Cold Vengeance

In Mehl’s spine-chilling third entry in the River Ryland and Tony St. Clair series (after Cold Threat), the PIs search for the missing host of a true crime podcast. Hot Coffee and Cold Cases podcaster April Bailey vanished seven months earlier, leaving behind her belongings and a worried fiancé, Nathan Hearne. When Nathan receives a cryptic note suggesting that April’s still alive, he enlists the detectives’ help. River and Tony begin the investigation, but they have plenty of other stuff on their mind—like that the accomplice of the Salt River Strangler, whom they helped put behind bars when they worked at the FBI, has been sending them threatening letters and bugging their offices. To make matters even more complicated, River’s also dealing with her mother’s decline from Alzheimer’s. As River and Tony harness their faith to tackle personal and professional trials, the stakes for catching the culprit rise, until an unexpected turn of events leaves one of the investigators’ lives hanging in the balance. Mehl adeptly balances thrilling action with emotional depth as the dire circumstances draw the PIs closer to God and one another. Series fans will find this snappy, high-stakes outing irresistible. (July)