Koude angst

After his first investigation in Greenland, Matthew Cave has remained on the Danish island. There are still a lot of questions around his family he would like to have answered. Now, the story goes back to the year 1990 when Matt’s father Tom was stationed at an American military base on Greenland to carry out revolutionary medical tests. They managed to develop a pill which could make the body support cold temperatures much longer – a definite advantage in the cold north. Yet, this did not come without side effects and then something went totally wrong. Matt thought his father had died in that spring but he has already figured out that he must have survived somehow since Matt unexpectedly has found out that he has a younger sister. show more When he starts to investigate what happened on that military base almost 25 years before, he suddenly hits a hornet’s nest and puts himself and his sister in danger.

I already liked the first book in the series about the Danish journalist where the basis for this second novel was laid. Where I found “The Girl Without Skin” a bit creepier and more spine-chilling, “Cold Fear” is much more a spy novel which convinced me with a complex plot and repeated moments of highest suspense. Additionally, again, Nordbo provides insight in the Greenland culture and traditions of which I hardly know anything and which I found as disturbing as interesting.

It is not easy to sum up or briefly retell what “Cold Fear” is all about, there simply is too much and this really demands all your attention while reading. The plot certainly is strongest when political and societal aspects are touched – not just since we have seen the USA repeat their claims of the island this year. As Greenland is located so far away, we are highly ignorant about the different people who settled there and especially their mutual regard or rather disregard which becomes a lot clearer while reading.

However, what enchanted me most were the characters. From a psychological point of view, it is easy to comprehend why they act the way they do and how they developed into the person we meet in the novel. Most powerful are the female characters for me since all of them grow-up under the harshest circumstances and what they have to go through does not remain without trace.

Among the masses of Scandinavian crime novel, undoubtedly one that stands out. show less

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the second book in this quality series but can be read as a standalone story, mainly because unusually the Author does not just give slight references to what went before, but repeats chunks so you are up to speed. Though my advice read both terrific books in order. This is a clever superbly descriptive imaginative read from start to finish, set in inhospitable Greenland split between 1990 and 2014, with our investigative journalist on the case of mysterious drug experiments carried out by America involving his father, and the disappearance of his sister, with the help of the enigmatic mysterious show more violent Greenland tattooed lady. Atmospheric gritty tense with plenty of action and plot twists, some I guessed some I didn't, and be warned some gruesome violence.
More please SOON.
Totally utterly recommended. show less

Cold Fear by Mads Peder Nordbo is a dark and gritty mystery set in Greenland. This newest release is the second book in the Matthew Cave Thriller series. While it can be read as a standalone, I strongly recommend reading book one in the series for important background information.

Newspaper reporter Matthew Cave is still reeling from the discovery of his half-sister, Arnaq. When he goes to visit her, he is further stunned when he receives a letter from his father, Tom, who has been missing for over two decades. While he plans to go see Tom, Matthew first goes to visit Arnaq whom he learns is with her friends in a deserted town. Not long after he and his friend, Tupaarnaq, visit them, Aranaq and her friends go missing. As they try to find show more the missing teens, Matthew and Tupaarnaq are soon caught up in a situation in which long ago events involving Tom put everyone in danger.

In 1990, Tom, who is a sergeant in the US Marines, is stationed at Thule Air Force Base. Tom and three other marines are participating in an experimental military program. They are closely monitored as they are given a drug that could radically alter military operations in extreme cold condition. However, as the drug's dosage is increased, Tom and the others begin experiencing dangerous side effects. The situation culminates with Tom going on the run and completely disappearing for decades.

In the present, Matthew and Tupaaranaq find themselves in perilous circumstances. They have no idea what they are walking into and soon after their arrival, someone dear to Matthew is murdered. After Arnaq vanishes, they return to the desolate town in hopes of locating her and her friends. Unbeknownst to them, they have stumbled into a conspiracy that could have far reaching political implications for Greenland. Will they untangle the twisted web of deceit and secrets before it is too late?

Cold Fear is an intricately plotted mystery that is quite atmospheric. The characters are interesting and multi-layered. The plot is well-developed and rife with shocking twists and unexpected turns. This second installment in Mads Peder Nordbo's Matthew Cave Thriller series is a riveting mystery that fans of Nordic fiction are sure to enjoy. show less

There are several threads which connect this novel to the earlier title GIRL WITHOUT SKIN and I'm not sure it would work to read it as a stand-alone.

As we learnt in the first novel Danish journalist Matthew Cave has moved to Greenland after personal tragedy. He has links to Greenland as his father was a US soldier stationed there 24 years earlier, but Matthew has always believed he is dead and has not seen him for nearly 25 years. Now he learns that his father is probably alive.

The novel is set in two time frames - the first with his father in Greenland in 1990, taking part in an experiment to improve human and animal tolerance to extreme cold: and the second set in Greenland in 2014 with Matthew investigating some local deaths and show more searching also for his father.

There are characters in this novel to whom were introduced in the first novel, as well as the current political situation in Greenland.

I found the action of the novel complex and a little difficult to follow at times. show less

I struggeled with the many names and the events weren't that clear anymore to me because I read book 1 in August 2019.
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2022/04/21/koude-angst-van-mads-peder-nordbo-4/

Matthew Cave macht sich mit Tupaarnaq auf die Suche nach seiner Halbschwester Arnaaq, die ihm sehr am Herzen liegt. Als sie auf einen Bunker stoßen, der zu einer Basis der Amerikaner gehörte, wecken sie nicht nur das Interesse des amerikanischen Militärs, sondern auch das der grönländischen Polizei. Es wird gefährlich für sie.
Ich habe den Vorgängerband „Eisrot“ nicht gelesen. Es brauchte eine Weile, bis ich in diese Geschichte eingetaucht bin, was vielleicht daran lag, dass mir die Namen so fremd waren und die Beziehungen der Personen untereinander erst einmal geordnet werden mussten. Auch der Wechsel der Zeiten machte es mir ein wenig schwer. Doch dann war ich gepackt. Die Atmosphäre ist kalt – eiskalt – und show more bedrückend. Außerdem geht es oft sehr grausam zu.
Der Däne Matthew Cave ist Journalist und untersucht mysteriöse Todesfälle. Er ist ein sympathischer Mann, der schon einiges hat wegstecken müssen. Sein Vater Tom hatte seinerzeit an einem geheimen medizinischen Experiment teilgenommen und wurde dann verdächtigt, zwei seiner Kollegen ermordet zu haben. Seither ist er verschwunden. Seine rätselhafte Begleiterin Tupaarnaq zieht ihr eigenes Ding durch und geht dabei nicht gerade zimperlich vor. Sie beherrscht das Gewehr wie kein anderer, obwohl das in Grönland den Männern vorbehalten ist. Sie macht sich also keine Freunde. Eine Zeitlang war sie wegen angeblichen Mordes an ihrem Vater im Gefängnis.
Die Spannung ist von Anfang an hoch und es gibt immer wieder Wendungen, die dafür sorgen, dass es auch spannend bleibt.
Ein wirklich fesselnder Thriller. show less