Cold Hands

Donnie Miller counts himself lucky. Living in a beautiful, spacious house in the wild and remote landscape of central Canada, he spends his days writing for the local newspaper, working on a film script, and acting as house-husband. After a troubled and impoverished upbringing in Scotland, he now has all he wants: a caring wife, a bright and happy son, a generous father-in-law. As the brutal northern winter begins to bite, he can sit back and enjoy life.

But his peace is soon to be broken. There are noises in the nearby woods, signs of some mysterious watcher. When the family dog disappears, Donnie makes a horrifying discovery. Is it wolves, as the police suspect, or something far more dangerous, far darker? What secrets has Donnie been show more keeping? And why does he have the terrible sense that his dream was never going to last?

Ridiculously compelling tale of revenge set in snowbound Saskatchewan but its origins are on a deprived estate in Glasgow.

The Scottish flashbacks are well done but the crime bears an uncomfortable resemblance to a notorious real-life crime.
Star off for the dog (cannot abide violence against animals – people are fine) and another off for the lunatic killer who won’t stay dead in the conclusion. show less

Donnie Miller marries into wealth and moves from his impoverished upbringing in Scotland to wild and remote part of central Canada, where he lives in a beautiful house owned by his wife’s family. Life is good, but as winter progresses and the cold intensifies, odd things start to happen.

Through flashback, Niven shows us unsavoury episodes from Miller’s past … but how are they connected to what is happening now???

I haven’t read any other books by this author, but the write-ups looked good, so I thought I would give it a try. And I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the writing style, and felt that Niven did a good job of showing us how Miller’s background had shaped his future actions. I also loved the strong sense of place and show more climate given by the setting in the Saskatchewan winter.

I will look out for more books in this series. show less

After a slowish start with a long section devoted to the back-story of Donnie’s bleak childhood in Scotland, interspersed with his later settled and happy life in Canada, Niven gradually builds the tension which comes to an explosive, horrifying, bloody and page-turning climax. Niven makes great use of the snowy landscape to chill the reader and Donnie’s unfolding revelations and admissions do the same as he finally confronts his teenage actions. This makes for an exciting read, but leaves one question unanswered – why did no-one check for footprints around Herby’s body?

Blimey. Scandi-Noir, Ayrshire style.

Dramatisch, traurig, brutal - absolut klasse!