Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

First Sentence:  The moon is high, spilling icy light through the pine branches.

Cara Lindstrom has been caught and is awaiting trial.  When the prosecution’s witness goes missing, the case falls apart and Cara is released.  Agent Matthew Roarke is a man who is seriously conflicted and is obsessed by Cara.  He knows her history and her motive; she saved his life.  But he can’t ignore the fact that she has killed, no matter the reason.  Now there are more deaths.  The style is that of Cara, but could be copycat killings committed by Jade, a young prostitute.

There is no getting around how powerful is this book, and extremely hard to rate.  Should one be appalled by Cara, Jade and their actions?  Or does one support the fact that “justice” almost always fails women, especially these women?

Cara is a strong, unique character.  She is clever, yet ruthless. The more one learns of her past, the more one empathizes with her. Yet, one has a hard time justifying her actions.  Having Cara’s cousin, Erin, in the story adds a more sympathetic aspect to Cara.

 It raises the question of whether some people simply commit bad acts or whether some are truly Evil—" Whether It was a separate, independent force or just a word for the evil that human beings do, Roarke didn't know. He only knew that evil was real. It was evil.” 

Sokoloff’s anger at the justice system—“Other countries prohibited the overseeing of female prisoners by male guards, but US laws put its incarcerated women in constant physical jeopardy in the name of equal opportunity employment.”-- and how badly young victims of sexual exploitation are ignored leaps off every page, and rightfully so.  She addresses the hard issues of prostitution and human trafficking, as well as the challenges FBI agents have trying to fight those crimes. She raises a very hard question of legality versus morality.

Roarke is critically important.  When asked what he wants from Cara, he responds “I want to understand her. … She believes in some…supernatural force.  A living evil.” He represents “the system,” but one with a conscience that is destroying him.  How does one blindly support the law when the law doesn’t support the weak? Sokoloff does a wonderful job portraying his internal conflict.

COLD MOON is the third book in this unusual, and unforgettable six-book series that does need to be read in order.  It’s not a casual read, but one that grips the reader.  Sokoloff is very good at creating tension, but one should be warned:  There is graphic violence.

COLD MOON (PolProc-Agent Matthew Roarke-California-Contemp)
by Alexandra Sokoloff – 3^rd in series
Thomas & Mercer, Jul 2015, 388 pp.
RATING:  VG/A-