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COLD CHRISTMAS, A by Charlene Weir Minotaur Books, December 2001 272 pages $23.95 ISBN: 0312260315

It is very cold in Hampstead, Kansas, and Chief of Police Susan Wren has a major decision to make. She has been invited to return to San Francisco to work for two years in the police department cleaning up cold cases. But she cannot make the decision right now when half her department is out sick with the flu.

Caley James, organist at the church, also has the flu which makes the world rather blurry as she fights the illness. Her three children need her. But then the furnace goes out and a shifty looking man comes to fix it. He has to come back since he doesnít get it right the first time. The following day Caleyís daughter wakes her up to tell her that the evil prince is dead in the basement. Sure enough there is a dead body with its head and hands stuck into the fire of the furnace. Now Chief Wren really has problems.

There are several subplots in the book, one involving Caleyís ex-husband and her oldest son, Zach; another centering around two high school teachers, not married to each other, who are carrying on an affair; and a third dealing with the blue noses who believe that a divorced woman should not be allowed to play the organ in church. All of these end up impinging upon the others and affecting the story.

The writing is smooth and I was never drawn out of the story. This is a fast read, one for relaxation and enjoyment. It demands little of the reader but provided entertaining characters and a captivating puzzle. I like Chief Wren. She manages her department very well, even while she is missing some of the key players and must resort to an ex-marine who very obviously disapproves of female bosses. She knows her town and the people in it and provides more than just cleaning up after the crime. While the other characters are not fully developed, they are colorful and appealing. Zach in particular is a personable boy who captivated my heart.

The sense of place is very good. I saw the small Kansas town and felt the cold right through my bones. I know how cold it can get in the Great Plains and how this will affect the way people live their lives. Ms. Weir does a good job of capturing that and making the cold and the winter characters in the book. I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it.

Oh, and by the way, Chief Wren has not yet made her decision about returning to an Francisco, but my guess is that she will not.

Reviewed by Sally A. Fellows, January 2002

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