Audiobook-only review. I am not a fan of giving one star on a DNF. But because this is an audiobook review, I have to pan it based solely on the narrator, Michelle St. John. I’ve never heard anyone more monotone... possibly even in real life, not just among audiobook narrators. I was rubbed the wrong way from the moment St. John opened her mouth, during the title, author, and narrator announcement. Then came the prologue, involving a terrified child who was waiting for someone who told her to hide to return. (I can’t even stand to go back and listen to verify the person’s name – Lily? – or relationship to the little girl, whose name I also don’t know.) The writing conveyed the emotions of the scene, but the narration was scarily flat. a psychopath who has no idea what emotions sound .

I skipped ahead to sample several other chapters, and there was simply zero emotion or variation in the narrator’s tone at any point I checked. Only one stop involved dialog, and I couldn’t tell when different characters were speaking, because they all sounded the same! There was something about the ending of St. John’s sentences - they always ended with a slight dip, no matter what was being said. Nothing ever sounded interesting. Every word was just a word; nothing had any meaning. It creeped me out and I had to DNF.

The story may or may not be any good, but as far as the audiobook goes, two thumbs down. If you want to check this one out, go for the printed word.2021 audiobook borrowed-audiobook ...more81 s Sue1,328 595

Set in Ottowa during the Christmas holidays, Cold Mourning introduces new characters I truly hope to meet again. Kala Stonechild has just transferred to the police department in the city. She is Aboriginal, grew up on the rez in a series of foster homes, and, for personal reasons, has decided to try life and work in the city. Her coming coincides with a major police case, the disappearance of a local businessman. She is among those tasked with finding him.

This book often reminded me of the Nordic mysteries I've read, probably because of the constant mention of cold, the frequent snow, the white landscapes of Canadian winter.


When the trail wound into openings next to the river,
the wind bit into their cheeks, but just as quickly they'd
be back amongst the trees. Susan could hear the wind soughing
through the pines, a lonely animal sound, and yet she found
it comforting. It reminded her that the wind was powerful
energy that nobody could control. When she leaned back, she
saw the tree tops swaying skirted women dancing a
languid samba. She smiled at the image.... (loc 3477)


The mystery itself is complex and interesting, the characters all have roles to play. Some are more developed than others as one expects in such a book. I really do want to meet Stonechild and Rouleau again.

Recommended for mystery lovers and readers of police procedurals.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of review.canada mystery net-galley ...more29 s Paul Weiss1,338 378

“You little girls to go riding with strangers?”

Kala Stonechild is damaged and complicated, a lone wolf and difficult to understand. But she’s a self-assured, strong-willed survivor. From a background of alcohol, absentee parents and violent sexual abuse, Stonechild is a new police recruit who has left her northern Ontario detachment to join a specialized Ottawa crime unit. Her new boss, Detective Jacques Rouleau, a capable, confident, and compassionate supervisor and mentor, himself uncertain of his future in Ottawa law enforcement, assigns her to locate Tom Underwood, a high profile missing person case that may well have political fall-out. When Underwood’s body is found frozen and stuffed in the trunk of his car, the missing person case becomes a complex murder investigation in which every member of a grossly dysfunctional family becomes suspect.

In many ways, Kala Stonechild’s back story is, sadly, not unexpected. Predictably, her First Nations upbringing and everything related is at issue – misogyny, racism, sexism, alcohol, education, background, personal history, abuse. But despite that, Chapman does a good job of filling out a strong and credible story of a female aboriginal that readers will be willing to get behind and support. And, as was the case with Louise Penny’s Three Pines, Scott Thornley’s Hamilton or Giles Blunt’s small northern town of Algonquin Bay, for example, Chapman has brought her real life chosen locale of Canada’s national capital, to vivid life.

A good but not great introduction to a new series, I would have preferred a little peppier pacing in the plot development. That said, COLD MOURNING is definitely recommended and #2, BUTTERFLY KILLS, comes to the top of my TBR list for reading sooner than later.

Paul Weisscanadian-author mystery police-procedural ...more26 s Carolyn Walsh 1,661 583

I regret not being aware of this great police procedural series which is set in and around the Canadian city of Ottawa. My mistake was ordering a digital packet of the first four books in the seven-book series. This distracted me from full enjoyment in the book. There was no way to see how far along I was in the plot, only the percentage read in the entire 4 book series or the time left to read all 4 books. This made the story seem longer to me while I read this first book and did not feel I was making much progress. I will certainly read further books in the series, but not as part of the same digital package.

