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Cold Springs
The Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony award-winning Rick Riordan delivers a spellbinding novel of a man on an edge so extreme that his fall will destroy not only him--but all that he holds dear.
Cold Springs
Chadwick’s life was balanced on a knife’s edge--his career, his marriage, his
relationship with his dangerously troubled daughter. And then one autumn night, the worst possible thing happened….
Now, a decade later, Chadwick’s heart is on the mend. Working for an old military buddy, he saves kids for a living, escorting troubled teens to a Texas wilderness school that specializes in the toughest brand of love.
Until he gets a phone call that threatens to shatter his new life.
Mallory Zedman is taking the same terrible path Chadwick’s own daughter once took. Defiant and out of control, Mallory is determined to destroy herself and anyone who tries to stop her. No sooner does Chadwick snatch her off the streets than he discovers she is wanted for questioning in a brutal murder--a slaying that seems directly linked to Chadwick’s past.To save Mallory, tough love will not be enough. Chadwick must find the truth behind the murder--and in doing so revisit the infidelities, shattered promises, and violent passions that cracked his world apart. And he must jeopardize the one thing he still has left to lose--a slim hope of redemption.
From the Hardcover edition.
Cold Springs
Chadwick’s life was balanced on a knife’s edge--his career, his marriage, his
relationship with his dangerously troubled daughter. And then one autumn night, the worst possible thing happened….
Now, a decade later, Chadwick’s heart is on the mend. Working for an old military buddy, he saves kids for a living, escorting troubled teens to a Texas wilderness school that specializes in the toughest brand of love.
Until he gets a phone call that threatens to shatter his new life.
Mallory Zedman is taking the same terrible path Chadwick’s own daughter once took. Defiant and out of control, Mallory is determined to destroy herself and anyone who tries to stop her. No sooner does Chadwick snatch her off the streets than he discovers she is wanted for questioning in a brutal murder--a slaying that seems directly linked to Chadwick’s past.To save Mallory, tough love will not be enough. Chadwick must find the truth behind the murder--and in doing so revisit the infidelities, shattered promises, and violent passions that cracked his world apart. And he must jeopardize the one thing he still has left to lose--a slim hope of redemption.
From the Hardcover edition.
340 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
103 people are currently reading
1643 people want to read
About the author
Rick Riordan
373 books453k followersRick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
February 19, 2023
A suspenseful thriller by Rick Riordan with characters of depth and substance, and some exceptionally vivid scenes.
The rich and detailed plot winds around you with its myriad twists and keeps you bound to the book until the end. Rick does a wonderful job, through his descriptive writing, of immersing audience in this ever-morphing dark tale of hopelessness, the challenge of recovery and finally, redemption and absolution. All this, while keeping nerves frayed with a healthy dose of thrill and sucker-punches of unpredictable consequences.
Apparently, this requires a trigger warning since many know Rick Riordan to be the author of the Percy Jackson series (which is comparatively tame, lol, though fabulous and has a very different target audience) and they get butt-hurt when they read this book. However, versatility is a quality of great authors.
So, WARNING, Cold Springs deals with dark and mature themes including violence, explicit content, drug-abuse, addiction, OD, etc.
The rich and detailed plot winds around you with its myriad twists and keeps you bound to the book until the end. Rick does a wonderful job, through his descriptive writing, of immersing audience in this ever-morphing dark tale of hopelessness, the challenge of recovery and finally, redemption and absolution. All this, while keeping nerves frayed with a healthy dose of thrill and sucker-punches of unpredictable consequences.
Apparently, this requires a trigger warning since many know Rick Riordan to be the author of the Percy Jackson series (which is comparatively tame, lol, though fabulous and has a very different target audience) and they get butt-hurt when they read this book. However, versatility is a quality of great authors.
So, WARNING, Cold Springs deals with dark and mature themes including violence, explicit content, drug-abuse, addiction, OD, etc.
