Pam and her husband split up after their son died. But now he is dying and he requests her presence in his California home, the home bought with the money he made from her misery. He wrote a book and didn’t paint Pam in the best light. Yet she still goes to him, she can’t wait to see the smirk wiped off his face…

Cold, Cold Heart is a long short story which shows off Karin Slaughter’s wicked streak. It’s a battle to have the last word and a peek into the mad ideas people get to prolong their life. Whilst it’s not necessarily crime, it’s twisty and turny in Pam’s mind and the perfect reading material for a lunch break. No having to put the story down before it finishes! Karin’s shorter works always seem to have fairly unlikable characters but I still find a side to take. I wonder if she does this because she knows we wouldn’t stay with them for a whole novel, but a short story is just the right amount of time before you get annoyed with them.

Cold, Cold Heart was originally published in the First Thrills anthology and is published for the first time by itself in digital format by Random House. I personally love this idea as I always want to read everything my favourite authors write but don’t always want to buy a whole anthology just for one or two stories. The Blessing of Brokenness from Like a Charm can now also be bought alone. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.

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