Hot Ice, Cold Blood

by Holly Spofford, Kristen Hamilton (Editor)

For Victor Sykes, business is good. His illegal diamond importing business is thriving, and circumstances require that he bring more people to his team. His niece and nephew, Rubi Lee and Zeke, are as dangerous as they are desperate, and they follow orders to make sure everything goes right. But when the shipment of diamonds-sewn into the inner lining of a sweatshirt-is mistakenly confiscated, the entire operation is put at risk. Ever since she moved to the heart of Washington, DC, Daisy's life has been fabulous. While in graduate school, she enjoys tending bar at the Black LaSalle, one of DC's most popular bars. After a chance encounter with her childhood friend NT-now called Nick-her future is bright. But one cold night when Daisy wears a left-behind sweatshirt home from the bar, she sets in motion a domino effect that leaves some of her friends in danger and others dead. Soon, Daisy and her friends are thrust into an elaborate heist involving the higher echelons of government-and when they come face to face with the criminals, not everyone will survive.

299 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2020

About the author

Holly Spofford was born and raised outside Philadelphia in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. She is one of three children, and has wonderful memories of spending lots of time playing out in the woods, swimming and riding bikes with her two brothers. One memory that she holds dearly in her heart is the first day she learned to read complete sentences. It was in Mrs. Stauffer’s first-grade class at Whitemarsh Elementary School. She remembers distinctly that it was a story about squirrels and trees. She loved to read aloud and show off her new skill to her younger brother and to her parents. It was at this age when she fell in love with the written word. 
She was a competitive athlete all throughout high school and college until she was side-lined with a terrible knee injury in 1989. As a teenager, she worked at a local summer camp where she taught young children how to play tennis. Teaching and coaching came naturally to her. Therefore, her choice of becoming a teacher was natural. After she graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, she enrolled at Cabrini College to become certified as a teacher in Pennsylvania.  She taught and coached for seventeen years, mostly in local independent schools.  She is an avid golfer as is her husband John. They are regular participants in Couples Golf on Wednesdays during the summer.
Her debut novel, A Letter for Hoot, was inspired in large part by the mystery unit that was part of her teaching curriculum. In 2014, she made the difficult decision to leave the world of teaching to realize her childhood dream of writing a book.  Although her novel is a murder mystery, it can be enjoyed by readers of many ages.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A guy running a smuggling operation hires his idiot relatives. Big mistake.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that HOT ICE, COLD BLOOD by Holly Spofford has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our favorite characters are back Daisy and NT. The book kept me on my toes ...I didn’t figure out who the real bad guy was until it was revealed...I’m usually quicker than that!

BTW my mom’s nickname is Gussie. If you read the book you will get it!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crimes to be solved story that involves smuggling, murder and threats to the lives of several characters as the hunt for answers is pursued. 3 stars.

My thanks to goodreads and the book’s giveaway sponsors for the opportunity to obtain and read a copy of this book.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful plot with great characters, awesome read for young adults!

[Amy Weisbard-bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A goodreads win. It was fine. Not great. Not bad but a solid 3.

[Alicia Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read and a lot of action. I enjoyed seeing Daisy and Nick grown up.