Cold Hands

Jan 22, 2013 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Donnie Miller lives with his family outside Regina, in central Canada. After a troubled childhood in Scotland, Donnie now leads a charmed life as a writer, with a successful and wealthy wife, a much loved son and a beautiful house. Early in the book the family dog dies in mysterious circumstances. Gradually, it becomes apparent that Donnie's past hides a very nasty secret and that perhaps that past may be coming back to haunt him.

I didn't enjoy this book. It starts well, but then the pace slows...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Ian Mapp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Have conquered humour with "Kill Your Friends", John adds a J to his name and takes on the thriller.

And what a great effort this is.

Lots of literary overtones and a beautiful two stage story, where Donnies superb life in canada, married to a beautiful millionaire-ess with a son is played against his upbringing in a poor family in Ayrshire. This is so well done and spot on. Attitudes to money and alcohol from when he was a child are compared to this generations have everything and have everything...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”

Donnie Miller leads an unass...more John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”

Donnie Miller leads an unassuming life in a remote area of Canada in an absolutely beautiful house, with his upwardly mobile and loaded wife, his young son and whiles away his time as a film reviewer for the local newspaper, fortuitously part of the empire of his father-in -law. The only signs of strain in Donnie’s life is fitting into the influential circles his wife moves in but this is a minor problem as Donnie’s past will come back to haunt him with devastating consequences for himself and his family. By carefully interweaving the events of Donnie’s youth growing up in the relative poverty and social deprivation of Scotland, the story is punctuated throughout by positively Irvine Welsh-esque interludes depicting his cruel actions as a member of a gang intent on bullying and victimising a boy who epitomises everything they are not. Written in vernacular and in a blunt, brutal but ultimately quite affecting style, these interludes put the character of Donnie at odds with his portrayal now as a family man and this, for me, works perfectly within the structure of the book. There is also a very poignant portrayal of his would-be attacker as their world has been shattered by the event s of this childhood and we bear witness to them rebuilding their life, plotting and scheming to avenge the crimes of the past. It becomes obvious to the reader that Donnie’s peace will be shattered and yes, you do have to suspend your disbelief somewhat at this point, as the past violently catches up with him in an explosion of revenge and hatred from a very unlikely aggressor and you find your whole perception of Donnie as a good guy challenged at every turn. I liked the way that by depicting Donnie as a film reviewer, Niven then sets out to make the denouement of the novel descend into the most brilliant and unbelievable violence mirroring the ‘schlock horror’ of some of the best straight to DVD films, so that as a reader you are metaphorically looking through your fingers as the violence is ramped up further but remains as compulsive as it is unbelievable.

Therein lies my warning to the more sensitive reader that this is not one for the faint-hearted and if Danny Boyle is looking for a new film project after his Olympic shennanigans I think that he and Niven could have a great collaborative effort bringing this to the big-screen. Despite its slight faults this was a totally enjoyable although blood-soaked read and with the promise of another thriller or two appearing in the next couple of years I can’t wait to see what Niven comes up with next...(less)

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May 10, 2013 Justin Bauer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author John Niven has changed his name to John J. Niven with the publication of his first thriller, Cold Hands. This subtle change indicates an attempt to differentiate this work from his previous styles. While Cold Hands is a blunt departure from Niven’s trademarked black comedies, there is zero compromise in the quality department. Niven creates genuine empathy for a character who comes to deserve very little.

The novel opens in Florida where we are introduced to Donnie Miller; a man haunted by...more Author John Niven has changed his name to John J. Niven with the publication of his first thriller, Cold Hands. This subtle change indicates an attempt to differentiate this work from his previous styles. While Cold Hands is a blunt departure from Niven’s trademarked black comedies, there is zero compromise in the quality department. Niven creates genuine empathy for a character who comes to deserve very little.

The novel opens in Florida where we are introduced to Donnie Miller; a man haunted by a troubled past who is writing his account at the suggestion of his therapist. Claiming he doesn’t want to go too far back too quickly, Donnie states that he will begin his story “with the dog” at which point the first chapter begins two years prior to the introduction.

Kicking off the events in Saskatchewan, Canada, Donnie finds himself a writer with a day job as film critic for the local paper. With a wife (Sammy) and a young son (Walt) they’ve established their home in the wilderness with the nearest neighbor located a solid half mile away. Donnie predominately writes his articles at home and is a self described ‘househusband’ while occasionally suffering over a screen play that he just can’t seem to polish. Their dog Herby, has been missing at this point of introduction.

When the missing dog is discovered by Donnie, it is a scene of wretched and violent horror. What is initially dismissed as either a possible wolf attack or being struck by a car, stirs Donnie’s paranoia as he begins to write in scenes of his childhood in Scotland. These flashbacks foreshadow the coming storm as they portray the violent culture of unsupervised teenage pride.

