequate enough for me to move directly to book two, albeit tentatively.

This is the second book I have thoroughly enjoyed by this author, having read Over Your Shoulder earlier this year. Harry, Guy and Lucas were only 9 years old when a prank at a farm turned until an out of control fire and the death of the farmer. They haven't seen each other for thirty years and their lives have taken them in different directions. Harry is now a psychotherapist still living in the Bath area with children and a recently divorced ex-wife when his neighbour and friend DI Theo McCannon comes to him for advice on a new case, that of a severed and skinned head that has been found. When Harry later hears that it belonged to Guy Bowman, his old friend and MP for Bath, he feels compelled to help the police and becomes drawn into the investigation, reliving memories from the past he thought he had buried. However the danger gets very close to home and soon Harry is running for his life as he gets near the truth. Lots of action in a book that is very easy to read and that you won't want to put down until the final secrets are revealed, as Harry struggles to work out just who is telling him the truth and, more importantly, who he can actually trust any more. A very enjoyable mystery thriller I have no problem in recommending.

It was ok, not sure it was getting enough to read any more

Was I supposed to care about Harry?

You know you are going to be in for a real treat when you hear that CJ Carver has a new book coming out. As I wait impatiently for them, I always wonder how she is able to out do the previous one, but she always does. She has a real gift and I am pleased to say that with Cold Echo she doesn’t disappoint!<br /><br />CJ has crafted a thrilling plot that is full of suspense. The blurb gives you enough of a tease as to what the story is about, but I will say you will be completely taken in by it. The characters in this story, although not all likeable are all extremely well written and are brought to life skilfully through the pages.<br /><br />I love CJ’s style. It is so effortless which makes for such an enjoyable and easy read. The writing is fluid, engaging and CJ is a master at drawing the reader in and holding you captive until the final page. With this book, I was always saying to myself just one more chapter which quickly became my another then another. Sleep is definitely overrated when you are reading a book of CJ’s.<br /><br />Cold Echo is a stellar read. Gripped right from the start, you will have a hard time putting this one down. Full of twists and turns, this one definitely keeps you on your toes as you race through the pages till the explosive conclusion. I highly recommend this book and it is a must read if you are a fan of the psychological thriller genre.<br /><br />Thank-you to Bloodhound Books, Heather Fitt and CJ Carver for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Cold Echo which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.<br /><br />If you like this review please visit my blog for more <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://onceuponatimebookblog.com">https://onceuponatimebookblog.com</a><br />