Set in a frozen and isolated lake town in Minnesota, Pete Zacharias’s The Man Burned by Winter has all the trappings of Scandinavian thrillers like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or The Killing—complicated decisions, twisting plots, and treacherous secrets.
Former journalist Rooker Lindström seems an unlikely partner for Detective Tess Harlowe—particularly since he just moved into his serial killer father’s abandoned cabin to drink himself to death. But Tess knows that Rooker might hold the answers to a recent spate of homicides, not only because of his father’s crimes but also because Rooker, through his investigative journalistic efforts, helped capture his own son’s murderer.
It’s a pit-of-your-stomach story that will have you reading through the cracks between your fingers and wishing your blanket was just a little bit bigger so you could hide from the cold on the pages. An evocative, immersive novel—I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
—Jessica Tribble Wells, Editor
About the Author
Pete Zacharias received a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing. He is a lover of Nordic noir, dark thrillers, and anything spy, and credits Michael Connelly’s The Poet as the novel that inspired him to become a writer. The Man Burned by Winter is Pete’s first novel.
C
A pretty good thriller, a bit slow paced, solid debutThis debut thriller from Pete Zacharias is divided into three parts, with 48 chapters, and a total of about 324 pages.The story focuses on two main characters: journalist Rooker Lindstrom and Detective Tess Harlow. Rooker is the son of a notorious serial killer, and Tess eventually convinces him to help her find a new copycat killer that seems to be mimicking the murders committed by Rooker’s late father.The book starts out with a pretty gruesome Prologue, as we see one of the brutal murders from the perspective of the killer. This unsettling introduction gives us a brief glimpse into the killer’s mind; and then the story switches back and forth between the perspectives of Rooker and Tess as the chapters go on. After the initial action in the first few pages, the pacing really slows down as more of Rooker’s backstory is revealed. Rooker is a broken man; haunted by not only by the actions of his deranged father, but also by the memory of his own son, who was also killed. Rooker still hears his late son’s voice at times, and throwing himself into helping solve this new case serves as a distraction from his grief and sorrow.Overall I thought that this was a pretty good thriller, especially for a debut. The pacing in the middle was fairly slow, and at times I felt a little bored as I wanted a bit more action. I can understand why the author spent so much time building up Rooker’s history though, as this appears to be the first book in a series, and I suppose it makes sense to spend time on character development if this is going to be the protagonist in several books. The reveal toward the end was pretty good, but not mind-blowing. There were some cleverly placed details that make more sense after you get to the end. There is also an encounter at the very end that leaves room for sequels to build on. So all in all, a pretty decent book, and I would be willing to read the next one in the series. Hopefully the next one will be a bit shorter though, or at least have less filler in the middle now that Rooker’s background has already been explained.
Amazon Customer
One of the best books I’ve readI would easily say that this is one of the best books I have read. What a phenomenal debut novel, congrats to the author on writing such a complex book. From start to finish this book gripped my attention and left me wanting to know more. The characters were well developed and I felt like I was experiencing the twists and turns with them. I was immediately drawn into the complexity of the novel and did not see the ending coming.I will eagerly be awaiting the authors sequel to the Rooker Lindstrom novel and he has landed on my list of favorite authors.
Maria B
Great Read!“If the walls could talk, they wouldn’t. They would scream”Amazing debut novel for an up-and-coming author. This book has some awesome twists and turns, great character development, and chilling imagery. Excited to see what’s in store for the sequel.
Ju
Excellent!Really enjoyed The Man Burned by Winter. Would never have guessed this is Zacharias’s first novel. The story kept me intrigued. Hoping to see Harlow in the next book.Have been looking for a new author to follow and now have found him. Looking forward to Zacharias’s next novel, The Man Trapped by Shadows.
Sandee York
Terrific BookI was engrossed in this book. I stole every spare minute to read a little more. Rooker is a fascinating character and I am sorry I have to wait for a new book. I am thrilled to have found a new favorite author. He writes like he has been putting out best selling novels for years. Thank you for a great book!
Amazon Customer
Killer Good!I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read it in one day because I really got into the story and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Now that is great writing!
James Carter
Amazingly good first book by an up and coming authorThis is a dark and gritty thriller about a serial killer haunting a bleak frozen Minnesota town with crimes that echo its own dark past. While some of the descriptions early on were buried in the gratuitous grime it settles into a well paced and intriguing read. Rooker Ludstrom is a man haunted by his own demons as he languishes waiting for death in the frozen north, only to find new life when he is forced to confront a real life evil that is threatening to consume both him and the town. This book excels at having complex characters and plot with dark twists and turns. The only areas I find fault with are 1. there is a scene where one detective is playing an avenging angel but it’s a non sequitur (if that’s the right word) because it is like a blurb that in no way relates to the rest of the book and if anything will only be useful as a foreshadow for later books in the series. And 2. The author clearly did not research guns at all because he repeatedly makes incorrect descriptions of them. In his book a Glock 17 has a manual safety (it doesn’t) and that it only holds 12 rounds (the standard magazine hold 17 rounds plus 1 in the chamber for a total of 18 on a standard police load). That’s a minor issue for an authors first book but he should be more careful as he continues the series because factual errors can break reader immersion. I highly recommend giving this a read if you enjoy dark grimy crime thrillers. I will be reading his next book.
Nikki Merchant
Great readOne of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read. Captivating, suspenseful, unexpected. It’s a book you won’t want to stop reading until the end.
Amazon Customer
DreadfulOthers will no doubt have a different opinion but I found the writing style ruined any enjoyment the story offered.
Lagoon
Lacking any sort of edge.There was just no excitement to this novel. None of the characters held my attention and the story was nowhere near strong enough.