This was a well-written detective series, with many suspects and well-developed characters. It takes place in Ottawa, starting the week before Christmas. The city, and it's cold, snowy, winter weather is well described.

Kala Stonechild is an indigenous policewoman who has just arrived to be part of a new special crimes unit in Ottawa which seems to have to be set up for failure. Kala was from a north Ontario First Nations reserve and grew up in a series of foster homes. She managed to become a policewoman in northern regions and preferred to work on her own. She now joins a male team, a few harbour racial prejudice and some have a hard time accepting a woman as part of their workforce. During an important investigation, she earns the respect of her peers.

A wealthy businessman, Tom Underwood, has disappeared. The team has been ordered to find him and bring him home before Christmas. Their two other cases have been put on hold, that of a missing, homeless native woman, and a man who has been randomly assaulting women.

There is much to be revealed about Tom during the investigation. After he is found murdered, they discover much cheating, secrets and lies within his family circle. There are many potential suspects who hate him or would benefit financially from his death. He divorced his wife to marry a much younger, flirtatious woman. The way they met has caused much family resentment. His adult son is estranged from his father for years. His son-in-law has a temper.
Tom’s ex-wife has not recovered from the divorce. Her best friend was left for dead during a hike in the freezing cold. Is there any connection with the murder? Perhaps no family member was involved in Tom’s killing. The motive may lie in his shady business dealings and with someone involved in his unscrupulous deals.

Karla is also searching for a friend from her childhood who was last seen in Ottawa. Her boss. Detective Jacques Rouleau. Is a kind, compassionate man who is under much pressure in his professional and private life. I hope to read further adventures and criminal investigations featuring these two police detectives.18 s Angi Pingle47

My only real complaint about this book is that the narrator of this audio book made my “reading” experience less enjoyable. Very monotoned, only used one voice throughout which made following dialogue a bit of a guessing game, and just seemed she was reading it straight from the page with no proper training. It was especially confusing when there would be a section break but she just read straight on through. 15 s Katherine1 review7

Brenda Chapman has a rare skill - she is a brilliant writer who makes you want to turn the pages as fast as you can to find out what is going to happen next, but you are torn because sometimes you just want to sit and savour the prose just a little bit longer. She has a gift of intense illustration as she has you squirm - sometimes in fear and always in suspense for what is going to happen next. I loved this Kala Stonechild mystery, the first in the series. 14 s Fictionophile 1,147 354

Set in Canada's capital city during the week leading up to Christmas, it was a perfect novel to read this time of year.

The novel opens in 1995 in northern Canada where two young First Nations girls have accepted a lift from a stranger. An action which brings about tragic and traumatic consequences for them both.
Skip ahead to chapter one and Kala Stonechild has just accepted a position on a special task force of the Ottawa police. The reader immediately assumes that Kala is one of the two girls mentioned in the prologue. Her name is apt. Stonechild, a loner, reveals little of herself.

The unit she is working for is headed by Jacques Rouleau. A fair man, able and plagued with torment in both his private and professional life. The others on her squad are wary of Kala at first but seem to develop a healthy respect for her as time goes by.

The first day on the job they are assigned a case of a missing Ottawa business man. Their goal is to find him and have him home in time for Christmas. Things are never as simple as they are at first glance and the squad are foiled at every turn. When the businessman's body is found in the trunk of his car after he has frozen to death they have a plethora of suspects. A highly dysfunctional family, some murky business deals and even murkier business partners.

The mystery was very well written with just the right amount of great descriptions and several plausible red herrings. There were a lot of characters in the novel but the characters were so well drawn that the reader didn't become confused for a second. The protagonists were engaging and able. Tragic relationships abounded.

One grievance I had with the book was the poor editing. There were several typos, grammar errors and inconsistencies that were jarring and interrupted the flow of the otherwise near faultless narrative.

"Cold mourning", the first in the Stonechild and Rouleau mystery series, is the first novel to employ a female First Nations sleuth in Canadian fiction!
canada first-in-a-series mysteries ...more11 s Daria142 1 follower

Audiobook review: My 3 star rating has more to do with the narrator than the quality of the writing/story. The performance was flat, mechanical and in no way reflected the energy and depth the author intended. If you have a choice, read don't listen, to this book.10 s Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)2,495 3,770

3.5 stars
I really appreciated the Canadian indigenous representation within this story, which addressed the complicated systematic racism and prejudice. Without those elements, the mystery was not particularly remarkable, but it was fine. I enjoyed the cold winter setting.audiobooks mystery-thriller9 s Sandy873 226

