Tory acquiesces, especially since their ad for a cook is miraculously answered by a mute woman. So, armed with her pancake turner and possible new beau Neil by her side, Tory resigns herself to scrambling eggs into the New Year. A call from her hysterical cousin sends Tory out into the night with her former married lover to sit vigil beside her grandmother whose death is imminent.

Tory never makes it to the farmhouse, Stu’s truck flipping into a ditch. The two are rescued the next morning to wagging tongues, which are silenced when the body of Ian O’Hara, Tory’s roommate’s blind date for the New Year, is found in the bed of the truck. Two robberies that occurred during the night and the disappearance of the diner’s new cook, plus a kareoke D.J. with a questionable past, cast suspicions on all the strangers in the small town.

Much of the plot of Cold Front is taken up with the rehashing of who is sleeping with whom, and people sneaking around sleeping with each other, rather indiscreetly, too, considering most residents don’t lock their doors. Tory also seems more concerned about looking into Ian’s death than she is in getting out to be with her family after the death of her grandmother. She also seems unnaturally obsessed with sex, or in her case, the lack of it.

Delphi seems to be a caricature of the small town that never forgets as Tory’s past transgressions are broadcast in a town square-like situation. Nonetheless, Kathleen Taylor has created a close-knit town, with residents that despite their disagreements, band together and help each other during a crisis.

Tory is a fun character, but at times, her language is a bit strong and seems out of place. Some relationships to other characters are a bit muddled and not clearly explained; this being the fifth book in a series, a certain level of prior knowledge is assumed. The mystery is pretty easy to solve and readers may wonder what took Tory so long to confront the murderer until they stop to count her empty glasses of Black Russians. Cold Front is a disappointing entry into an otherwise entertaining series.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry