A Cold, Cold World Launches Today!

A Cold, Cold World by Elena Taylor

I’m thrilled to launch book two in the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries

A Cold, Cold World!

A Cold, Cold World

A Cold, Cold World A female sheriff tries to fill her late father’s boots and be the sheriff her small Washington State mountain town needs as a deadly snow storm engulfs the town, in this dark, twisty mystery.

“Riveting” Library Journal Starred Review

The world felt pure. Nature made the location pristine again, hiding the scene from prying eyes. As if no one had died there at all.

In the months since Bet Rivers solved her first murder investigation and secured the sheriff’s seat in Collier, she’s remained determined to keep her town safe. With a massive snowstorm looming, it’s more important than ever that she stays vigilant.

When Bet gets a call that a family of tourists has stumbled across a teen injured in a snowmobile accident on a mountain ridge, she braves the storm to investigate. However, once she arrives at the scene of the accident it’s clear to Bet that the teen is not injured; he’s dead. And has been for some time . . .

Investigating a possible homicide is hard enough, but with the worst snowstorm the valley has seen in years threatening the safety of her town, not to mention the integrity of her crime scenes – as they seem to be mounting up as well – Bet has to move fast to uncover the complicated truth and prove that she’s worthy of keeping her father’s badge.

To purchase A Cold, Cold World, click any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound

My Thoughts on Writing A Cold, Cold World

All We Buried, the first in the Sheriff Bet Rivers series, launched in April of 2020. That feels like a lifetime ago. Nothing like having a book come out in the early months of a pandemic lockdown to make an author appreciate how things used to be.

As I canceled live event after live event, my heart sunk further and further into a very cold, cold place. My career was going down the tubes while the world went up in flames. With libraries and bookstores closed, hardback books sat in warehouses, destined for the remainder tables. It was a dark time for me as an author.

But we learned to pivot and work online, and my Eddie Shoes Mysteries found a new publisher and came back out with those fabulous new covers and rewrites from the originals that make me incredibly happy.

Eddie Shoes Mysteries

Still, things were hard on me and Sheriff Rivers, and I feared her story had come to an end.

But during that difficult time, I wrote A Cold, Cold World. And I loved it and desperately hoped that it would find a home.

My wonderful agent never gave up on me or Bet, and found us a place with Severn House. And what an amazing publishing house it has been! From the fantastic editors to that gorgeous cover design, I’ve loved working with everyone there. It has truly been the best experience of my publishing life.

So thank you, dear readers, for reaching out over the last four years asking about Bet’s next adventure. Your support helped me keep working, keep writing, and keep the faith. I hope you enjoy riding into the storm with Bet.

Elena—Moran Prairie 08/06/24

Praise for A Cold, Cold World

“An exciting combination of multiple mysteries and a thrilling fight to survive nature’s wrath.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers who appreciate the strong woman police chief in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder books or the vivid landscapes of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mysteries will appreciate Taylor’s riveting crime novel.” ―Library Journal Starred Review

“Smart, action-packed suspense. Taylor perfectly captures the tension and determination of a small town sheriff facing down an isolating blizzard while racing against the clock to solve a murder and save a missing child. Sheriff Bet Rivers will be your new favorite character.” ―Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A Cold, Cold World delivers in spades. Sheriff Elizabeth “Bet” Rivers struggles to protect the people of Collier, Washington, a tiny mountain town, from a monster blizzard – and a potential murderer on the loose. A sleeping bag soaked with blood, a missing father-daughter, an arrow found at the site of a fatal snowmobile accident . . . the threats and threads tangle into a complex mystery, the investigation of which is hampered by power outages and several feet of suffocating snow. Tense and divinely atmospheric, this is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s day – or any day you long for a chilling, thrilling read. It was worth the wait,” —J.L. Delozier, author of the multi-award-winning mystery The Photo Thief

Watch the trailer here!

Elena Taylor (and host of this blog!)

A Cold, Cold World Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under the name Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.

With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community.

Elena is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, a developmental editing house, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays. If you’d like to work with Elena, visit www.allegoryediting.com.

Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she and her hubby own south of Spokane, Washington. They live with their horses, dogs, and cats. Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.