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In Cold Blonde
Alice was hot. Blonde hair. Green eyes. Great body. And smart. Only one problem, she was a cold-blooded murderer. But Alice wasn't targeting just anyone. She had a list of men who had to die. Men who deserved to suffer because of what they did to her. The cops called her the Lady in Red. And two of LAPD's best homicide cops were trying to stop her, Ryan and his beautiful partner Syd. They were ambitious, talented detectives with a secret -- they were also lovers. But the secrets didn't stop there. Ryan and Syd also hid deadly secrets from each other. In Cold Blonde is a fast-paced, sex-fueled thriller packed with captivating characters unexpected plot twists and a 47 million dollar surprise that changes everything.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2013
2 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
James L. Conway
9 books17 followersJames has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Hollywood as a writer, producer, director and studio executive. He's worked on such iconic television shows as Charmed, Supernatural, Smallville, Star Trek and 90210. James lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 10, 2014
This book had been waiting to be read in my kindle for months. Since it was free on amazon, I had the notion that it would be another nonsense story and kept pushing it back. Now that I've finished it, I know how mistaken I was. This is an incredibly good, well written book.
A cold-blooded serial killer is on the loose...
Two L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Ryan Magee and his beautiful redhead partner Syd Curtis (who are also secret lovers) are called to a murder scene in a car park at the back of a Hollywood nightclub. The scene is gruesome, bloody, the victim has been mutilated. Initial investigations indicate that the killer is probably a woman. In fact the victim has been seen in the company of a hot, blonde, green-eyed woman in a sexy red dress that night. She is hence appropriately dubbed 'The Lady in Red'.
From the beginning the killer's identity is known...she's Alice Waterman. She's not killing at random and she's killing for a reason. She has a list of men she needs to punish for something that happened eleven years earlier.
As the body count rises, Ryan and Syd realise that in order to trace the killer, they need to find a link between the victims, but this does not prove easy.
A 47 million dollar lottery winning ticket also plays a central role in this thriller. A ticket that everybody wants and that can change the lives of many people.
With the exception of one character, who I really hated, I really loved all the others, especially Ryan and Syd, the detectives. As well as hiding their relationship from everyone, they also keep secrets from each other. Secrets regarding their past lives. I even ended up liking The Lady in Red.
While the story is slightly predictable, this did nothing to mar the general plot and I really enjoyed myself reading it through to the surprise ending which I also liked.
If you feel disgusted by detailed sex and rape scenes, if you don't like bloody, gruesome scenes, then this book is not for you. To the others all I can say is grab this book and read it. You will not be disappointed.
A cold-blooded serial killer is on the loose...
Two L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Ryan Magee and his beautiful redhead partner Syd Curtis (who are also secret lovers) are called to a murder scene in a car park at the back of a Hollywood nightclub. The scene is gruesome, bloody, the victim has been mutilated. Initial investigations indicate that the killer is probably a woman. In fact the victim has been seen in the company of a hot, blonde, green-eyed woman in a sexy red dress that night. She is hence appropriately dubbed 'The Lady in Red'.
From the beginning the killer's identity is known...she's Alice Waterman. She's not killing at random and she's killing for a reason. She has a list of men she needs to punish for something that happened eleven years earlier.
As the body count rises, Ryan and Syd realise that in order to trace the killer, they need to find a link between the victims, but this does not prove easy.
A 47 million dollar lottery winning ticket also plays a central role in this thriller. A ticket that everybody wants and that can change the lives of many people.
With the exception of one character, who I really hated, I really loved all the others, especially Ryan and Syd, the detectives. As well as hiding their relationship from everyone, they also keep secrets from each other. Secrets regarding their past lives. I even ended up liking The Lady in Red.
While the story is slightly predictable, this did nothing to mar the general plot and I really enjoyed myself reading it through to the surprise ending which I also liked.
If you feel disgusted by detailed sex and rape scenes, if you don't like bloody, gruesome scenes, then this book is not for you. To the others all I can say is grab this book and read it. You will not be disappointed.
October 16, 2013
An interesting story that grabs your attention and holds on until the very end. There is the story of Syd and Ryan and Anne and Ryan. The Lady in Red. The story of Alice and the unfortunate crush on Adam that didn't turn out the way it should have. One action can cause a domino to fall, which will take out another domino and so forth, until they have all fallen down.
August 25, 2014
LAPD detectives Ryan Magee and Syd Curtis are called to a gruesome murder scene. Not for the feint of heart, "In Cold Blonde" by James L. Conway follows the path of a woman who's victims are brutally slain. Syd has her own secrets from her past that if LAPD had any wind of, she'd be gone. Ryan who had been divorced from his "true love" Anne, has started a wild and sexy relationship with Syd. During the team's investigation an old lottery ticket falls out of Ryan's glove compartment. Just for fun Syd calls up the lottery to find out if ticket was worth anything. Low and behold it's worth $47 million dollars ! But, ticket has only a couple days to be redeemed or fortune would be lost. Meanwhile "The Lady in Red" has claimed her third victim and the team hasn't much to work with. Anne pops back into Ryan's life to get her hands on that lottery money, and break up the relationship between Ryan and Syd. However, it's not all as it seems. there is one kind of major wrinkle that could keep Ryan from claiming money. The story moves along at a nice pace. the characters were pretty well defined and developed. The plot has several nice twists in the case tracking down the lady in red. There is more to her motives that don't pop out till late in story. At times I though the sex and blood scenes were just a bit much. The conclusion was a nice surprise to say the least. I'd recommend this yarn to those who like a gritty pulp detective novel. 4 stars out of a possible 5 stars. Pick this one up, and be ready for a wild ride.
August 30, 2013
It has been ages since I wanted to skip to the end of a book to see how it comes out. This book is simply amazing! Everybody with secrets and agendas. Lack of communication. Love and sex. And violence. It's all here and incredibly well written. A complete and total page turner. As I said when I opened this review, I wanted to see the end but forced myself to read all of it. It is that engrossing. Buy it, you will NOT be disappointed. Please James, bring the two character back.
August 3, 2016
This is one of those books that is written to the lowest common denominator. Lots of sexy situations, and characters that have complex backgrounds and yet are curiously one dimensional. The plot was fairly predictable but filed with way too many convenient coincidences just so it would turn out the correct way.
Still, it kept my interest to the end. However, I suspect that I won't remember much about it next week.
Still, it kept my interest to the end. However, I suspect that I won't remember much about it next week.
February 17, 2014
I love the writing style. It reads like a movie playing out in my head. This is not my usual genre but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Be warned, it can get gory and the rape is very disturbing.
February 4, 2014
A pretty decent tale, a little heavy on the abused woman angle.
So quick and easy to read, I feel like I already forgot most of the story.
So quick and easy to read, I feel like I already forgot most of the story.
May 20, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns. I like how is was written so we got a glimpse in to each character. Heartbreaking subject matter, but a pageturner!
August 13, 2014
Enjoyable blend of crime and romance.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews