Cold Rage (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #8) by Toni Anderson

 

In the remote Montana wilderness, a child has vanished—and time is running out.

When a fugitive accused of murdering his ex-wife disappears into the Montana backcountry with his nine-year-old daughter, FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper Sebastian Black leads an intensive manhunt, battling snowstorms and brutal terrain in a race against the clock.

National Park Service ranger and search-and-rescue specialist Nora Deacon knows the mountains better than anyone. Alongside her K9 partner, Chance, she’s determined to find the missing girl. Nora is achingly familiar with what can happen when a child falls into the wrong hands.

As the search narrows, Sebastian and Nora are forced to work together in a fight for survival as much as a rescue operation. The closer they get to their target, the more dangerous the situation becomes—and the harder it is to ignore the attraction burning between them.

With a blizzard closing in, a desperate fugitive growing increasingly unstable, and a young girl’s life hanging in the balance, they’ll have to risk everything to bring her home alive—even if it means confronting secrets they’ve both worked hard to bury.

Readers can expect:

🖤 Slow-burn, forced-proximity romance
🖤 An FBI sniper hero and a haunted search-and-rescue ranger
🖤 A loyal K9 partner
🖤 A snowbound survival manhunt against the clock
🖤 A wounded heroine with a buried past
🖤 A child-in-peril race through the Montana wilderness
🖤 The Cold Justice team readers love

Cold Rage is Book #8 in the Cold Justice: Most Wanted series. Every book stands alone—start anywhere.

This book contains subject matter some readers may find difficult, including references to past trauma. Full content guidance is available on the copyright page and at toniandersonauthor.com.

FBI: Most Wanted meets Yellowstone. For readers who love Karen Rose, Kendra Elliot, and Laura Griffin.

Absolutely brilliant. A high-stakes, drama-filled thriller that kept me gripped from start to finish. The K‑9 rescue dog was a standout, and I loved how his abilities were showcased throughout the story. The rescue of the kidnapped child is the true driving force of the plot, and those scenes were tense, urgent, and incredibly compelling.

The romance was a nice side thread, but the real power of the book lies in the dangerous pursuit of the child’s father, a quick‑tempered man with military training and expertise in explosives, making every encounter feel risky and unpredictable.

Fast‑paced, emotional, and packed with suspense, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The One Who Walked Away by Karen Rose

 

Bounty hunter Elle Randolph is on the hunt for a fugitive in the wilderness of Mendocino County. She's also on the run from her past, and the accident she walked away from - but that killed her abusive husband.

When the manager of the inn Elle is staying in is murdered, she and her boss Sara become people of interest to local detective Ronan Clarke. He needs to know exactly what placed these strangers at the scene of the crime.

As Ronan questions Elle and Sara, he realises the fugitive they are tracking could be a suspect for the local murder. But to share information there needs to be trust. And, right now, is Ronan in a position to drop the bounty hunters from his enquiries?

When another person turns up dead, Ronan sees there could be more to this investigation than he could have imagined. And that Elle Randolph isn't telling him everything . . .

Published August 2026

                                  *******************************************************

The opening was sharp, tense, and dramatic, but the momentum didn’t quite hold. After that gripping start, the rest of the plot felt drawn out, and while the revenge motive made sense, the method itself seemed a bit unrealistic. I never fully felt the emotional pull between Elle and Ronan, though I did enjoy both characters and the cute way they brought each other snacks. I especially liked Ronan’s relationship with his daughter, which added warmth and heart to the story.

There were some genuinely tense moments of suspense toward the end, making this a solid and enjoyable 3 star read. New readers discovering Karen Rose for the first time may find her earlier novels showcase her strongest work.