What a great read. I haven't read this author before but now look forward to a sequel. We meet Kala Stonechild, a cop who has move to Ottawa from Nipigon to take a job with an offshoot dept. of major crimes. She's a young woman but older her her years thanks to a childhood in foster care, on & off the rez.
Her new boss is Sgt. Jacques Rouleau, a seasoned & respected cop with his own issues. His boss is a weasel, the dept. is a pilot project set up to fail & he's in love with his ex-wife.
They catch a missing persons case that quickly becomes a murder investigation. The victim, Tom Underwood, was a wealthy business with a trophy wife, young daughter & lots of money. After his body is found frozen in the trunk of his car, Kala & the unit start to dig deep & soon are spoiled for choice when it comes to identifying the killer.
The author does a great job of slowly unravelling the secrets & lies of the people in Tom's life & it's easy for the reader to flip flop while guessing who done it. Suspects include Tom's slimy partner, his estranged son, the husband of a family friend & the much younger second wife. Characters are well developed with distinct voices & separate side plots that flesh out their lives.
But it's Kala & Rouleau who really hold your attention. Good people & good cops, both are fallible human beings haunted by past mistakes. The pacing is perfect, drawing you in from the get go & it's a quick read as the story lines unfold. Dialogue is sharp with a dry wit & flows.
By the end, the murderer is revealed, Kala gets some closure for her past & Rouleau makes a big decision.
If you're a fan of smart, well plotted police procedurals, I highly recommend this novel. But it's the compelling characters that keep you reading & I'll definitely be picking up the next one.7 s Pat2,310 470

A cleverly crafted book with able characters who seem very real. Not too many walking cliches here.

Kala Stonechild has just joined the Ottawa police, transferring from the northern reaches of Canada for personal reasons. The first case she is involved with is the murder of a businessman who is found frozen to death in the boot (trunk for you North Americans) of his car. While some officers investigate his business dealings, Stonechild is assigned to look into the family. Her spidey senses immediately go on alert. People are clearly hiding things. As the investigation progresses, more suspects are added to the list but the police are no closer to solving it.

An apparent attempt on the life of a close family friend seems to complicate things and then a member of staff in the dead man's business is murdered. How are all these incidents connected? Stonechild is convinced they are connected and that the motive is more personal than business.

An interesting mystery where the layers are peeled away an onion to reveal the seething emotions that can drive people to murder. I'm looking forward to the next book.6 s Keli521 9

Synopsis- When murder stalks a family over Christmas, Kala Stonechild trusts her intuition to get results.

It’s a week before Christmas when wealthy businessman Tom Underwood disappears into thin air — with more than enough people wanting him dead.

New police recruit Kala Stonechild, who has left her northern Ontario detachment to join a specialized Ottawa crime unit, is tasked with returning Underwood home in time for the holidays. Stonechild, who is from a First Nations reserve, is a lone wolf who is used to surviving on her wits. Her new boss, Detective Jacques Rouleau, has his hands full controlling her, his team, and an investigation that keeps threatening to go off track.

Old betrayals and complicated family relationships brutally collide when love turns to hate and murder stalks a family. 

Review- This book was okay and I debated whether it was a two star or three star book. In the end I don't think it was as good as Foundation or Dandelion Wine, both of which I rated three stars. But it is a solid 2.5.
The main characters had a bit more depth than I often find in detective crime novels. We get to know Stonechild and Rouleau fairly well, especially Stonechild.
The mystery is solvable from the moment we're introduced to all of the characters. It was no great mental exercise.
Most of the secondary characters lack any positive attributes. They're all pretty shallow and self-centered and that made me not really care. And as the story revolves around this cast of characters I found it hard to invest myself.
I won't actively seek out book two but if I should come across it, I might give it a go.

Rating - Two one for Stonechild and one for Rouleau stars. ??

????? - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
???? - Really d it, consumed within days
??? - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
?? - Meh
? - Absolute drivel2-5-rounded-down6 s Nancy275 8

Probably more of a 3.5. Story line ok but not wild about narration (audiobook). 6 s Beatrice Scalf111

Audio book review: the narrator seems to have no sense of inflection or pacing. Her presentation of what might be a great book is so monotone that my mind wondered often and I even forgot who some of the characters were.

I might someday try to read the book again but if the threads I got in the beginning and middle had the ending as presented it's pretty pedestrian fare for a mystery.5 s Athena (OneReadingNurse)818 118

I was looking for something a police procedural, and was drawn to Cold Mourning by Brenda Chapman because I recognized the audio narrator as an actress / producer / director who also had a cameo in one of my favorite movies ever - Smoke Signals

Unfortunately Michelle St. John ruined the book for me. I can appreciate her native storytelling cadence but maybe one needs an ear for it? She mostly monotoned with little to no inflection, emotion, voice changes, sentence breaks, and she gasped frequently, I rarely dnf an audio but it was so hard to listen to.