While Donnie has his suspicions, it plays out as paranoia right up until his world is turned upside down by a heart that has fostered revenge. The rest of the book speeds by as the action drives this twisted thriller. Donnie’s past comes back to haunt him in a way that kept the pages turning as his life is once again torn away from him for the actions of his distant and suppressed past.

This piece of work is Niven’s first departure from his black comedy styling and is a welcomed change of pace. While moments of colorful language prove that he has not abandoned his niche audience, the maturity of this work has proven that Niven is willing to appeal to a wider audience while still creating something that will appeal as well as disgust. (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Casey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've enjoyed John Niven's other novels, and thrillers are a dirty little joy of mine. How would someone who basks in dark humor and vulgarity handle this genre? The answer: surprisingly well. The narrator sets about retelling his grisly past via frame story, with occasional flashbacks to his childhood explaining his dark past. You don't spend the entire book wondering who the killer is, but that's not what this is about anyway. This is a tale of survival, endurance, and what it means to live thr...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Criticalmick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Does a crime thriller with an unreliable narrator deserve an unreliable reviewer? One of the following five facts about John J. Niven’s Cold Hands is a bald-faced lie:

•The tale is told in retrospect by Donnie Miller, a Scottish-born resident of the isolated outskirts of Alarbus, Saskatchewan.
•Married to the tall and lovely newspaper editor Sammy and father to an eight-year-old named Walt, Donnie’s days are filled with drafting movie reviews, chauffeuring Walt to hockey matches, walking the dog,...more Does a crime thriller with an unreliable narrator deserve an unreliable reviewer? One of the following five facts about John J. Niven’s Cold Hands is a bald-faced lie:

•The tale is told in retrospect by Donnie Miller, a Scottish-born resident of the isolated outskirts of Alarbus, Saskatchewan.
•Married to the tall and lovely newspaper editor Sammy and father to an eight-year-old named Walt, Donnie’s days are filled with drafting movie reviews, chauffeuring Walt to hockey matches, walking the dog, enduring dinner parties thrown by his millionaire father-in-law, and drinking very little while pecking away at screenplays kept in a drawer.
•Donnie also hides a gun and a horrible secret.
•His comfortable life is threatened when Donnie finds the horribly slaughtered remains of Herby the family dog. The cops and neighbours seal their heads deep inside their anoraks and dismiss the missing eyes, tongue bitten in two, strewn guts and gnawing rat as a random wolf attack. (No one in Canada has read Julius Winsome.)
•Donnie’s wife, Sammy, gets her wedding ring trapped in the Frigidaire’s ice maker while downing her daily protein. The resulting “cold hands” refrigerator moment sets off an unexpected- and heart-warming- chain of events.

OK, too easy. Heart-warming? With action unfolding during the fiercest blizzard since The Shining? Though speaking with an accent out of Christopher Brookmyre, Niven matches Stephen King’s talent with tension, and the speed of pages flying. The final one hundred and eighty of Niven’s two hundred and fifty-three pages were read in one late-night sitting. Writing as gripping as that deserves a better bullet point.

The whole notion of "deserving" lies at the heart of Cold Hands. What happens when people do not get what they deserve? What happens when that injustice drives a body mad? And also, what happens when the failure of retribution leads to a perpetrator ultimately proving that people can change? Does redeeming oneself go some distance toward balancing cosmic scales that hang heavy overhead? Or is it wiser to put a physical distance- one as wide as the gap between Scotland and Saskatchewan- between yourself and your past?

Niven writes action with sharp detail and moral depths. Some elements chosen as his plot reaches its climax do stretch credibility, but the shockingly-vivid historical details and social parallels with contemporary cases makes it well worth suspending any disbelief and following where Niven’s exciting new voice leads.

Originally reviewed on writing.ie(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”

Donnie Miller leads an unass...more John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”

