The Cold Read - by Tara Laskowski (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Tara Laskowski gives readers their very own slasher movie! With one diabolical twist after another, The Cold Read will keep you guessing until the very last page."
--Alma Katsu, author of Fiend

They're there to make a sequel. But someone came for revenge.

A decade ago, the release of the horror film No One Can Hear You Scream catapulted a young no-name cast into Hollywood fame. But below the surface, they were dealing with the fallout of their friend's tragic death on set.

Now the cast is reuniting at the remote ski resort where the movie was filmed to announce the sequel and get a first glimpse of the screenplay. Cassidy, Jake, Ben, and Ruby--they've all followed different paths over the years, and each has their own reason for agreeing to return to a place they had sworn to leave behind.

At first everyone works hard to ignore the shadows of the past and focus on the opportunity ahead. But the reunion takes a dark turn during the midnight announcement to fans when a disturbing incident stirs up a long-buried secret.

Each of them has something to lose. Each of them has something to hide. And if they want to survive the weekend, they'll have to deliver the performance of a lifetime...

"A witty, wicked thriller packed with juicy secrets." --Andrea Bartz on The Mother Next Door

"Will keep you obsessively reading well past your bedtime." --Paul Tremblay on One Night Gone

"A riveting puzzle for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware." --Hank Phillippi Ryan on The Weekend Retreat

Review Quotes

"Tense and claustrophobic, The Cold Read is a tightly plotted tale of horrors both cinematic and all too real--I was riveted."
--Kate Alice Marshall, New York Times bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods and A Killing Cold

"Tara Laskowski gives readers their very own slasher movie! With one diabolical twist after another, The Cold Read will keep you guessing until the very last page."
--Alma Katsu, author of Fiend

"This is the best book Tara Laskowski has written in her award-winning, celebrated career. The perfect marriage of a thriller and horror, The Cold Read makes you care deeply about its characters and their motivations, and leaves you with unforgettable images. You can feel the cold snow in this abandoned ski resort just as strongly as you feel an impending sense of dread. A wonderful achievement."
--E.A. Aymar, author of When She Left

"Tara Laskowski's The Cold Read is a superb blend of closed-circle mystery, sly homage to the witty slasher films of the '80s and '90s, and a breathless, snowbound psychological thriller. Laskowski gives us flawed, fascinating characters--from arch filmmakers to self-involved actors to obsessive fans--and strands them in an abandoned ski lodge thick with dread, ratcheting up the tension until it explodes into a conclusion that earns every twist it delivers. Absolutely a blast to read!"
--John Copenhaver, award-winning author of Hall of Mirrors

"Tara Laskowski delves into the icy heart of horror with this chilling locked-room mystery set in a snow-bound haunted ski lodge. This book will give you chills on the hottest summer day. Laskowski is the queen of horror suspense!"
--Carol Goodman, New York Times bestselling and two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages and Our Marriage Is Murder

"The Cold Read is Tara Laskowski's best novel--and that's saying something. A love letter to slasher movies, with characters that hit hard and a plot that never lets up. Laskowski delivers a killer blend of thriller and horror that would make Stephen King proud. It cuts deep--and hacks its way into your heart."
--Alex Finlay, bestselling author of The Anniversary

"Tara Laskowski has done it again. The Cold Read is a brilliant, addictive thrill ride you've come to expect from this author, so be prepared to read it all in one sitting because you won't be able to put it down."
--Seraphina Nova Glass, two-time Edgar-nominated author of On a Quiet Street and Too Close to Home

"The Cold Read is a chilling, suspenseful, twisting puzzle of a great read with a vivid winter mountain setting. I felt like I was there with the characters in the old ski lodge, haunted by a mysterious event that took place years before. An excellent page-turner!"
--Alice Henderson, author of the Alex Carter series, including the latest novel, Storm Warning

"The Cold Read has all the ingredients for a tightly plotted thriller: an abandoned ski lodge with a violent history, a group of actors fraught with secrets and trapped by a winter storm, an outsider bent on revenge, and a killer poised to strike again. Punctuated by an online chorus of ravenous fans, I loved the concept of a low-budget horror movie where the real terror happens off camera. With a twist in every chapter, this book had me guessing all the way to the end."
--Jennifer Fawcett, author of Beneath the Stairs and Keep This for Me

"The Cold Read is a clever and compelling locked-room thriller surrounding the announcement of a sequel to a horror movie that ended in an off-screen death. This sharp and entertaining read twists and turns in the most delicious way as it races to its very satisfying end."
--Darby Kane, international bestselling author of Such a Clever Girl

"The Cold Read is a harrowing and twisty journey into the world of horror movie-making. Laskowski's cinematic cast of characters and her chorus of online commentators kept me looking around every corner on this beautiful, creepy ride. Fans of Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, and every Scream movie ever made will love The Cold Read."
--Kristen Bird, USA TODAY bestselling author of Watch It Burn

"Tara Laskowski plays with the horror genre to brilliant effect, delivering a fiendish and fun thriller that will leave you frightened to turn out the lights."
--Hannah Richell, author of The Search Party

"Laskowski's homage to classic horror tropes, slasher films, and the devoted fandom they cultivate is a sharply written page-turner that readers will be hard-pressed to put down. Even if they guess the who, the hows and whys keep The Cold Read boiling all the way to the end. An absorbing and enjoyable ride."
--Booklist, starred review

"Laskowski's riveting horror thriller will be beloved by slasher movie fans. Recommended for every collection."
--Library Journal