January 14, 2009
Rick Riordon wrote adult books before his Percy Jackson set. I love the Percy Jackson's (written for kids) really well. I thought that he adult books would be great too and maybe some are but this one was full of the "f" word over and over and I just couldn't take it anymore. I only got about 50 pages in and quit. I hope his other adult ones are better.
March 26, 2022
It's an okay read. Keeping track of the intertwined families was more work than I wanted to invest in a lite read. I thoroughly enjoyed the "bright descriptive flashes" mentioned in the Kirkus review.
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August 8, 2014
RATING: 3.5
Katherine Chadwick is a confused young woman who is going through all the trials of growing up. She's taken some wrong turns with her life, most notably by becoming involved with drugs, but her parents believe that she has turned the corner. They are testing Katherine and themselves by going out for an evening with their friends, Ann and John Zedman, while Katherine remains at home babysitting 6-year-old Mallory Zedman. But Katherine hasn't put her demons behind her. She takes Mallory with her and makes a drug buy, returns home and overdoses. Mallory is the one who first knows that something is wrong, and the horror of finding her beloved babysitter dead is something that has a permanent impact on her life.
Move forward several years, and we find that Mallory is following a path that is frighteningly reminiscent of Katherine's. Her parents are divorced, as are the Chadwicks. Mr. Chadwick has turned from teaching to becoming an escort for young people in trouble. At their parents' behest, he searches for these youngsters and transports them to "Cold Springs" which is a kind of boot camp environment in Texas where they are rehabilitated through hard work and tough love. They are taught survival principles with the ultimate aim of being returned as functioning members of society.
Frantic at Mallory's drug use and her association with undesirable people, Ann arranges for Chadwick to get Mallory into Cold Springs. She is exceptionally resistant, and it appears at first that the program will not take. But as she gradually accepts some of its teachings, she finds some valuable life lessons and begins to move toward recovery. At the same time, Ann Zedman is experiencing massive professional problems; John Zedman is involved in some nefarious dealings; and Chadwick's ex-wife, Norma has various problems coming her way.
The opening chapter of the book almost put me off continuing in to the narrative, as the various characters were laden with various emotional trauma—infidelity, whining and crying about an unsuitable spouse, a case of low self-esteem run amok. No emotional connection had been established with any of these characters, and I was unprepared to feel any kind of rapport with them or sympathy for them. If Riordan had built the opening around Katherine and her situation only and continued by concentrating on Mallory, I think the book would have been stronger all around.
Riordan did an exceptional job in developing the character of Mallory, and I was thoroughly engaged in the portions of the narrative that dealt with her problems, how she was adapting to Cold Springs, what she was doing to improve her life. Even though Katherine didn't have much page time, I felt the same connection to her. Oddly, the various secondary characters such as Norma Chadwick and the Zedmans never came to life for me. They certainly were facing a lot of horrible situations, but I really didn't care about what happened to them at all. At times, the writing seemed overwrought and the resolution came out of left field.
Riordan has made a huge departure from this Tres Navarre series books. COLD SPRINGS is an ambitious work with a complex narrative and wonderfully written prose. In spite of the problems I had with many of the sub-plots, I found that I cared about the character of Mallory and that Riordan did an excellent job in developing that portion of the book.
Katherine Chadwick is a confused young woman who is going through all the trials of growing up. She's taken some wrong turns with her life, most notably by becoming involved with drugs, but her parents believe that she has turned the corner. They are testing Katherine and themselves by going out for an evening with their friends, Ann and John Zedman, while Katherine remains at home babysitting 6-year-old Mallory Zedman. But Katherine hasn't put her demons behind her. She takes Mallory with her and makes a drug buy, returns home and overdoses. Mallory is the one who first knows that something is wrong, and the horror of finding her beloved babysitter dead is something that has a permanent impact on her life.
Move forward several years, and we find that Mallory is following a path that is frighteningly reminiscent of Katherine's. Her parents are divorced, as are the Chadwicks. Mr. Chadwick has turned from teaching to becoming an escort for young people in trouble. At their parents' behest, he searches for these youngsters and transports them to "Cold Springs" which is a kind of boot camp environment in Texas where they are rehabilitated through hard work and tough love. They are taught survival principles with the ultimate aim of being returned as functioning members of society.