Donnie Miller leads an unassuming life in a remote area of Canada in an absolutely beautiful house, with his upwardly mobile and loaded wife, his young son and whiles away his time as a film reviewer for the local newspaper, fortuitously part of the empire of his father-in -law. The only signs of strain in Donnie’s life is fitting into the influential circles his wife moves in but this is a minor problem as Donnie’s past will come back to haunt him with devastating consequences for himself and his family. By carefully interweaving the events of Donnie’s youth growing up in the relative poverty and social deprivation of Scotland, the story is punctuated throughout by positively Irvine Welsh-esque interludes depicting his cruel actions as a member of a gang intent on bullying and victimising a boy who epitomises everything they are not. Written in vernacular and in a blunt, brutal but ultimately quite affecting style, these interludes put the character of Donnie at odds with his portrayal now as a family man and this, for me, works perfectly within the structure of the book. There is also a very poignant portrayal of his would-be attacker as their world has been shattered by the event s of this childhood and we bear witness to them rebuilding their life, plotting and scheming to avenge the crimes of the past. It becomes obvious to the reader that Donnie’s peace will be shattered and yes, you do have to suspend your disbelief somewhat at this point, as the past violently catches up with him in an explosion of revenge and hatred from a very unlikely aggressor and you find your whole perception of Donnie as a good guy challenged at every turn. I liked the way that by depicting Donnie as a film reviewer, Niven then sets out to make the denouement of the novel descend into the most brilliant and unbelievable violence mirroring the ‘schlock horror’ of some of the best straight to DVD films, so that as a reader you are metaphorically looking through your fingers as the violence is ramped up further but remains as compulsive as it is unbelievable.

Therein lies my warning to the more sensitive reader that this is not one for the faint-hearted and if Danny Boyle is looking for a new film project after his Olympic shennanigans I think that he and Niven could have a great collaborative effort bringing this to the big-screen. Despite its slight faults this was a totally enjoyable although blood-soaked read and with the promise of another thriller or two appearing in the next couple of years I can’t wait to see what Niven comes up with next...(less)

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May 01, 2013 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like John Niven's change of direction to gory horror - which I imagine came fairly easily to him since touches of brutal violence appear in his other books. But it's good to see an author changing direction and not letting themselves be defined by previous works. I personally get bored with authors when they keep dishing the out the same old characters again and again - but that's personal preference, of course. My only quibble with the book was that the female lead (I don't want to give too m...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Simon Gosden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Donnie Miller is a lucky man, nice house in central Canada, gorgeous wife and a lovely son...but then he finds the family pet horribly butchered. As winter sets in the past is about to catch up with Donnie....and it isn't going to be pleasant. Dark and disturbing this will live with you for quite a while.

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Jul 01, 2012 Kirsty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, for-review, gave-me-writer-envy, trashy-fun

My favourite thing about this was the setting: both the snowy wilderness of Canada and the grimness of 1980s Scotland were vividly evoked. Halfway through the plot takes a twist into the predictable, which is a shame, but it's still a hugely enjoyable novel.

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Oct 10, 2012 Slávek Rydval rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-english, scottish-authors, read-2012

To be honest, I was impressed. After his three execellent books full of sacrasm I didn't know what to expect. Niven begins slowly but from the middle of the book he runs really high. This book could be a textbook example how to write a good thriller.

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Aug 20, 2012 Gregor rated it 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't put this down until I finished reading it. it was brutal, dark, compelling stuff . I need to read something cheery now. Phew! Don't expect the laughs of his other books, just as excellent tho. One of the best books I have read this year so far.

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Nov 12, 2012 Dougie6t7msn.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Far different to his normal style of writing, Cold Hands is a riveting thriller which keeps you in suspense until the very end. Thoroughly recommended

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Nov 04, 2012 Rachael Chrisp rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastic book.

I don't usually read thrillers, however I was a big fan of Niven's 'Kill Your Friends' so gave it a go.

I was not disappointed.

It's beautifully written, and hard to put down once you start. At times you don't want to read any further as the story is horrific in parts but is worth persevering with.

A brilliant read.

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Jan 22, 2013 G8tes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this one. It was a real edge of your seat page burner. I found it to be very powerful and scary as hell. Highly recommended.

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Mar 23, 2013 Axel Beyer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: listened-to

It takes forever until the story finally unfolds and you get a sense of what the book actually is about. The revealing is far from special.

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Mar 03, 2013 Jane Myers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quite a good thriller but unnecessary violence and bad language. The ending was also far fetched.

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Jan 15, 2013 Brandon Nagel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Terrifying. This book scared me more than anything that I have read in a long time. It is the type of book that sticks with you, especially if you are a man with young children. The writing is excellent and the story was terrific. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you want to have the shit scared out of you.

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Sep 01, 2012 Allan Donald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2012

Blimey. Scandi-Noir, Ayrshire style.

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May 18, 2013 Quintin Clover added it

May 14, 2013 Xaver Zimmermann added it · review of another edition

May 08, 2013 AnAnPi marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 27, 2013 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 26, 2013 Conville & Walsh added it

Apr 24, 2013 Martin Swain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 18, 2013 Dave Wedge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 13, 2013 Jacquie marked it as to-read

Apr 12, 2013 Schleeent marked it as to-read

Apr 11, 2013 Pukkap added it

May 02, 2013 John Travers rated it 5 of 5 stars

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