Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein

Sara Jane Rispoli has lived most of her life thinking she was just an ordinary girl in an ordinary family. But when her parents and brother are kidnapped, Sara Jane finds that boys and school dances are the last thing on her mind—right now, it’s much more important that she escapes from all the corrupt cops, the masked assassin, and her jealous uncle who are after her. But no matter how long and far Sara Jane keeps running, the danger will never stop because her family, the Rispolis, has long been an integral part of the Chicago Outfit, and there are several important people who won’t let her forget it. With only a few dangerous allies and no one that she can fully trust, Sara Jane must find a way to navigate her gritty new world of secrets and violence so that she can save her family and save herself.

I’m a reader who’s always intrigued with life on the other side of the law, so I was very excited to find out that Cold Fury would involve the Chicago Outfit, a unique mob about which I’ve previously read very little. I was looking forward to a lot of thrilling action sequences, complex and juicy secrets, and gritty glamour, but unfortunately, Cold Fury fails to deliver as a whole. That is to say that although there was plenty of action, secrets, and glamour, there just wasn’t enough of any of it in the story. Furthermore, the pacing of the first part of the story was too slow to maintain my interest, so by the time that the plot began to pick up, especially with the history of the Outfit and the Rispolis’ deep involvement in that organization, I was only mildly intrigued. Despite Cold Fury’s promising premise, the story’s execution was rather disappointing, especially in comparison with other similar action novels.

Cold Fury may still be enjoyed by fans of Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber, Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith, and Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw.

Rating: 3.25

Review copy from publisher Penguin