Cold Light of Day (Missing in Alaska Book 1) is the one of latest books to be released by award winning author Elizabeth Goddard.
Synopsis
A violent crime wave hits the small town of Shadow Gap, leaving police chief Autumn Long scrambling. With her job already in a perilous position Autumn soon finds herself turning to Grier Brenner, a newcomer to town with a secretive past, but the skills and training she needs. Together they must learn to rely on each other as the danger closes in.
My Thoughts
Crime and suspense novels aren’t the biggest genre in Christian Fiction. When I saw Cold Light of Day was a finalist for a Christy Award, I was optimistic. Unfortunately, soon into the story, that optimism started to fade.
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD
There are many critiques I could give, from multiple plot holes, to a heroine that seems to make decisions based on how the author wants to move the plot forward, instead of in accordance to her personality. Or that the overdone and toxic trope of “I faked my death, letting you suffer in grief and guilt because I love you” is made even worse in this novel. A mother that lets her 8 year old daughter (Autumn) believe she died trying to save her. Roughly 20 years later it is revealed her mother is alive. Her father, brother and grandparents knew for years but didn’t tell her. Because love? I don’t think so.
As the story continued I couldn’t help but think of Ryan from Pitch Meetings on YouTube. “Actually it’s gonna be super easy, barely an inconvenience” is a great way to explain the numerous times Autumn and Grier continue to get out of one impossible situation after the next, with minimal effort.
I think the ultimate frustration was when Grier suddenly discloses the location of a drive worth millions, after spending the entire book harping on how he couldn’t tell anyone or let if fall into the wrong hands. From secret, to holding it in the the air for all to see, he removes it from its safe location, before going to chase an international crime lord.
Conclusion
The story had potential and it was frustrating to see it fizzle and die. Autumn Long could have had a better story arc, but opportunities of personal growth fizzled along with the rest of the plot. Overall Cold Light of Day isn’t good enough to have me intentionally seeking out more books from this author, but it is not so bad that I would never give her another shot. If you are a diehard crime novel fan it might still be worth a read.
If you have read Cold Light of Day and enjoyed it, I would love to hear your thoughts on why, as I certainly seem to be in the minority with my opinions on this particular novel. Please feel free to drop me a comment or email.
As always, if you have any Christian book recommendations I would love to hear them! Thank you for stopping by.
This Old Nest 