5 STARS "Torrie Lambert vanished as though the ground had opened up and swallowed her. Not a trace of her has been found... except for a blue velvet ribbon."WOW!!!! Loved this one!!! A classic who-done-it psychological thriller with a bit of romance mixed in. This one kept me on the edge of my seat… and the build up had me suspecting EVERYONE. Fabulous writing. The town was Cleary, located in the remote mountains of North Carolina. And it was about to experience the winter storm of the century. The townsfolk were on edge, but not only on account of the weather. 5 women have turned up missing without a trace… well except for the single length of blue ribbon found where each was last seen. A serial killer is suspected. Lilly Martin was saying goodbye to her ex-husband for the last time. They sold their mountain cabin, and met there to clean it out for the closing. It was awkward, and they argued, so despite the on-coming storm they left separately. But the storm was already well under way. Visibility was poor, and traction was worse. So it was no surprise that Lilly was unable to stop for the man on foot, trying to track her down. There was an accident. He was injured. And the only chance they had for survival was trekking back up to the cabin for shelter. The man was Ben Tierney. A ruggedly handsome man Lilly had met a year ago during a white water rafting trip. He was also a man whom she was deeply attracted to. Tierney was an adventure sports writer who travelled the world writing columns for a popular outdoorsmen magazine. He had been seen from time to time in Cleary, and was quite popular with the ladies of the town. Dutch Burton is Lilly’s ex-husband and Cleary’s chief of police. He has been struggling with his career lately as much as his marriage. He has been unable to find a single shred of evidence in the disappearances. So because of the pressure of this nagging case, along with the failure of his marriage, he is quickly losing his confidence. He is an alcoholic. He is quick-tempered. And he is still hopelessly in love with his wife. And his composure is slipping. Over time his obsession with failure became a self-fulfilling prophecy.Then there is the city councilman/high school football coach, Wes Hamer, who I will kindly refer to as the town asshole and his subservient wife and football star son, Scott. There is the town pharmacist, William Ritt, who gives out town gossip even more than prescriptions; and his old maid sister, and high school teacher, Marilee Ritt. There are FBI agents, and simple townsfolk alike, all looking for answers. And they ALL look guilty. But none so much as the man now trapped with Lilly up in her cabin. And Lilly… finds herself caught between two realities. Is Ben Tierney, the man of her dreams or the star of her nightmares. Can he really be Blue the suspected serial killer? "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean everybody still isn't out to get you." "I don't want to sleep.." And will it be him who takes her life or will it be her own inherent weakness that takes her down in the end? This was a fantastically written story of trust and deception, murder and heroism. How far does someone need to go to prove their innocence… or is it even possible? And will the hysteria of bloodlust building in the town be the downfall of an innocent man? "I'll be better at it this time, Lilly. I swear to you. I'll love you like you've never been loved."Riveting!!! And yes there is romance, but you must be patient. It is hard earned. So far Sandra Brown has proven to be one hell of a great writer. This is the second book of hers that I have read and loved, and it will not be the last! Highly recommended!!!
4.5 I was so confused stars....Sandra Browns writing never fails to lure me into the story. With equal doses of suspense and mystery she also has the ability to weave in a certain level of sex appeal in way that creates anticipation and when the moments happen…. Let me start by saying this one drove me a little batty. It was fantastic of course but for the first 60% or so my thoughts were spinning in so many different directions that I my little brain was about to explode. Where to begin with this one?The setting for Chill Factor is a little town called Cleary. It’s that kind of town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Things are a bit unsettled in Cleary because 5 women have gone missing with no suspect at hand and the only apparent common connection is a blue ribbon found at each location the woman were last seen. Though a threatening storm is approaching Lilly Martin and her ex-husband Dutch Burton head to their winter cabin to remove all their belonging since there will be new owners moving in soon. Their time spent together is tense if nothing else. Things have happened within their lives that has left their relationship strained and broken. Lilly is ready to move on but Dutch, well he hates the thought of not having Lilly in his life. As they leave separately to head back down the mountain, things are about to change for both of them. While Dutch makes his way down the mountain through the storm, Lilly isn’t so lucky. Without warning she loses control of her car never expecting to hit a man who is out in the storm. With no other choice they return to her cabin for safety.What is surprising to Lilly is she knows this man. It is Ben Tierney. Though their meeting was back in the summer, it was a meeting that neither has forgotten. They had an undeniable attraction then and now that they are confined together who knows what will happen.Tierney isn’t a local though. His visits to town have been because of the column he writes for a outdoorsmen magazine. Or so it appears. When distressing information surfaces, and Lilly doesn’t make it down the mountain, the already present tension in town heightens. Felling trapped Lilly doesn’t know what or who to believe. And because neither Ben or herself has a connection with anyone from town they are left with only their thoughts and desire to get off the mountain.And then it happens.In true SB form, the last 30% of the book kicked ass!!! With my heading spinning like crazy trying to figure out the connections, trying to get my answers to all my “what the hell moments”, shit starts to happen. From seeing Dutch in true form, to the locals; William Ritt, Marilee Ritt, Wes Hamer and Scott Hamer, I found myself picking my jaw off the floor more than once. I cannot even begin to tell you what goes on. Tierney and Lilly are surviving by a thread. Both are on edge for their own reasons, Lilly’s are apparent but Tierney’s are more of a mystery. With only a fireplace as their source of warmth, human nature and desire takes over. Neither Lilly nor Tierney were prepared for what was happens between them. With doubt, fear and desperation taking over Lilly’s thoughts, Tierney finds himself saying and doing things he feels he has no other choice with. There was no stone unturned in this one. I ended up loving it like all her other books I have recently read. I must say that this one had my favorite epilogue. ❤
What do You think about Chill Factor (2006)?