Frantic at Mallory's drug use and her association with undesirable people, Ann arranges for Chadwick to get Mallory into Cold Springs. She is exceptionally resistant, and it appears at first that the program will not take. But as she gradually accepts some of its teachings, she finds some valuable life lessons and begins to move toward recovery. At the same time, Ann Zedman is experiencing massive professional problems; John Zedman is involved in some nefarious dealings; and Chadwick's ex-wife, Norma has various problems coming her way.
The opening chapter of the book almost put me off continuing in to the narrative, as the various characters were laden with various emotional trauma—infidelity, whining and crying about an unsuitable spouse, a case of low self-esteem run amok. No emotional connection had been established with any of these characters, and I was unprepared to feel any kind of rapport with them or sympathy for them. If Riordan had built the opening around Katherine and her situation only and continued by concentrating on Mallory, I think the book would have been stronger all around.
Riordan did an exceptional job in developing the character of Mallory, and I was thoroughly engaged in the portions of the narrative that dealt with her problems, how she was adapting to Cold Springs, what she was doing to improve her life. Even though Katherine didn't have much page time, I felt the same connection to her. Oddly, the various secondary characters such as Norma Chadwick and the Zedmans never came to life for me. They certainly were facing a lot of horrible situations, but I really didn't care about what happened to them at all. At times, the writing seemed overwrought and the resolution came out of left field.
Riordan has made a huge departure from this Tres Navarre series books. COLD SPRINGS is an ambitious work with a complex narrative and wonderfully written prose. In spite of the problems I had with many of the sub-plots, I found that I cared about the character of Mallory and that Riordan did an excellent job in developing that portion of the book.
December 28, 2021
eponymous sentence:
p44: "...We're escorting you to a boarding school--Cold Springs Academy."
cement:
p33: She turned on Poplar, drove through the neighborhood she knew too well--the grave-sized yards, the pastel siding, the aluminum-foiled windows and cement flower planters that looked like Easter baskets.
p103: Right there, they'd formed a friendship, writing their names for each other on the sandy cement.
p162: A cheap cotton sleeping bag was spread out on the cement floor next to a scatter of CDs, clothes, loose ammunition.
p164: He dug his finger against the cement, sketching invisible cursive letters.
p313: She had convinced the construction company to pour wet cement for a new sidewalk in the little yard behind the building, so the children could put their names on the project from the beginning. Already, most of the younger kids were running around with sticky white hands, their parents scrubbing the cement off with cocktail napkins, wincing as some got smeared on pleated slacks and taffeta skirts.
p313: Finally, the teachers cordoned off the yard, deciding that their overzealous headmistress's cement maybe wasn't such a good idea after all.
p316: Digging in dirt, like writing in cement--this they could understand.
p322: If fluttered down to the new sidewalk, stuck in the wet cement like a tiny boat.
p324: There was a spot on the corner of the sidewalk, where the two boards met, that was as cold as a refrigerator, the cement unmarked, still almost liquid.
p324: He didn't care what the kids said about his jacket and tie, or the cement on his hand, or anything else.
splatter:
p176: Samuel pulled the shower curtain closed as much as possible, making mental notes about the tiles, how the blood splatters would go.
p194: The splatters in John's bathroom were definitely blood.
A heart-breaking tale about drug abuse and its fallout. I guess I just wasn't ready for a change from Navarre.
p44: "...We're escorting you to a boarding school--Cold Springs Academy."
cement:
p33: She turned on Poplar, drove through the neighborhood she knew too well--the grave-sized yards, the pastel siding, the aluminum-foiled windows and cement flower planters that looked like Easter baskets.
p103: Right there, they'd formed a friendship, writing their names for each other on the sandy cement.
p162: A cheap cotton sleeping bag was spread out on the cement floor next to a scatter of CDs, clothes, loose ammunition.
p164: He dug his finger against the cement, sketching invisible cursive letters.
