Cold Grave by Kathryn Fox
In Kathryn’s own words
‘Cold Grave explores the issue of Cruise Ship Crime.
In fifteen years, nearly four hundred people have disappeared from Cruise ships. That does not include deaths on cruises. The families and friends of the missing have never known closure and never will.
Cold Grave is a fictional story that highlights some of the potential dangers on what are now floating cities. This was one of my favourite to write, thanks to murky legal waters and the thrill of going on a cruise.’
It feels like the safest place on earth. A family-friendly, floating palace.
But, as Anya Crichton soon discovers, cruise ships aren’t all that they seem…Statistics tell us that a woman is twice as likely to be sexually assaulted on a cruise ship than on dry land. Customers aren’t screened, so the ships are a haven for sex offenders and paedophiles.
With no policing, and floating in international waters, sexual assaults and passengers ‘disappearing’ are uncommonly frequent…So when a teenage girl is discovered, dead on the deck of the ship that she is holidaying on, Anya feels compelled to get involved. There’s no apparent cause of death, but Anya’s forensics expertise uncovers more than the ship’s doctors can…or want to.
With the killer still on board, and subsequently a crew-member found shot, it becomes clear that the safe haven of the cruise-ship is actually anything but. And, as Anya comes under increasing pressure to abandon her investigations, will she continue? Or do whatever it takes to keep her own family safe?
Reviews
‘Kathryn Fox’s sixth novel is set to blow other crime thrillers out of the water.’
‘It’s a fast-paced thriller that makes you hold your breath at times.’
UK Press Association
‘Fox has created a winning heroine and her puzzle is a page turner. Home-grown rival to Cornwell and Reichs’
SUNDAY MAIL
‘….crime fiction that is scrupulous in its reliance on fact and serious in its moral purpose while at the same time being supremely entertaining’
WEST AUSTRALIAN
‘Cold Grave impresses not only with its excellent plotting but also with the amount of research that went in to making the storyline credible. Cold Grave is more than a whodunnit; it is an expose of an industry that is often a law unto itself. This is an excellent read that I devoured in one sitting’
GOOD READING
‘Kathryn Fox has found the perfect setting for her sixth crime novel featuring the forensic physician Anya Crichton — a cruise ship, from which nobody can escape and which is a law unto itself in international waters… Well-executed high level suspense which may result in a change of holiday plans for some.’
UK’s Daily Mail
‘Kathryn Fox has again delivered a who-dunnit that will hold you captive until the very last sentence. Back dropped against luxury and excess, this is a case full of twist and turns and revelations you will never see coming.
If you haven’t as yet entered the Fox’s imagination, seriously what are you waiting for? This and her previous five novels in the series also work well as standalones, but I do warn you – once you meet Anya, you will be hooked. Fox certainly more than holds her own in the competitive world of crime writing and will appeal to fans of Reichs and Cornwell alike.’
Tara Sharp
This is the sixth outing for Dr Crichton and with every new release Fox confirms her place at the morgue table of excellence with Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs and Lin Anderson.
If you’ve yet to discover her scalpel-sharp thrillers, start here. Unless you’re on a cruise.
Scotland’s The Daily Record
‘If you’re a fan of Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs, your going to love this gripping crime thriller from the Australian bestseller…Think ER meets CSI – it’s a winner!’
Peterborough Telegraph