A Cold Day in Paradise: An Alex McKnight Novel
CrimeAdded on January 14, 2026
Description
"I'm often asked to recommend a detective series readers might have missed. This is it." ―Harlan CobenA Cold Day in Paradise won both the Edgar and Shamus Awards for Best First Novel and launched Steve Hamilton into the top ranks of crime writers.Other than the bullet lodged near his heart, former Detroit cop Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner's death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, the man convicted of the crimes has been locked away for years.But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cabin in the woods, a murderer with the same unmistakable trademarks appears to be back. McKnight can't understand who else would know the intimate details of the old murders. And it seems like it'll be a frozen day in Hell before McKnight can unravel truth from deception in a town that's anything but Paradise.Readers of gritty, suspenseful prose everywhere have discovered the Alex McKnight novels. A Cold Day in Paradise is where it all begins.Praise for Steve Hamilton and the Alex McKnight novels"A proven master of suspense." ―Lee Child"As original as any writer I've ever read." —Michael Connelly"Already one of our best writers." ―Laura Lippman"Whatever he writes, I'll read. Steve Hamilton's that good." —Don Winslow
Reader Reviews
When it comes to credit, it must be given where it's due: this time, it goes to our multi-talented daughter-in-law, Lilla, for finding this series. Truth is, she didn't find it for me - but rather for my husband Jack. When it comes to books, he and I have similar tastes, but he's much harder to please. Turns out he loved this one (and as I write this, I believe he's in the middle of the eighth book in the series) - and he's been so enthusiastic about every single one that I simply had to see for
I read this book because I sort of liked "The Second Life of Nick Mason", but the second book in that series was pretty ridiculous. That should have been a warning to me, however I was lured in by the fact that "A Cold Day in Paradise" won an Edgar Award. 1999 must have been a bad year for mysteries. Alex McKnight was a cliched ex-cop turned PI, the dialogue was poor, characters were cardboard and the plot was preposterous.
Not a bad start to this series even if it did get a little improbable there at the end. The main character, Alex, makes for an okay guy...although for a former police officer he sure does have little regard for or patience with standard police procedure. I'll give the second book a look but if the love interest sticks around I'm out. I did like the snarky,sarcastic humor though.