It could have been residual boredom but the book didn't quite do it for me either. Kala Stonechild is a First Nations detective on a reservation in northern Canada, and she moves to Ottawa to try her hand in a major crimes unit. While there she looks for an old friend.

The crime had a decent story, and Kala had to navigate the boy's club detective force and follow her instincts, despite being picked on and dealing with racism. The major giveaways of the case were much more luck than skill, although I think the point was to introduce Kala and Rouleau. Some story lines were not relevant to the central plot and others were just poorly presented, I would to read another in the series to see how Chapman improves, but this one was a 2.5 from me4 s Carole581 2

As a mystery detective novel, this one is pretty standard fare: round up the usual suspects, throw in a few twists and red herrings, add a surprising revelation and voila: you have the murderer!

What elevates "Cold Mourning" above this rather formulaic plot structure is the portrayal of Kala Stonechild and Jacques Rouleau. Both are developed in a very interesting way that definitely makes me want to read about them again.

I doubt if I would rush to read another book in this series, however, since the author's use of coincidence and unexplained details is too facile. How did Kala know that Susan was having an affair with Tom? There are never any clues as to how she figured this out. She just all of a sudden "knows" it. Also, it is just way too coincidental that Dawn is in Pauline's art class. Since the solving of the murder rests on this very convenient detail, this kind of spoils any admiration we might have for Kala's closing of the case .

2.5 stars (2 for the plot, 3 for the characters)books-read-in-20144 s Donna4,166 114

This was a Crime Mystery and it is also the first book in the Stonechild & Rouleau series. I haven't read this author before. I d the MC, Kala Stonechild. She had some interesting cracks and crevices that gave her a great back story. She was actually my favorite part of this book.

As far as the story went, this was just okay for me. It was very procedural, almost too much so. The writing also didn't wow me or pull me in. Those two things were probably 2 stars for me. But I really d the the MC and her story, so I rounded up. I noticed the second book in this series has a much higher rating. I'll get to that one soon enough. So for this one 3 stars.
crime-mystery3 s Katie Frewin116

I know the star rating makes it seem I didn't, but I enjoyed this book, I really did. I d the writing style, I d the characters (even though they didn't feel overly deep to me, they were still able/well written characters), and I didn't guess the guilty party for more than halfway through - BEFORE the detectives did, though, give me some credit.

I would have d to give it a higher rating, but several things have prevented me from doing so. The spoilers below range from 'something that happens at the very start' to 'something that happens at the very end', so be warned.

Why it's gotten some stars knocked off:

1. The completely unnecessary sexual assault of a fifteen year old girl at the very start of the book. I understand that it might be what ~drove~ Kala to become a cop, that the murder of the guy will could come up in a later book, and I know it was there to introduce her without actually introducing her, but holy shit. To put that into a novel with no warning RIGHT at the start was horrible. That took off an entire star on it's own. I honestly can't stress enough how much that made me want to put the book down.
2. The later rape of another character by her husband. It was clearly to push the reader into thinking he was the bad guy, and honestly, it was another needless addition of violence against women that could have been left out. Both of these instances made the book seem the Game of Thrones TV show - adding in sexual assault just for shock and awe.
3. The fact that the killer fell into the ice at the end. Seemed a cheep way to end the book and not actually have to deal with the ramifications of who the author picked to be the guilty party. Made the ending exceptionally lack-lustre for me.
4. And not really a fault of the novel, is the audio book reader was sometimes a little confusing. The lack of pausing between sections often gave me whiplash. This didn't effect the rating of the book, it's just something I thought to note. (A note on my note: I didn't find issues with her being too monotone and not using different voices for all the characters, I've seen some pick at. That didn't bother me at all.)

Overall, it was a good police proceedural, but I don't think I'll ever be reaching for the second to see if my Biggest Issue really did have a point or not. 3 s Maxine1,362 57

Kala Stonechild, a First Nations woman and police officer, has transferred from Northern Ontario to Ottawa to work in a specialized unit in major Crimes. But it is not just the job which has brought her here. As a child in foster care, she and her cousin, Rose, experienced an horrific event which has plagued both of them since. Now, Rose has disappeared with her young daughter and Kala is determined to find them.

In her first week on the job and just a week before Christmas, the body of a wealthy businessman is found frozen in the trunk of his car. Most of the unit is convinced that his murder was linked to his job but Kala is not so sure. She suspects that the family is harbouring secrets and she is convinced that the truth lies somewhere among these secrets.