"Aprofunda todas as vidas, até as mais circunspectas,(...), e vais encontrar duplicidade."Esta é uma frase do livro e é nesta premissa que Sandra Brown assenta trama de Calafrio. Os habitantes de Cleary aparentam viver vidas pacatas e absolutamente normais, mas os seus segredos mais sórdidos estão prestes a ser revelados, à medida que o desaparecimento de cinco mulheres é investigado.Sandra Brown tem elementos que supostamente me conquistariam- suspense, tensão, twists- mas a maneira como os conjuga não me atrai. Gosto de ficar na dúvida relativamente ao assassino(a) e amo um bom twist num momento-chave... mas estar sempre na dúvida e a existência de muitos twists cansa-me a beleza. Além disso, temos uma amostra pequena de suspeitos, 99% com dirty secrets no armário. Ora, num livro de Agatha Christie isto resulta... num de Sandra Brown torna-se opressivo. Há personagens extremamente mesquinhas, há personagens instáveis de forma pouco natural e há um personagem que despertou o meu lado violento de tão nojento que era. Tudo acumulado acabou por me causar uma sensação de mal-estar latente.O final também não me encheu as medidas. Com todo o mistério de à volta de Blue esperava algo mais explosivo. A sua identidade foi uma surpresa, mas não uma surpresa tão grande quanto isso [lá está, era uma das personagens que transpirava mesquinhez] e o romance de Lilly e Tierny foi tão fraquinho e apressado. A personagem que mais gostei for Marilee. Surpreendeu-me pela positiva e foi das poucas que tinha personalidade [Atenção, ela não era perfeita. Mas ao menos teve a decência de assumir o que era quando descobriram o seu segredo. E revelou uma certa dignidade]Definitivamente Sandra Brown e eu não temos futuro juntas.Livro lido no Blog Ring, cedido pela Mafi! Obrigada!!
—Cata
قصة حب وجريمة ولغز. هذا هو النوع المفضل عندي من الروايات. لا يوجد ابتذال ولا سخافة في إنفاق الصفحات لسرد موقف جنسي بألفاظ مقززة كما أصبحت العادة عند الكتاب العرب مؤخرا، وكأن القارئ العربي بهيمة تفكر طيلة وقتها في عملية التكاثر ولن تشتري الكتاب ما لم يكن هنالك صفحات في الرواية تتحدث بالتفصيل عما تشرحه كتب الأحياء في المدرسة!كما أن الرواية تبدو كسيناريو فلم أمريكي من النوع الذي أحب مشاهدته. الجميل أني لم أشاهدها بل قرأتها. الترجمة متعبة بعض الشيء. كثرة الشخصيات واستخدام اسم العائلة في مناداتهم: السيد والسيدة كذا.. كان مزعجا ومشتتا لانتباهي، وتعبت حتى حفظت الشخصيات وصرت أفهم من يتكلم مع من. قراءتي لها كانت متقطعة للأسف واستغرقت أربعة أيام وهذا ما قطع وتيرة الأحداث واندماجي معها. أعترف أن شخصية القاتل كانت مفاجئة بالنسبة لي. أرغب في قراءتها مرة أخرى. أنصح بها. أدب راق ومحترم.
—Juman Akel
Sandra Brown tem-se mostrado uma autora excepcional. Li, até agora, três dos livros publicado em Portugal e dois deles, prenderam-me completamente às páginas. Com muita pena minha, este foi aquele de que menos gostei, fazendo uma comparação.Neste Calafrio, e no meu ponto de vista, a história está muito mais voltada para o romance, para o ciúme, para os mistérios das relações e menos (infelizmente) para o crime, para o mistério do desaparecimento daquelas cinco mulheres. Entendo que não é propriamente um policial, mas também não é propriamente um romance e estava à espera de mais... sangue!Não fiquei totalmente desapontada com a autora. E até, perto do final, existem aquelas surpresas a que ela já nos habituou e que nos deixam de boca aberta. E sim, enganou-me durante todo o livro: não fazia a mais pequena ideia de quem era o assassino. É uma coisa boa em Sandra Brown: nunca sabemos se podemos confiar nas personagens, ora num capitulo achamos que estão inocentes ora no outro já só as queremos ver na cadeia.Irei ler mais livros dela, claro. Não é que esta história seja má, ou que o enredo seja fraco e muito menos que esteja mal construído. Simplesmente não me fez...não me fez sentir calafrios!Obrigada à Mafi pelo empréstimo!
—Andreia Silva
