COLD SILENCE by Toni Anderson

"A killer who streams his murders online for money knows her secret. Now she could be next."

Cold Silence

Posted: July 3, 2022

FBI Hostage Rescuer Shane Livingstone couldn’t have broken his arm at a worse time. When they lose one of their own to a sadistic killer who live-streams his kills on the dark web for money, Shane is determined to do whatever he can to end the killer’s deadly games. When his boss gets him a position as a liaison with the Bureau’s task force that’s been set up to find the killer, Shane sees it as his change to get some justice for his fallen friend.

Yael Brooks has a devastating secret she needs to keep safe. Though working for Alex Parker as a white hat hacker puts that secret at risk, she’s willing to put it on the line if it means helping save people. Working with Shane to bring down a psychopath inevitably leads to them getting closer though Yael worries about her past. But the killer knows Yael’s secret, and he’s more than willing to use it to destroy both her and Shane for good.

I very recently binged Toni Anderson’s entire Cold Justice (and spin-off) series. The plan was to read them while on a three week vacation but since there were 15 books, I figured what’s the harm in starting a little early. We all know how that goes. I ended up reading all the books within three weeks and only got half way through my vacation before I was done the last one. So when I say I have been waiting very impatiently for COLD SILENCE to be released, I mean it.

I love romantic thrillers and Anderson does an incredible job of sucking you into the pages of her books and bringing her world to life. Like most readers, I love it when characters from previous books in the series cross over into the current read, so I was ecstatic to see some past favourites, like Alex Parker and Ashley Chen, show up. The hunt for the killer is intense and I love all the possible suspects Anderson throws in readers path to muddy the water. Add in the slow burn romance between Yael and Shane and you have the makings of the perfect read. COLD SILENCE is an intensely intriguing and electrifying read that you will take you into the early hours of the night.

Book Summary

FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Shane Livingstone is frustrated when an injury sidelines him during an operation to catch a sadistic killer. A killer who auctions off vicious ways to torture his victims and screens the events for money on the dark web. When a teammate dies during the op, Shane’s devastated and vows to track down the monster responsible—but to do so he’ll need access to specialized skills he doesn’t possess.

A bloody game of cat and mouse…

As a white-hat hacker at Alex Parker’s security firm, Yael Brooks knows how to track predators through the darkest recesses of cyberspace. She can’t say no to Shane’s request…even though she fears her own secrets may put her at risk.

With a serial killer who makes it personal…

Shane and Yael must work together as a team if they hope to stop this psychopath. As they begin to grow closer, Shane demands Yael’s complete trust, but trust is the one thing Yael is reluctant to give. As the chase intensifies and more people die, it becomes obvious that the killer knows exactly who Yael is and plans to make both her and Shane pay the ultimate price for getting in his way.