p313: She had convinced the construction company to pour wet cement for a new sidewalk in the little yard behind the building, so the children could put their names on the project from the beginning. Already, most of the younger kids were running around with sticky white hands, their parents scrubbing the cement off with cocktail napkins, wincing as some got smeared on pleated slacks and taffeta skirts.
p313: Finally, the teachers cordoned off the yard, deciding that their overzealous headmistress's cement maybe wasn't such a good idea after all.
p316: Digging in dirt, like writing in cement--this they could understand.
p322: If fluttered down to the new sidewalk, stuck in the wet cement like a tiny boat.
p324: There was a spot on the corner of the sidewalk, where the two boards met, that was as cold as a refrigerator, the cement unmarked, still almost liquid.
p324: He didn't care what the kids said about his jacket and tie, or the cement on his hand, or anything else.
splatter:
p176: Samuel pulled the shower curtain closed as much as possible, making mental notes about the tiles, how the blood splatters would go.
p194: The splatters in John's bathroom were definitely blood.
A heart-breaking tale about drug abuse and its fallout. I guess I just wasn't ready for a change from Navarre.
October 1, 2017
I loved the Percy Jackson books and the Tres Navarre crime series so thought I'd better read this too. The genre wasn't really my thing - I prefer character-driven books to suspense novels - so I'm only giving this three stars. The book was clever and had lots of twists but I simply didn't like the characters as much as in Riordan's other books. However, if you like Harlan Coben-style novels with plenty of twists then I reckon this book is worth checking out.
May 14, 2016
A standalone novel of suspense set in the San Francisco Bay area and the hill country of Texas.
My Take
Wow. Just goes to show that money…the having or not having…has nothing to do with happiness. Two marriages falling apart. Ages-old friendships on the line.
It's an inside look at how those in charge of a boot-camp-style school break a child down and build them back up…from the child's perspective. A look at the results of such a place and the issues surrounding them. The hopes and dreams of people who truly want the best for children to those who are caught up in their mind's delusions.
The first half of the story was so sad and hopeless that it was difficult to continue. Three-quarters of the way through, the pace really picked up and I wanted to know how well Mallory would do, if she would go on to the next level. I had to know what the secret was that Race and Mallory were hiding. If Ann were exonerated. What would happen between Norah and Chadwick. What was David Kraft's role in all this? Riordan also wrote interesting personalities for the four different law enforcement entities involved — I loved Sergeant Damarodas! He could be an interesting character for a series of his own!
The Story
A former schoolteacher-turned-delinquent-escort is attempting to purge his guilt — and the ghost of his teen-aged daughter who died of a heroin overdose — by helping young people in trouble.
An old army buddy runs a boot camp in the Texas hills where parents send their troubled kids and Ann, a friend from his former life, calls and asks him to pick up her daughter, Mallory.
Race's mother has just been found murdered, and the only suspects the police have are Mallory and Race.
Mallory is doing heroin just like her babysitter, Katherine, had done before she overdosed. Now Mallory is running with the younger brother, Race, of the dealer who had hooked Katherine.
To complicate matters, John, Ann's ex- and Mallory's father, has been blackmailed continuously since Katherine's overdose, and the blackmailer has stepped up the pace. The plan is to take down everyone involved in Katherine's life and death.
My Take
Wow. Just goes to show that money…the having or not having…has nothing to do with happiness. Two marriages falling apart. Ages-old friendships on the line.
It's an inside look at how those in charge of a boot-camp-style school break a child down and build them back up…from the child's perspective. A look at the results of such a place and the issues surrounding them. The hopes and dreams of people who truly want the best for children to those who are caught up in their mind's delusions.
The first half of the story was so sad and hopeless that it was difficult to continue. Three-quarters of the way through, the pace really picked up and I wanted to know how well Mallory would do, if she would go on to the next level. I had to know what the secret was that Race and Mallory were hiding. If Ann were exonerated. What would happen between Norah and Chadwick. What was David Kraft's role in all this? Riordan also wrote interesting personalities for the four different law enforcement entities involved — I loved Sergeant Damarodas! He could be an interesting character for a series of his own!
The Story
A former schoolteacher-turned-delinquent-escort is attempting to purge his guilt — and the ghost of his teen-aged daughter who died of a heroin overdose — by helping young people in trouble.
An old army buddy runs a boot camp in the Texas hills where parents send their troubled kids and Ann, a friend from his former life, calls and asks him to pick up her daughter, Mallory.
Race's mother has just been found murdered, and the only suspects the police have are Mallory and Race.
Mallory is doing heroin just like her babysitter, Katherine, had done before she overdosed. Now Mallory is running with the younger brother, Race, of the dealer who had hooked Katherine.
To complicate matters, John, Ann's ex- and Mallory's father, has been blackmailed continuously since Katherine's overdose, and the blackmailer has stepped up the pace. The plan is to take down everyone involved in Katherine's life and death.
November 11, 2011
I'd read his Young Adult Percy Jackson books and had fun with them.
This adult thriller is a perfect example of the genre with continuous tension, well developed characters and a story that leads you down a very twisted and unexpected path. There is no quick easy ending with all the bows tied up but it also doesn't leave things unresolved. I wasn't at all surprised to read that he is a middle school teacher as his understanding of juvenile psychology is about as spot on as I've read in a work of fiction.
I'm very glad I read this book.
This adult thriller is a perfect example of the genre with continuous tension, well developed characters and a story that leads you down a very twisted and unexpected path. There is no quick easy ending with all the bows tied up but it also doesn't leave things unresolved. I wasn't at all surprised to read that he is a middle school teacher as his understanding of juvenile psychology is about as spot on as I've read in a work of fiction.
I'm very glad I read this book.
July 23, 2018
I liked the storyline and had high hopes for this book. However, I was not too keen on the language from the start and waited, hoping it would get better, but in the end, the language continued to bother me (I have no problem with strong language when appropriate) enough that even with a good story I could not continue reading.
June 3, 2011
I read this book in less than 24 hours! Very absorbing, and with a great twist at the end that made me almost want to start right back at the beginning to read it again knowing what i knew by the end. Although this author also writes children's books, this is definitely an adult novel.
May 22, 2013
I started this book and couldn't get past all of the swearing in the first few pages. I was very disappointed because I LOVE his young adult fiction, which does not have swearing or roughness.
August 13, 2017
Rick Riordan is a master storyteller! He draws you in to his world in just a few words! This is what I love about his writing!
January 3, 2023
finished 3rd january 2023 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner and the first from riordan. should keep me busy this year reading riordan...have seen his stories title pages covers before but have not read one. this one is intense conflict happening in a number of geographical locations among a small cast of main characters but i didn't buy the samuel/kindra thing did not think that floated though i see the point...leave the reader unaware until time...and i'm not sure i buy the other thing...guy names david was it? almost a bit player...okay, was a bit player...and that scene with race at the dock? guy just flips? what? but still an entertaining intense story quite a bit of suspense and after finished i considered the "frontier justice" theme...in this case applied differently but still applies...justice served by those who have deemed themselves qualified...ends justify the means, so forth so on. and there's a story that is closer to the "normal" story that is history to this one...and the reader does not learn that until the end so one has that to ponder. now when i go to the digital library i'm likely to see a 70/30 or 75/25 or less split between words on a page and audio fookin head-phones. que sera sera
May 5, 2020
This book should have been called Secrets.....it was filled with them. Everyone seemed to be hiding something....a secret they couldn't tell. This caused a lot of trouble. Cold Springs is about heroin use, private school issues, a "boot camp" retreat for troubled teens, friendships gone awry and many secrets. The people are all troubled, they're running from circumstances beyond their control, trust is a luxury they can't afford. All the relationships in the book are having problems whether it's friends relatives or married couples....everyone has issues and are dealing with them poorly. Even when they try to help each other it just seems to add to the chaos. There's a lot going on in Cold Springs, it will draw you in and hold your interest wanting to know how it will work out, or if it will at all.
