Bitterfrost
- Judith D Collins
- Apr 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 19
By: Bryan Gruley
A Bitterfrost Thriller #1
ISBN: 9781448315406
Publisher: Severn House
Publication Date: 04/01/2025
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
The first in a brand-new crime thriller series from Edgar nominee and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Bryan Gruley. Feisty defence attorney, Devyn Payne faces off against veteran detective, Garth Klimmek as they work to solve a vicious double homicide in their small, icy town of Bitterfrost.
Thirteen years ago, former ice hockey star Jimmy Baker quit the game after almost killing an opponent. Now, as the Zamboni driver for the amateur team in his hometown of Bitterfrost, Michigan, he’s living his penance. Until the morning he awakens to the smell of blood . . .
Jimmy soon finds himself arrested for a brutal double murder. The kicker? He has no memory of the night in question. And as the evidence racks up against him, Jimmy’s case is skating on thin ice. Could he have committed such a gruesome crime?
As his defence attorney, Devyn Payne and prosecuting detective Garth Klimmek race to uncover the truth, time is running out for Jimmy. Because all he can really be sure of is that he is capable of taking a life. The question is, in his blacked-out state, did he take two?
This gritty drama is the first in the Bitterfrost series, perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane!
Bryan is back better than ever.
I loved everything about Bitterfrost,
the characters, the town, and
cannot wait for Bitterfrost #2!
My Review
Bryan Gurley's #1 BITTERFROST, the first installment in his highly anticipated Bitterfrost crime thriller series, is a unique blend of genres. This riveting, gritty, and atmospheric small-town whodunit murder mystery intertwines the world of hockey with a legal drama twist, set against a chilling backdrop. This innovative combination will pique your interest and keep you turning the pages.
BITTERFROST is not just a story about a town, a game, or a fallen star. It is so much more. The narrative will grip you from the first page and refuse to let go until the end, leaving you anxiously awaiting #2.
About...
Defense attorney Devyn Payne faces off against veteran detective Garth Klimmek as they work to solve a vicious double homicide in their small, icy town of Bitterfrost, Michigan.
Thirteen years ago, former ice hockey star Jimmy Baker left the game he loved after almost killing an opponent. Now, he is a Zamboni driver for the amateur team in his hometown, paying his penance. Then he wakes up to blood...
Jimmy is arrested for a brutal double murder, but he has no memory of the night in question. The town is in an uproar as the evidence is against him. Could he have committed such a gruesome crime, or is someone setting him up to take the fall? The mystery deepens, leaving you on the edge of your seat, wondering who and why.
My thoughts...
BITTERFROST is a haunting, twisty, and triumphant page-turner. The big-hearted story is filled with unexpected plot twists that keep you guessing until the end.
Razor-sharp, Gurley serves up a knock-out new series that will keep you riveted with small-town politics, corruption, family rivalry, legal drama, and murder, with compelling, well-developed characters you will root for.
Jimmy's defense attorney, who plays on a local hockey team in her off-time from legal work and a friend. She and veteran detective Garth Klimmek have the task of unraveling the truth.
The author skillfully uses his storytelling skills to build tension and suspense with well-drawn characters in which you become deeply invested. A propulsive mystery with a lot of heart, Jimmy is profoundly flawed and loves his daughter fiercely. You'll find yourself rooting for him despite his past.
I also adored Devyn risking it all to help her friends. Driven and tenacious, I loved Jimmy and Devyn. Their emotional depth, the way they navigate their challenges, and the personal sacrifices they make will leave you feeling deeply connected to their journey.
Beautifully written, character-driven, a fast-paced thriller, expertly crafted, a blend of crime, cop procedural, legal, literary, and a small-town whodunit murder mystery. The characters in Bitterfrost are not just part of the story; they are the story, and their emotional depth will leave you feeling deeply connected to their journey.
While the book is set in a hockey-centric environment, Gurley delves into the human emotional complexities that transcend the sport.
Fans of rural noirs are in for a treat with this dark and twisted thriller. Bitterfrost delivers a heart-pounding, engaging thriller that will leave you turning the pages at lightning speed. It's as good as it gets, and I cannot wait for #2!
Recs...
BITTERFROST is for fans of the author, hockey, and those of Allen Eskens, John Grisham, Ken Jaworowski, Chris Whitaker, and Fredrik Backman's Beartown series.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. And introducing me to this fabulous author.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: April 1, 2025
Praise
"Gruley buttresses the book’s sleek procedural elements with a textured, lived-in setting . . . An auspicious opening act."
― Publishers Weekly
A freezing, sobering exploration of the hero’s mantra that “every day’s a penance”
― Kirkus Reviews
Visceral, vivid, and suspenseful, Bitterfrost immerses readers in a chilly ― and chilling ― world of lost dreams and deadly feuds. I was instantly and completely engrossed. Masterfully done
― Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Bryan Gruley’s Bitterfrost is my kind of crime novel . . . propelled by a razor-sharp plot that swirls around things we can all relate to: getting older, opportunities missed, and the uniting power of sports. Gruley’s at the top of his game
― Alex Segura, bestselling and acclaimed author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego
Intense, insular, stunning, Bryan Gruley’s Bitterfrost exposes the blood and violence churning beneath the ice surface of a tiny northern Michigan town
― Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Blind to Midnight
A riveting mix of small-town mystery, legal drama, and high-stakes crime thriller. With crisp prose and a vivid portrayal of Michigan hockey culture, Bitterfrost is slick as ice and just as chilling.
― Tessa Wegert, author of The Coldest Case
Haunting, atmospheric, and absolutely gut-wrenching, Bitterfrost shows the oh-so-talented Bryan Gruley perfecting the chilling grit of Midwestern noir. With rivetingly authentic settings and brilliantly genuine dialogue, this beautifully written, hockey-centric mystery shows how it is more than a game – it’s a lifestyle . . .
― Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author
Bitterfrost reads like a terrific seven-game NHL playoff series. The ebbs and flows in the tense courtroom scenes mirror the drama of a game you can’t stop watching, with lead changes and potential heartbreak up against a game clock that is winding down
― Dave Poulin, National Hockey League executive and retired NHL player
Bryan Gruley is back! As biting and relentless as an Arctic wind, this is the best 'Northern Noir' I've read in many years
― Steve Hamilton, two-time Edgar Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of An Honorable Assassin
About the Author
Photo credit: Don Rutt
Bryan Gruley is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of the forthcoming Purgatory Bay, which Michael Connelly says is “impossible to put down.” Purgatory Bay is set in the same fictional Michigan town as Gruley’s previous novel, Bleak Harbor,which Gillian Flynn called “an electric bolt of suspense.” Purgatory Bay will release January 14, 2020, and is available now for pre-order.
Gruley also wrote the Starvation Lake trilogy: Starvation Lake, The Hanging Tree, and The Skeleton Box. Gruley’s debut, Starvation Lake, was an Edgar Finalist and won Anthony, Barry, and Strand awards. The Hanging Tree was a #1 Indie Next pick, a Michigan Notable Book, and a Kirkus Best Mystery of 2010. Reviewers have compared him favorably to novelists Dennis Lehane and Richard Russo.
When he’s not making things up, Gruley writes long-form features on a wide variety of topics as a staff writer for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. A lifelong journalist, Gruley shared in The Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks and has won numerous other awards for his writing and reporting. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Pam, and enjoys playing ice hockey and guitar.
