The Cold Nowhere: A Jonathan Stride Novel    by Brian Freeman Order:  USA  Can Mobius, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Catalina Mateo has lived a pretty tough life for a sixteen-year-old. When she was six, she hid under her front porch as her father stabbed her mother to death and then shot himself in the head while the little child listened. Cat has lived on the edge since that day – in foster homes where she was mostly abused, on the streets of Duluth, where at least she felt safer, on friends' couches until she was told to move on. Finally, she ended up as a high-priced call girl – at sixteen! One dark night, she arrives at Detective Jonathan Stride's home, dripping wet and covered in blood. Cat has jumped from a yacht into Lake Superior to escape someone she is sure is pursuing her. Stride believes her, but also thinks maybe her past is returning to haunt her. Stride's police partner Maggie Bei, isn't too sure about this too-clever girl's story – Cat sleeps with a knife under her pillow! As the plot unwinds, suspense grows. I wanted to believe Cat's story, but where is this pursuer? No matter where she hides, he/she scouts her out and Cat must move once again – trying to find a safe house. Stride feels partly responsible for the deaths. He had been working with Cat's mother, trying to help her get off drugs and to divorce her ex-con violent husband. Now he feels he must help Cat – but how? The Cold Nowhere, simply told but gripping, is the sixth of author Brian Freeman's Detective Stride novels. Freeman has created strong, believable characters that carry the story line on their backs and do a darn good job of it. I know this is an old cliché, but it was very hard to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next. My only disappointment was that The Cold Nowhere ended. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews