Cold Hit

By: Stephen J. Cannell

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Shane Scully and his partner are assigned to the case of "the Fingertip Killer", a serial murderer preying on homeless veterans in Los Angeles. Every two weeks he strikes: he beats his victims, then shoots them in the back of the head. Once they're dead, he cuts off their fingertips, closes their eyes, and tosses them in the river.

The latest killing, however, does not quite fit the pattern. It appears to be the work of the Fingertip Killer, but Scully suspects an elaborate copycat murder meant to hide a criminal conspiracy. A bullet pulled from the victim's skull produces what police call a "cold hit", an unexpected ballistics match linking one unsolved case to another, and the previous victim was an LA Police officer, killed 10 years earlier.

After heavy-handed FBI agents throw him off the Fingertip Killer case, Scully teams up with his wife and boss, Alexa, and a pair of tough cops from the LAPD's anti-terrorism squad. Outside the law and deep undercover, they fight to see justice done for the slain officer, and, possibly, to unravel a murderous plot with connections high up in the Homeland Security office.

©2005 Stephen J. Cannell (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Cannell's brand of thriller is served straight up, and he knows how to cut to the chase." (The New York Times)
"Cannell's writing keeps improving, too; fans of the Scully series will note both an added depth and a new stylistic panache in this installment. With every book, Cannell moves closer to joining crime fiction's A-Team." (Booklist)

Fast Paced and Surprising

Very timely, vividly showing how the Patriot Act can affect even policemen in their day to day jobs. The reader is excellent well modulated and articulate. The plot is a good one with enough twists for everybody.

Cold Hit

A good listen! I don't know what I was expecting but this was not as smooth as I thought it would be. Always liked Cannell as a TV writer but this was not as well developed. Too maney spies, had everybody but the boys from Brazil involved.

Loved it!

This was a great listen! One of the detectives was from South Carolina and was a scream to listen to. I had not expected humor when downloading this mystery, but I got my share of that along with a great story line and great characters. As always, Scott Brick was an exceptional reader as well. I'm now a Stephen J. Cannel fan!

Kept me spinning

There are so many plot twists and odd characters popping in and out, I got completely lost a few times. There are some important points in this story, about absolute power and how it corrupts, absolutely. That said, it's a good story with a lot of excitement and intrigue.

Shane Sculley is James Rockford on Steroids

Would you listen to Cold Hit again? Why?

Yes. First though, I will listen to all the other Shane Sculley stories. Rockford Files was a great TV series and Shane Sculley is the closest approximation.

True, Sculley is a detective employed by LAPD instead of a private eye.True also, that Sculley seems unafraid of confronting danger and is therefore James Rockford on steroids, but, his thought process and demeanor is very Rockford-esque.

At several points in this book I could envision James Garner as Shane Sculley.

I now understand and greatly appreciate how well Garner was suited for Stephen J. Cannell and vice versa.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. I really didn't see some of the surprises in store for readers. Won't elaborate here as it would spoil the story.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Outstanding. Only person I could envision replacing him would be James Garner.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, I cringed at one point - won't spoil it for readers though.

Any additional comments?

We lost a terrific writer when Cannell passed. He wrote a lot of books so I will savor his memory for some time to come, but, wish he'd written a few score more!

Kept me listening

I usually listen to my Audible programs during my 1.5 one way commute, so getting in 3 hours of listening per day is enough for me. But this book, Cold HIt had me so engaged I even brought it into the house and listened to it while I soaked in the tub!

I stumbled across Stephen Cannell's book because I am a HUGE Michael Connelly fan but have run out of his books to listen to. A review of Cannell called his writing style similar to Connelly. It is and this book was great. They are so similar in style and setting that I would almost think they were written by the same author. Regardless, I will be checking out other Cannell books.

Great story...average writing

I really enjoyed listening to this book because the plot was exciting and the characters and their relationships were fairly well developed. My only complaint was that the writing style was a bit over the top at times, like a parody of crime writing.

Good Listen!

You have to stay on your toes to keep all the players straight....I enjoyed it and had a hard time turning it off. Scott Brick was fabulous as the narrator and brought Shane Scully to life. You won't be disappointed if you enjoy detailed descriptions of events that are stomach turners!

Cold Hit

Enjoyed the characters that were realistic. A few turns that I didn't expect which was nice.

Can I have some more Scully please...

Shane Scully solves another one... An interesting read. Lots of twists and turns. Very enjoyable - and as usual, when it was finished, I wished there was just one more chapter.