A tragic plane crash that leaves two women stranded and fighting for
their lives kicks off this sweeping and hilarious novel from
award-winning writer Drew Hayden Taylor that blends thriller, murder
mystery, and horror with humour and spectacle.
Elmore Trent is a professor of Indigenous studies who finds himself
entangled in an affair that's ruining his marriage; Paul North plays in
the IHL (Indigenous Hockey League), struggling to keep up with the game
that's passing him by; Detective Ruby Birch is chasing a string of
gruesome murders, with clues that conspicuously lead her to both Elmore
and Paul. And then there's Fabiola Halan, former
journalist-turned-author and famed survivor of a plane crash that
sparked a nationwide tour promoting her book.
What starts off as a series of subtle connections between isolated
characters quickly takes a menacing turn, as it becomes increasingly
clear that someone--or something--is hunting them all.
Taking tropes from murder mystery, police procedural, thriller, and
horror, Drew Hayden Taylor weaves a pulse-pounding and propulsive
narrative with an intricate cast of characters, while never losing the
ability to make you laugh. Cold takes Indigenous traditional stories
and thrusts them into the modern streets of Toronto, exploring themes of
displacement and trauma, as well as offering playful satirical critiques
of the current landscape of Indigenous literature.
