One Cold Night    by Kate Pepper Order:  USA  Can Onyx, 2006 (2006) Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Kate Pepper, who wrote the suspenseful Seven Minutes to Noon, brings us another riveting thriller in One Cold Night. It stars New York Police Detective Dave Strauss and his wife Susan, a loving couple in a good marriage, who share their New York loft home with Susan's much younger sister Lisa - she's staying with them to attend a top performing-arts high school, where she's in grade nine. As the story opens, readers share the perspective of a stalker, photographing a young blond girl from hiding. We soon learn that Dave Strauss is haunted by the year old case of young Becky Rothka, who attended Lisa's school and was abducted by the self-styled Groom, who subsequently made regular calls to taunt the child's mother, Marie. We also learn that Susan Strauss has a secret, one that she plans to reveal very soon to those close to her. An argument between Lisa and Susan sends the former running out into the night - and she doesn't return. A frantic Susan finds signs that Lisa had been at her place of business, Water Street Chocolates, and that someone else had been there also. The police are called and Dave works with the eccentric partners who catch the case - Detectives Lupe Ramos and Alexei Bruno. Then the Groom calls Marie Rothka once more to tell her he has a new bride. The plot thickens with strands from Susan's past, and a key clue that 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree'. Will the detectives and Susan manage to decipher it before another victim is claimed? Enjoy One Cold Night as a fast-paced engaging read. 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