Author Brenda Chapman has written a compelling mystery with some very interesting characters. Kala is strong-willed, smart, and sympathetic and her boss, Jacques Rouleau is kind, compassionate, and understanding. Chapman has also created a plot full of enough twists and turns that it was nigh impossible to guess the real perpetrator. Cold Mourning is the first in a new series by Chapman and it is certainly a fine beginning.
3 s Patricia412 87

4 stars

I'm a bit late in getting to this series but better late than never. I saw this series listed on someone's (Sandy I think it was you) and decided to begin with book #1 (be proud of me Chris!). Book #1 takes place at Christmas and what better time of the year for a murder!

Tom Underwood, a successful businessman, is found dead. A new murder unit attached to Major Crimes in Ottawa Canada is given the task to solve the case before Christmas. Jacques Rouleau is the chief investigator and Kala Stonechild is a new recruit assigned to his squad. Both major characters are trying to cope with their own personal issues.

The premise of this book seems to be a standard "murder case with cops who have problems" theme. But, in this case it was done very well. I d the 2 main characters and cared about what was happening to them and in the case. The storyline was believable and the ending was also very well done. I look forward to reading book #2 in the next year. Highly recommend.2017 book-books3 s Fiona (Titch) Hunt512 85

I would to thank Netgalley for allowing me a copy of this wonderful 1st book in the Stonechild & Rouleau series.

When I first started reading this a couple of days ago. I found it to be quite weird to know why Lily & Sunny was being introduced to the story. Thinking that the rest of the story would go on looking for them in the case that they were either missing or murdered, I carried on reading.

Thinking that Tom Underwood's disappearance had something to do with the 2 girls at the beginning made me carry on reading. Then it drew me in further to know whether or not they were to do with his disappearance. I guessed something was up about the girls as it got closer to the end of the book (I was right on 1 thing and wrong on other aspects). But I loved the way it made me carry on reading through the story.

This won't be the last book I read of Brenda Chapman's Stonechild and Rouleau series as I found the characters to be kind and simple (well most of them anyway lol).a-z-for-2017 how-many-can-i-do-in-2017 titch-s-2017-reading-kindle-books3 s Jessica1,107

I'm not sure how this book got on my list. I wish there was a spot on Goodreads to note when I add it to my Want to Read list how I found out about it. The prologue was a little violent and rough which almost had me putting this book back down because I wasn't sure if that was an indication that this would be a much more violent book than I'd . I know it's a murder mystery so I have to expect some violence. I'm glad that I read it because I really d the character of Kala Stonechild. I didn't LOVE this book, but it was interesting enough that I've got the next book Butterfly Kills to read.3 s Kmmoy335 2

This story was good. The narration was not. Do authors listen to the narration of their books? There is another book in the series but I’m not going to listen to it. I listen to hundreds of audiobooks and most of the time the reason I abandon them is due to the narration. A good narrator can make a so so book really good.audiobooks3 s Kim51

The book itself is good, with good character development and writing, but the narration is not great. With audio books, who you get to read the book is almost as important as the book itself. This narrator just did not do the book justice. She was reading the book out, rather than acting it and giving it color and texture. It would be better read than listened to.3 s Jo1,201 68

I was puttering around looking for a good book, and I found one! This had all the hallmarks of a great read - interesting characters, fast plot and beautiful language. I am hoping we will get more of Kala's heritage as a First Nations member in the next book. mystery-thriller-adult scribd3 s Janet Hutchinson1,089 6

While not a bad start for a first in a series, I was not as engaged as I had hoped to be. I found the characters a little flat, and the mystery conclusion to be predictable. That being said, I will ly read the second - just to see what happens.adult-me-read book-challenge-2019 mysteries-read3 s Margaret Bryant302 30

Promising new police procedural series set in the cold Ottawa winter. Hadn't a clue whodunit until the very end.3 s Calzean2,666 1 follower

"Read" this as an audio book, listening as I drove across Australia from East to West which can be at times quite boring. Otherwise I wouldn't have finished as the book was pretty standard stuff with a nice young First Nation lady police officer moving to Ottawa to a new job where her new much older boss is also quite nice. A murder of a not nice guy with plenty of skeletons in the closet leads to a not surprising culprit.author-canada crime-thriller-mystery culture-canada ...more2 s Debbie1,527

I read the entire series at once so I am going to review it as a series -to read my review see the last book Closing Time.fiction mystery2 s Lena Hurzook304

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