Michael has served his time and prison and returns to the only place that he can - Coldwater, the town he grew up in. The problem is the people there know of his past, know of the violence that accompanied him and they aren't happy with his return. But the townspeople may have bit off more than they can chew when they try to eliminate Michael's presence - for a sinister force lurks within him that he has no control over.
This book was creepy. And it was hard to fathom the terrible plight that Michael was in where he couldn't live a normal life because of the demon like force that was within him. All who try to exact revenge or justice on him find out that they can't resist it's power. Is there any redemption here or just a sad commentary on the futility of trying to get retribution for the sins of another. ( )

I was hooked from the very first chapter. The main character, buried alive, struggles to free himself and break out of the confines of his coffin. The writing was excellent, descriptive, short and on point, quickening the pace of the scene as the reader hopes he gets out of this predicament soon. It was definitely a claustrophobia-inducing scene!

Some reviewers had mentioned that there wasn’t an overtly Christian theme in Coldwater, despite having been given the book to review with a Christian perspective. It seemed like they were hoping the author would preach to the reader. But I think this can be a tremendous hindrance to a story and a turn off to anyone that doesn’t share the same faith. I think the author did well by subtly introducing and noting moments of undeserved mercy, that is to say, grace.

Michael is on the run, but it takes us several chapters, to learn why. The author doesn’t drop everything in the reader’s lap all at once. Instead, he spoonfeeds important information that may or may not change our opinion of Michael, as well as the residence of Coldwater. Who is truly the villain in this story? While Michael is hunting by more than one individual, we learn that he isn’t an innocent made. But does that mean he is beyond redemption or that there’s no way he could ever earn the forgiveness of those whose lives his affected the most?

Are mercy and grace only for the righteous? A riveting, at times heart-pounding thriller, Coldwater leads us down a twisted path. It’ll make readers question how they’d handled it if in the same situation. What great lengths would we go to in order to protect our family and friends? Would we even be willing to give someone a second chance or is the risk too great? ( )

Reading about a man digging himself out of a grave is an excellent beginning to a novel. And the plot keeps you reading to find out why Michael was buried alive, and by whom, and what happens next. It is great to read a story without four-letter words or steamy scenes. Riveting story! ( )

I did not want to put this book down. This had a lot of twists and turns. At first I wasn’t sure if I cared for any of the characters. Because none of them seemed real likable. This did change and I did end up liking some characters. I liked the suspense and the little bit of paranormal. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot. Although, what held me back from fully committing 100% was the fact that I found myself not committed to the characters all the way. Which in turn was easy for my attention to be diverted by other things while reading. Yet, this was really the only factor for me.

The story was good. Michael was the only strong lead in my opinion. I was on his side all the way. He was not only smart but resilient as well. It was like he could not be killed. No matter how many times the bad guys tried, Michael popped back up. He came back stronger.

There is one thing that you can't accuse this book of lacking...action. From the beginning to the end, there was lots of movement. This made me very happy. While, this book did not fully hit the mark for me, I would read another book from this author. ( )