Another riveting novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Learning to Swim
**Anthony Award nominee for Best Novel
**
Freelance writer Troy Chance is snapping photos of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival ice palace when the ice-cutting machine falls silent. Encased in the frozen lake is the shadowy outline of a bodyβa man she knows.
A lurid news story goes viral, throwing suspicion on one of Troy's housemates. Troy is assigned to write an in-depth feature on the dead man, who turns out to be the son of a wealthy Connecticut family playing at a blue-collar life in this Adirondack village. As Troy digs deeper into his life and mysterious deathβworking with his bereaved sister, reclusive girlfriend, and helpful neighborβa string of incidents makes it clear someone doesn't want the investigation to continue.
What Troy discovers threatens to shatter the serenity of these mountain towns, and she must decide which family secrets should be exposed, and how far her own loyalty can reach.
From Booklist
Henry follows up her award-winning debut novel, Learning to Swim (2011), with a strong second effort also featuring freelance reporter Troy Chance. Out on Saranac Lake, in the Adirondacks, reporting on the Winter Carnival, Troy witnesses a group of ice cutters as they discover the body of a dead man beneath the frozen lake. It turns out that Troy is acquainted with the dead man, a wealthy, neβer-do-well Princeton dropout and local playboy who was dating her roommate. But Troy also learns just how wrong she was in her assumptions about the drowning victim when the local newspaper editor assigns her to do an in-depth profile of the man and the investigation into his death. Featuring a strong cast of female characters and a measured pace, this sophomore novel also perfectly conjures the lure of living in a small and beautiful mountain town during a bitterly cold winter. Featuring an independent and immensely likable lead, riffing on the complicated nature of friendship, and boasting a solidly plotted mystery, this may well appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn. --Joanne Wilkinson
Review
βFeaturing an independent and immensely likable lead, riffing on the complicated nature of friendship, and boasting a solidly plotted mystery, this may well appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn.β β Booklist
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_βSara J. Henry's stellar debut,Learning to Swim , collared multiple major mystery awards. Now A Cold and Lonely Place showcases Henry's powerful new voice. Set in the Adirondack winter, it is both a deeply atmospheric, seductive read and a captivating literary mystery. Put this one on your must-read list!β βJulia Spencer-Fleming, author of Through the Evil Days
βThere is a mystery at the cold and lonely heart of this book, but first and foremost, itβs a poignant and haunting story about Troyβs search for the truth behind a young manβs lifeβ¦ This is a powerful, emotional journey for Troy, but ultimately a hopeful one, as she uncovers the stories behind one young manβs traumatic childhood, stories that will finally redeem him.β β BookPage
β[The] sense of severing all previous ties and never truly getting close to people permeates Sara J. Henry's insightful second novel.... Henry explores the complicated nature of relationships while delivering a suspenseful novel full of unpredictable twists.β β South Florida Sun Sentinel
βA chilling mystery about families and friendships.β β Parkersburg News and Sentinel
"[A] haunting follow-up to her Agatha-winning debut, Learning to Swim ... Adding considerably to the compulsively readable mystery that unfolds β¦ is Henry's bone-deep sense of this terribly beautiful place." β*Publishers Weekly
"Henry brilliantly draws us into a terrifying but ultimately affirmative novel in which, once again, love, friendship, and the shining truth about who we really are redeems an otherwise hopeless universe." βHoward Frank Mosher, author of The Great Northern Express*