Chill Factor

In Cleary, North Carolina a small mountain town, five women have disappeared, assumed to be the work of a serial killer. The town is full of interesting characters: the local pharmacist and his spinster sister still live together in their parents house; the head football coach is a notorious skirt-chaser, and his son was dating one of the missing girls; the police chief has returned to his old hometown in disgrace after being fired from his job in the big city; his ex-wife, Lilly, is suffering from a private grief of her own; and Ben Tierney, a ruggedly handsome outsider, loves the outdoors and visits Cleary frequently.

A car crash causes Lilly and Tierney to be stranded together in a remote mountain cabin just as the worst snowstorm in show more recent history hits the area, leaving the roads impassable and help unable to reach them. Unbeknownst to Lilly, the FBI has recently zeroed in on Tierney as a possible suspect in the case of the missing women, since his visits to Cleary seem to coincide with the disappearances. As the two of them hunker down in the cabin to wait out the storm, Lilly begins to have doubts of her own about Tierney.

This was pretty much the perfect trashy novel, it had everything - suspense, romance, sex, humor. The first sentence and the last sentence were both knockouts with "wow" factor (I take my hat off to Sandra Brown because I think that is a rarity) and everything in between was pretty great, too. I was on the edge of my seat every minute, and guessing right up to the end. I can't recommend this one enough. show less

This book pissed me off. All the men were absolutely horrid. Misogynistic. Even our main love interest. Because of course, the only purpose of women are to be claimed or be whores. Though to be fair, the women are useless too. Including a woman who sleeps with her student, and then our dumb main character who couldn't connect the dots if they slapped her in the face.

The sex scenes were icky. Literally talking about cupping her sex with his hand and "claiming her" ugh.

This book was barely a thriller. Definitely more of a locked cabin romance with some thrills. And literally the only thrills were because the stupid MMC wouldn't bother to talk to his love interest and tell her ANYTHING about himself.

I will admit that I didn't guess who show more the killer was, but that's only because every man in this book is a POS and I could easily see all of them being murderers.

And yet it ended with them talking about how well they know each other as a couple -- more so than the average person.

In short. I hated this book. show less

Sandra Brown is one of my top "go-to" author's when I'm in the mood for an intense suspense/thriller that will keep me guessing. Chill Factor does NOT disappoint! I enjoy books that hook me from the start and pull me into the investigation and action. I found myself engaged in the story, looking for Red Herrings among the clues and searching for possible suspects. I truly enjoyed all the waffling I did regarding Whodunnit in this book!

The creepy characters were super creepy and you'll love to hate them. The heroine was strong, independent and a bit on the stubborn side. Yes, I liked her. The tortured hero...*swoon*...I'm such a sucker for tortured heroes. His story really caught me off guard. That's another perk with Sandra Brown. Her show more "surprises" make perfect sense. I also enjoyed Dutch's failed battles with the weather and his urgent need to get to the cabin. You know what they say about karma...

Overall a fast-paced thriller that will give you plenty of chills and a very satisfying ending. show less

Five women have gone missing over the last two years in Clearly, North Carolina, and authorities have had to suspend the search for the most recent due to the weather. Police Chief Dutch Burton has people to interview and FBI agents to settle with, but his mind is on his newly ex-wife, Lily, and the way they divided up their belongings that afternoon. A voicemail she left indicated she struck a man on the drive down the mountain and returned to their cabin with him. There’s a brutal blizzard settling in over Cleary and the roads are treacherous. The forced isolation makes the town folk uneasy because one of them is a murderer.

This is the third Sandra Brown thriller I’ve read and I have to say, she hasn’t disappointed me yet. I show more really love her snappy dialogue and vivid characters. I gave her kudos for her interesting family dynamics and for having strong female characters but occasionally I became irked at the talky women or the hardiness of the men. I suppose most thrillers at some point strain credulity, perhaps because if they didn’t ride that line we’d become bored.

I’m not sure if it was a good idea to read this one during winter – imaging all that snow and ice made me feel about ten degrees colder. Brown stays true to her romance roots, gives us a few sultry scenes to warm it up, but I think this one might be better read on a beach towel during summer. show less

Oh, this one kept me guessing!
The small mountain town of Cleary, NC has recently had an alarming number of its local women go missing. Disgraced investigator Dutch Burton has accepted the job of sheriff of his hometown and is on the case. Unfortunately, his recently-ex-wife Lilly might be stranded in a snowed-in cabin with the #1 suspect.
This suspenseful tale features excellent characterization of main characters and secondary characters alike. In fact, the fastidious hard-ass FBI agent was probably my favorite of the bunch. Multiple viable suspects keep the reader guessing, hoping it's not the guy Lilly's with, but how could it not be? What other explanation could there be for all that evidence? A decent addition to any romantic show more suspense reader's TBR pile. show less

Newly divorced Lilly Martin is packing up the last of her belongings at her recently sold mountain cabin. Lilly's ex is Dutch Burton, police chief of Cleary, North Carolina, a town that has been plagued by the disappearances of five women. When a severe snowstorm strikes, Lilly is late leaving the cabin. Ben Tierney is a journalist who specializes in reporting on extreme sports who just so happens to be up in the mountains burying one of the missing dead women. When Lilly hits Ben with her car during the snowstorm, the two are forced to work together to make it back to Lilly's cabin and wait out the storm. When Lilly opens Ben's backpack she discovers a pair of handcuffs and a blue ribbon, which is the serial killer's signature. While show more holding a gun on Ben, Lilly handcuffs him and accuses him of being the murderer. Meanwhile, Chief Burton becomes frantic when he receives a cryptic call from Lilly. His jealousy and suspicions go into overdrive as he and his childhood buddy, Wes Hamer, plot to rescue her.

From the opening pages of this thriller, everything points to Ben Tierney as a serial killer. Yet his manner and moral strength do not match up with those of a brutal killer. Every time you think you have the plot figured out, the author throws out a few red herrings. Sandra Brown fans will definitely enjoy this thrill packed romantic suspense novel. show less

Newly divorced Lilly Martin is packing up the last of her belongings at her recently sold mountain cabin. Lilly's ex is Dutch Burton, police chief of Cleary, North Carolina, a town that has been plagued by the disappearances of five women. When a severe snowstorm strikes, Lilly is late leaving the cabin. Ben Tierney is a journalist who specializes in reporting on extreme sports who just so happens to be up in the mountains burying one of the missing dead women. When Lilly hits Ben with her car during the snowstorm, the two are forced to work together to make it back to Lilly's cabin and wait out the storm. When Lilly opens Ben's backpack she discovers a pair of handcuffs and a blue ribbon, which is the serial killer's signature. While show more holding a gun on Ben, Lilly handcuffs him and accuses him of being the murderer. Meanwhile, Chief Burton becomes frantic when he receives a cryptic call from Lilly. His jealousy and suspicions go into overdrive as he and his childhood buddy, Wes Hamer, plot to rescue her.

From the opening pages of this thriller, everything points to Ben Tierney as a serial killer. Yet his manner and moral strength do not match up with those of a brutal killer. Every time you think you have the plot figured out, the author throws out a few red herrings. Sandra Brown fans will definitely enjoy this thrill packed romantic suspense novel. show less