Book Review

The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel

First of all, Elizabeth Bonesteel is either the best pen name ever or the best real name ever. It’s also the best possible hero last-name.

“I’m Dirk, Dirk Bonesteel, and my boner is… steely.”

Gif of dialogue: Go for the vulnerable spots - it's a rock, it doesn't HAVE vulnerable spots!

Steely boners aside, The Cold Between is a blend of science fiction, mystery and romance that I found difficult to put down. It is not, however, a romance novel, so I want to warn readers looking for a guaranteed HEA to gird their loins.

The book opens with Central Corps Chief Engineer Elena Shaw on her twelve hours of shore leave, looking for lovin’. Elena has had a rough time lately–her mentor (and the Chief Engineer of the Galileo before her) was killed in a freak accident. She recently broke up with her boyfriend Danny. Her friendship with the ship’s captain, Greg Foster, has been on the rocks lately. She’s about to leave the bar she’s at when she meets Treiko (Trey) Zajec, and the two hit it off. She heads back to his place for a super hot one night stand.

The next day everything blows up in Elena’s face. Her ex has been killed, and his body has been dumped outside Trey’s work. The police already have a huge boner for Trey because he’s former PSI–a group that’s sort of like nomadic space pirates–and they aren’t well liked. Elena can provide an alibi for Trey–they were having the sexy times all night–but it looks kind of suspicious due to the fact that she just broke up with Danny.

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Adding more complicating factors, Captain Foster just received a report that the PSI attacked a Central Corps ship. And he’s also getting mysterious messages regarding the accident that killed his mother and all her crewmates decades earlier.

So Elena is trying to keep Trey from being strung up for Danny’s murder and figure out who the actual killer is, while Captain Foster is trying figure out what the fuck is going on in general, and of course everything is tied together in a big ‘ol conspiracy bow.

 

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There’s a lot of action in this book which propels it forward nicely. One thing I liked is that Bonesteel didn’t spend a ton of time on exposition or world building. I mean, the world was built fine, but she trusted that we could go with Central Corps = Space Navy without needing a long explanation of how it came into being. Her snippets of world building are woven within in the text in a way that it doesn’t slow the pacing at all.

 

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I used to be a fan of the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, but after awhile I couldn’t stand how the plot just stopped entirely so we could read a bunch of pages about how baseball got to be the planetary sport of a super-religious polygamous world. I am totally willing to trust that stuff just happened and if I want the super involved history, I’ll check out the compendium, thanks.

One disappointment was the relationship between Elena and Captain Foster. At first I was really excited because I thought we had a great depiction of a platonic male/female friendship. But nope. We entered into love-triangle territory. I think it’s a set up for the next book, but regardless, I’m tired of the love-triangle trope.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Once it got it’s momentum, I had to keep turning pages to find out how everything fit together. Some of the explanations were a little handwavy, but I’m down with that.

 

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I wanted a little more from the ending though.

Click for spoilers!
Elena and Trey don’t end up together. It makes sense that they ultimately part ways, but I wanted a happy ending for them as couple.

By the end of the book I was attached enough to the various supporting characters that make up the Galileo’s crew that I’m hoping if Bonesteel continues this series, she keeps them all in place.

If you want something a little different or enjoy lighter Sci-Fi with a suspense edge, then I’d recommend The Cold Between. If you need a guaranteed HEA with your romance, then you might want to tread cautiously.

 

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The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel

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  1. Bea says:

    Can I just say “thank you” for using Galaxy Quest gifs?
    It made me sniffle a bit, this morning.

  2. garlicknitter says:

    My father was a big fan of the Honor Harrington stories, and for his sake I did give them a try. I read about half a dozen of them, but never really connected with Honor. I feel like I had been spoiled for them by reading Lois McMaster Bujold’s and Elizabeth Moon’s science fiction. When I compare Honor Harrington and Heris Serrano (an Elizabeth Moon character), they seem similar in so many ways, but I believe in Heris in ways I never believed in Honor. I’d go drinking with Heris if I could.

  3. Vasha says:

    Googling lets me know that “Bonesteel” is a long-standing name which is either “Americanized spelling of North German Bohnestiel, a metonymic occupational name for a bean grower or a nickname for a very tall person, from Low German Bohne ‘bean’ + Stiel ‘stalk'” or “Americanized spelling of French Bonôtal ‘good hotel’.”

  4. Janet S says:

    Awww Galaxy Quest.

  5. Susan says:

    I keep telling myself I’m going to return to the Honor Harrington series one day, but not yet. Maybe when I retire. 🙂 Damn, that man needed an editor. I don’t know if the “World of” books written by other authors are more to the point or not–I haven’t gotten that far.

    The Cold Between sounds promising, but I put it on the wishlist because I’m very selective about what ebooks I’m willing to shell out $12 for. Grrr.

  6. Cyndi Delia says:

    I just saw a blurb on my FB feed about this book from Harper Voyager, and after checking it out, I ordered it. After reading your review,even more happy I ordered.

  7. Angela Urrea says:

    Let me add my thanks for using “Galaxy Quest” moments.

    I’m waiting for a true depiction of a platonic relationship in romance fiction not a familial relationship but a true friendship. Sarah MacLean came close in the Rule of Scoundrels series in the character of Chase. Men can be a woman’s best friend without sex or romance, just ask any wiman veteran.

  8. Hope says:

    Bonesteel is a legit name; there are a lot of them here where I live in Midwest Farm Country. Of course, there are also a lot of Pinkstaffs here. I’d be interested to hear the etymology of THAT one.

  9. Emma says:

    The author’s written an interesting piece about women in sci fi on The Mary Sue:
    http://www.themarysue.com/life-outside-the-i-cant-box/

  10. […] I went to bed that night excited to pick up the book again. The next morning, Smart Bitches posted a review of this book, and it was noted by them that this book does not have a HEA. This made me sad! There […]

  11. […] in the case of a continuing story, there are still some discrepancies on what counts as a romance. One of my fellow colleagues at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books reviewed The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel and warned that […]

  12. Allison says:

    I grabbed this when it was on Kindle Sale and I really, really enjoyed it. I’m planning to nominate Elizabeth Bonesteel for a Campbell award, if she’s eligible…

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