August 17, 2022
I wish that Rick Riordan were still writing adult fiction. this was not a Tres Navarre book. This story starts out in Oakland CA but also takes place in the Texas Hill Country near Fredricksburg. I liked Chadwick. Chadwick and Norma are friends with Ann and John Zedman. Both have daughters. Katherine, age 16, for C & N and Mallory, 6, for A & J. Mallory is with Katherine when she overdoses on heroin. Chadwick quits his job as a history teacher at the private school where Ann is headmaster to work with his army buddy who has a wilderness experience for troubled teens. the twists in this story were many and often confusing but still a good story. heroin, guns, mexican body guards, embezzlement, snow in Texas, dead armadillos, etc, etc, etc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2024
As my first non mythology forward Riordan title, not fully being ready to dive into his tres navre series yet and I gotta say I have some mixed feelings. I kept going back on wether this was a three or four star read because there was such great twists and the characters themselves actually develop quite well and deeply in a one standing run off novel of many characters. But then he throws a bit too many confusing twists that made me constantly pause to see if I might’ve missed something. I still adore Rick as an author but it’s definitely a different kind of beast reading thru this one.
November 11, 2025
Riordan again intrigues in a special way as he sorts out Chadwick's loss, hurt and anger as he lost his daughter and his marriage 9 years ago. As he struggles to heal himself or punish himself, he works for a militaristic style of rehab and is faced with harsh realities and finds himself as he helps others. Chadwick is there for others and they also try to help him to come to terms, at least with his choice of career as a team member of "kidnapping" kids that need order and sense of worth back in their lives in order to move on.
November 19, 2025
the story is very much confusing and boring in the beggining, but the more you progress the better it gets. loved the plotwist and hopeful twist to the ending (i was NOT expecting Kindra to be the villain like i was sure it would be Olsen) aaaaand i do think the book is really dark and that definetly affected my overall mood whenever i put it down but i also read it during dark times of my life so maybe that affected it..? anyways, if you like dark suspenses and mysteries id totally recommend you this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2020
História e personagens interessantes. Não consegui decidir ainda o que me fez demorar tanto a concluir a leitura: a péssima tradução do inglês ou as comparações cômicas constantemente feitas pelo autor para ilustrar sentimentos ou sensações (exemplo, um rinoceronte deslizando pela pélvis da personagem foi a escolha para dizer o quanto a cólica menstrual da personagem doía. Doída foi a comparação), ou se o primeiro fez com que o segundo causasse estranhamento.
March 21, 2025
So, this wasn't what I was expecting. Although Riordan is an established Young Adult author, this is definitely ADULT, complete with lots of language, sex, drugs and violence. Maybe he was trying something new; I am sure he found an audience for this book because his writing is good, it's just not something I am comfortable reading.
September 23, 2017
Very strong three stars. Satisfying ending that tied things up. Some themes were left too late and only disclosed in the final pages. The characters were rather wooden, but reactions were believable.
June 3, 2020
I'm really enjoying discovering Rick Riordan's books. Unfortunately, I just could not get real concerned about the characters in this one. Something just seemed to ring false and I just couldn't finish it. On to the next one.
October 17, 2023
Arrastado!?
O que ele acertou em Percy Jackson(que também ja deu), errou muito aqui. Um livro de quase 500 páginas, muitos páginas desnecessárias, observações sobre o ambiente ao redor do que está acontecendo sem necessidade, e o fim meh.
O que ele acertou em Percy Jackson(que também ja deu), errou muito aqui. Um livro de quase 500 páginas, muitos páginas desnecessárias, observações sobre o ambiente ao redor do que está acontecendo sem necessidade, e o fim meh.
August 4, 2017
I had a very hard time putting this book down!
March 12, 2018
2.75 to 3
June 9, 2018
Heroin addiction from a 15 year old? who is actually responsible? What will happen to all if this is resolved?
October 14, 2019
One of my 20 best mysteries read in 2003.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
March 25, 2021
Loved it!
Want to read
August 2, 2021What, how did I never know that Rick Riordan wrote adult thrillers?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews