What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Cold Mystery #1
An Ace and A Pair
Detective John Stone of the NYPD has the best arrest record in the 43rd precinct. But he’s a dinosaur who belongs to another age. Detective Carmen Dehan has such a bad attitude that nobody at the precinct can stomach her. Captain Jennifer Cuevas wants them both out of the way and thinks they make a perfect pair. So she gives them the Cold Cases file � the cases nobody gives a damn about.
She has no idea just how hot a cold case can get.
Ten years back Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins were playing poker in a dive at Hunts Point. Somebody came in, blew them away and beheaded and castrated Nelson, leaving his head and his balls on the table. There was no shortage of suspects, the Jersey Mob, the Triads from Manhattan, or the 43rds own bent cop, Mick Harragan. But nobody was ever charged, and the night of the murder Mick Harragan went missing with Nelson’s wife, Maria.
Now Stone and Dehan plan to find him � whatever the consequences�
She has no idea just how hot a cold case can get.
Ten years back Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins were playing poker in a dive at Hunts Point. Somebody came in, blew them away and beheaded and castrated Nelson, leaving his head and his balls on the table. There was no shortage of suspects, the Jersey Mob, the Triads from Manhattan, or the 43rds own bent cop, Mick Harragan. But nobody was ever charged, and the night of the murder Mick Harragan went missing with Nelson’s wife, Maria.
Now Stone and Dehan plan to find him � whatever the consequences�
207 pages, ebook
First published August 10, 2017
16.2k people are currently reading
4,240 people want to read
About the author
Blake Banner
142Ìýbooks376ÌýfollowersUSA TODAY and Amazon #1 bestselling author of the OMEGA and DEAD COLD MYSTERY series. Learn more about Blake Banner at his website:
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 552 reviews
November 8, 2023
This one has been sitting on my Kindle for ages and now I wish I had read it sooner. It is really good!
is about a couple of detectives put to work on cold cases and the first one they pick up as a team is a doozy! There's lots of top quality police work, plenty of action and, best of all, two talented people working together to solve the crime. Detective John Stone and Detective Carmen Dehan seem at first to have nothing in common but they develop a terrific relationship with a great deal of humour!
This is a fast paced read made even more intriguing by Stone's methods and abilities. A nice little twist at the end left this reader at least totally happy. Now I have to read book 2.
is about a couple of detectives put to work on cold cases and the first one they pick up as a team is a doozy! There's lots of top quality police work, plenty of action and, best of all, two talented people working together to solve the crime. Detective John Stone and Detective Carmen Dehan seem at first to have nothing in common but they develop a terrific relationship with a great deal of humour!
This is a fast paced read made even more intriguing by Stone's methods and abilities. A nice little twist at the end left this reader at least totally happy. Now I have to read book 2.
June 9, 2020
This was a quick, fast paced murder mystery with two quirky NYDP detectives paired up for the first time. After 28 years with the NYPD, John Stone is regarded by his Captain, Jennifer Cuevas as a dinosaur who won't use new technology and methods so despite his record in Homicide she assigns him to Cold Cases. She teams him up with Carmen Dehan, an unpopular, short and feisty detective with attitude. What Cuevas didn't count on was that together they make a great team.
Their first case is a ten year old gang based murder of five men at a poker game. But not your usual gangland killing. All the men were found seated at the table; no scuffle or retaliatory gunfire from the victims, their money gone but a big stash of drugs left at the scene. Was it the Mexicans, Chinese or Mafia or was something else going on here?
Despite this being a short book, the plot is well developed with some nice twists as Stone and Dehan put together a plausible scenario. The chemistry between the pair, with a touch of humour thrown in, made it a fun read and I'm glad to discover there are another 22 books in the series.
Their first case is a ten year old gang based murder of five men at a poker game. But not your usual gangland killing. All the men were found seated at the table; no scuffle or retaliatory gunfire from the victims, their money gone but a big stash of drugs left at the scene. Was it the Mexicans, Chinese or Mafia or was something else going on here?
Despite this being a short book, the plot is well developed with some nice twists as Stone and Dehan put together a plausible scenario. The chemistry between the pair, with a touch of humour thrown in, made it a fun read and I'm glad to discover there are another 22 books in the series.
February 9, 2020
3.5 stars
Good start to the series. Two misfit cops in NYC are paired up & "promoted" to handle cold case files. He's a bit of a dinosaur, she's a woman who *gasp* dares to speak her mind. I really enjoyed their interaction & there's a cracking old mystery to unravel. Solid police procedural with a slight nod towards the hardboiled end of the spectrum & I've already picked up books 2 & 3.
Good start to the series. Two misfit cops in NYC are paired up & "promoted" to handle cold case files. He's a bit of a dinosaur, she's a woman who *gasp* dares to speak her mind. I really enjoyed their interaction & there's a cracking old mystery to unravel. Solid police procedural with a slight nod towards the hardboiled end of the spectrum & I've already picked up books 2 & 3.
January 1, 2018
Great Cop book, with detectives who are quick-witted and street smart
Interesting tale of a couple detectives who the Captain wants out of the way, the male,John Stone, cause he is in the way of new technology, and a female,Carmen Dehan, is not liked by anyone due to her attitude. They are thrown together to be a cold case team, given a box of old cases to choose from.
They work together well, using some old-school police investigation to find a 10 year old case to be their first. There is police corruption, Mob involvement and several gangs, from Chinese to Mexican. The adventures the two encounter during the investigation are fun, the chemistry between the two perfect and the twists keep the correct answer to the question of who killed a drug dealer from your mind until the end.
Those who enjoy detective stories and good adventures will enjoy reading this book. I am definitely looking to read the next.
Interesting tale of a couple detectives who the Captain wants out of the way, the male,John Stone, cause he is in the way of new technology, and a female,Carmen Dehan, is not liked by anyone due to her attitude. They are thrown together to be a cold case team, given a box of old cases to choose from.
They work together well, using some old-school police investigation to find a 10 year old case to be their first. There is police corruption, Mob involvement and several gangs, from Chinese to Mexican. The adventures the two encounter during the investigation are fun, the chemistry between the two perfect and the twists keep the correct answer to the question of who killed a drug dealer from your mind until the end.
Those who enjoy detective stories and good adventures will enjoy reading this book. I am definitely looking to read the next.
April 10, 2021
Tightly constructed police procedural about a complex 10 year old cold case. The detectives assigned are both interesting characters whose deductive reasoning, sarcasm and attitude power a fast moving plot with a twist ending. Highly recommended.
June 30, 2020
When I get books for free that have muddled, poorly written plots or weak characters, I tend to give them two stars, on a sense of goodwill - becoming an author is grueling work, and I respect that, and I want the best for the author even if the book is a miss. That being said, this book worked very hard to kill any goodwill I had for it.
The misogyny in this book was heavy. We cannot meet a character without hearing if she’s attractive to the protagonist, and then if she’s not how she’s villainized. The book opened on this, and I admit I read on just to see how much worse it could get - on the first page there is the line, “She had all the right bits in all the right places, but she was somehow unlovable.� I mean, where does one go from there? “Here’s my superior, shes fuckable but like,, a bitch� just sets such a precedent.
Similarly, Dehan’s character is not so much a character as she is an accessory for Stone (this is common in detective duos, but his attraction to her /and/ his talking down to her /plus/ the age gap just left a bad taste in my mouth). To make up for that they give her masculine behavior, a clear “see? It’s a strong female character! She likes beer and steak!� instead of actually giving her a sense of personhood. (Note: the characters in this book are obsessed with eating steak. It crops up so often it feels like an overarching theme of the piece. These people ate more steak in a week than wolves do when terrorizing cattle farmers). The text calls her smart several times, but it refuses to let her actually demonstrate it, because were she to do so Stone’s masculinity would be undermined, and the text refuses to even think of doing that.
Stone was, quite frankly, a blatant self insert. The entire book felt masturbatory in nature - he’s old and “cool� (to quote Dehan) and the only people who dislike him are villains, and his views on other genders or races aren’t biased, they’re “real.� I’m not asking him to be socially liberated, but could you at least make his behaviors/biases interesting? This archetype has been done a thousand times, and seldom done well. He’s not complicated, he’s a caricature.
The piece also adores racial stereotypes, which the protagonist even admits to: “I’m a stereotypic dinosaur. We live up to our stereotypes.� It mostly exaggerates Irish and Hispanic stereotypes, but there’s a brief sprinkle of antisemetic ones too, if memory serves - I was already confident on giving this book a 1 star rating when I reached it so I did not take notes. In specific they love to make fun of people’s accents when pronouncing the word “fuck.� It’s meant to be humorous, but quite frankly I have more respect for a bilingual drug dealer than I do for a man who says “lol it’s fuck not fock, get it right� (paraphrased). How could anyone be sympathetic to this protagonist? (And if the argument is that this is to show he’s flawed, then why are his actions never treated as negative? The tone of the text around this is, “oh, what a badass!� not “wow, okay asshole, how does that help the case?�)
To close, my favorite line was “I get deep like that sometimes� in reference to one of the rare uses of simile. It made me outright laugh.
The misogyny in this book was heavy. We cannot meet a character without hearing if she’s attractive to the protagonist, and then if she’s not how she’s villainized. The book opened on this, and I admit I read on just to see how much worse it could get - on the first page there is the line, “She had all the right bits in all the right places, but she was somehow unlovable.� I mean, where does one go from there? “Here’s my superior, shes fuckable but like,, a bitch� just sets such a precedent.
Similarly, Dehan’s character is not so much a character as she is an accessory for Stone (this is common in detective duos, but his attraction to her /and/ his talking down to her /plus/ the age gap just left a bad taste in my mouth). To make up for that they give her masculine behavior, a clear “see? It’s a strong female character! She likes beer and steak!� instead of actually giving her a sense of personhood. (Note: the characters in this book are obsessed with eating steak. It crops up so often it feels like an overarching theme of the piece. These people ate more steak in a week than wolves do when terrorizing cattle farmers). The text calls her smart several times, but it refuses to let her actually demonstrate it, because were she to do so Stone’s masculinity would be undermined, and the text refuses to even think of doing that.
Stone was, quite frankly, a blatant self insert. The entire book felt masturbatory in nature - he’s old and “cool� (to quote Dehan) and the only people who dislike him are villains, and his views on other genders or races aren’t biased, they’re “real.� I’m not asking him to be socially liberated, but could you at least make his behaviors/biases interesting? This archetype has been done a thousand times, and seldom done well. He’s not complicated, he’s a caricature.
The piece also adores racial stereotypes, which the protagonist even admits to: “I’m a stereotypic dinosaur. We live up to our stereotypes.� It mostly exaggerates Irish and Hispanic stereotypes, but there’s a brief sprinkle of antisemetic ones too, if memory serves - I was already confident on giving this book a 1 star rating when I reached it so I did not take notes. In specific they love to make fun of people’s accents when pronouncing the word “fuck.� It’s meant to be humorous, but quite frankly I have more respect for a bilingual drug dealer than I do for a man who says “lol it’s fuck not fock, get it right� (paraphrased). How could anyone be sympathetic to this protagonist? (And if the argument is that this is to show he’s flawed, then why are his actions never treated as negative? The tone of the text around this is, “oh, what a badass!� not “wow, okay asshole, how does that help the case?�)
To close, my favorite line was “I get deep like that sometimes� in reference to one of the rare uses of simile. It made me outright laugh.
May 14, 2020
I am fighting to get out of reading slump and hate to say it I am still mired in it after this book. It barley escapes the dread one start rating 2.1. I had many problems with is story and the first one was a big one. I could believe the two main characters were New York Detectives it failed that big test. The case they were working on was a very bad choice. If you were put in charge of a two person cold case team this would be the first case you would go after I have to agree with other reviewers. The story was also chased its own tail too much and the other characters were way to flat and the dialogue weak. I skimmed the last 50 percent of the book-something I only do 1 or 2 percent of the time.I gave him 2 stars because I have read way worse lol. I would say skip this book and give something else a spin.
November 1, 2022
Okay so technically this kinda falls under my October Reads but its now November so I guess because I'm finally leaving a review today, it'll be Considered November read. Anyway...
I'm a stickler for police dramas and suspense. I've read so many I lost count. An Ace and. Pair was a little bit unique in the fact the Author put some sarcasm and humor to lighten the mood. So you have a cold case heinous crime and then you get a little humor mixed in, you have a mighty good book. The Author Blake Banner is self published so I guess he's considered an Indi author. I found no mistakes and no Inconsistencies which makes this book even better. Although Detective Dehan and Detective Stone aren't the normal ordinary partners, they both bring something special and some funny banter. This book was good. It's not cliche. And NO sex 😅 No romance! Praise Jesus.
I look forward to reading the full series
I'm a stickler for police dramas and suspense. I've read so many I lost count. An Ace and. Pair was a little bit unique in the fact the Author put some sarcasm and humor to lighten the mood. So you have a cold case heinous crime and then you get a little humor mixed in, you have a mighty good book. The Author Blake Banner is self published so I guess he's considered an Indi author. I found no mistakes and no Inconsistencies which makes this book even better. Although Detective Dehan and Detective Stone aren't the normal ordinary partners, they both bring something special and some funny banter. This book was good. It's not cliche. And NO sex 😅 No romance! Praise Jesus.
I look forward to reading the full series
April 7, 2018
This just isn't for me at all. I gave it to 15% but gave in then. I thought the premise of pairing these 2 very different police personnel together to form a cold-case squad was great but the first case revolves around the Mob and gangs and Triads and they just hold no interest for me whatsoever. However, I've put the next instalment on my wishlist as that sounds more like the type of story I hoped this one would be.
I like both Carmen and John and I'm sure they're going to be a terrific team but it just wasn't the storyline for me in this instance...
As for errors I spotted-this I thought was peculiar English-"I have the best successful arrest record..."
then sentences lost words, like 'bags potato chips' or 'into vegetable drink' but nothing really frightful.
I'm definitely going to give the next one a try, though. It sounds like a series I'd really enjoy.
I like both Carmen and John and I'm sure they're going to be a terrific team but it just wasn't the storyline for me in this instance...
As for errors I spotted-this I thought was peculiar English-"I have the best successful arrest record..."
then sentences lost words, like 'bags potato chips' or 'into vegetable drink' but nothing really frightful.
I'm definitely going to give the next one a try, though. It sounds like a series I'd really enjoy.
November 8, 2018
I don’t know what I was expecting in this book it it definitely wasn’t this. It was an intelligent procedural in which the two protagonists were NYPD homicide detectives, one closer to retirement than not and the other a brash young woman. They were partnered on cold cases by a Captain who wanted to be rid of both of them not because they were not competent but because she preferred to work with the new rising stars. They find a ten year old murder in which four gangsters were murdered at a poker game and their sellable stash of drugs was not touched. They also found a bad cop who used their present Captain as an alibi. I won’t go into anymore detail because of spoilers, but it is filled with action and intelligence. Thanks to the Author and Publisher for an e-Galley for an honest review.
May 26, 2018
This was a free e-book advertised for fans of Harlan Coben. Well, it isn't Harlan Coben, but it isn't bad. A very fast read, it has a few too many moving parts and needs more detail. The plot is complicated and is written in a way that requires too much exposition. It would have been better if the reader was led to see how things developed. The ending was kind of a rabbit-out-of-a-hat, again requiring explanation (not all of which made sense) from the "hero". In spite of these flaws it was still an enjoyable read. The author claims to be writing a book or two a month. Maybe he should slow down and put more effort into fewer books.
August 19, 2018
"The devil is in the detail"
This is the type of thriller I like. Two solid characters thrown together on a series of cold cases. There's mileage in this and I can see it being portrayed on the small screen very soon. Stone and Dehan make a great pairing, proving that opposites attract. The action comes in bursts and it's brutal and painful. The methodology, the motivation and the suspects in the Nelson slaying are analysed in great detail. Theories are explored and cast aside as more evidence is uncovered. The truth will out; it's just a matter of time. I can't wait to read another one.
This is the type of thriller I like. Two solid characters thrown together on a series of cold cases. There's mileage in this and I can see it being portrayed on the small screen very soon. Stone and Dehan make a great pairing, proving that opposites attract. The action comes in bursts and it's brutal and painful. The methodology, the motivation and the suspects in the Nelson slaying are analysed in great detail. Theories are explored and cast aside as more evidence is uncovered. The truth will out; it's just a matter of time. I can't wait to read another one.
April 21, 2020
Really enjoyed this. Older detective and younger (and patience-filled!?!) cop - good and entertaining pairing. Nice to read this kind for a change. Well narrated.
November 6, 2017
This was an excellent Read. Detective John Stone of the NYPD Has an excellent Record of Solved Cases. But he is considered an old fashioned, non tech (OLD) Detective. His Boss calls him a Dinosaur and tries to get him to retire. When He says he won’t, She puts him in charge of “Cold Cases� and also gives him as a partner the detective who is most disliked and has the biggest attitude in the Department. Detective Carmen Dehan is as thrilled as Detective Stone is, about this pairing. The First case they pick has an unsolved murder of Five Gangsters, the disappearance of a local girl, and a Cop on the take!! Did I tell you there also was a collection from the gangsters illegal activities of about 5 million Dollars Missing. This Story takes you all over the United States and into Chinese Triads, Mexican Gangs and the Mob. The Author Blake Banner weaves a Story that you want to finish in One Reading (Don’t Worry, you can’t) and it keeps you busy trying to Figure out Who actually did it! But you Know ......as usual this is all you get so it does not ruin your Read! The Good News is, it is the First Book in the Series “Dead Cold Cases�.
Enjoy your Read , I sure did!
Santa Mike
Enjoy your Read , I sure did!
Santa Mike
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
Assigned to the cold case squad because he's a 'dinosaur', John Stone is teamed up with Carmen Dehan who is thought to be a 'smart ass'. They dig into a murder case from 10 years earlier. While investigating the case they run into crooked cops, Mexican Cartel, Italian Mob, and Chinese Triad.
Many twists and turns to this. Many false trails the detectives try to sort out. Excellent story. One of the better police thrillers I've read in a while.
Many twists and turns to this. Many false trails the detectives try to sort out. Excellent story. One of the better police thrillers I've read in a while.
July 23, 2023
DNF. Made it to forty pages and had no idea what was going on. The pace was too fast that information blurred together. I could not tell either detectives apart because their personalities were not that different from each other. Anyways, I did not have a good time with this one
November 13, 2017
Fast-paced, entangling mystery with less police procedures and more deduction work than expected. It probably gets more complicated that it should around mid-point, with way too many stakeholders crowding possibilities and diluting clues. The Chinese Triads, for instance, are frequently mentioned but only appear in a brief cameo. Down the (Texan Desert open) road, the author gets a better grip and dialogues his way through more or less satisfactory explanations. But it's all cool; the characters are jewels of cliché, and the whole thing's far better than most "cold case/procedurals" churned out by televised entertainment. Even if I couldn't do more than read it on-and-off during life's brief intervals, finished the book in two days, scoring myself a quick count towards my Reading Challenge. I will most likely read another one in the series, especially if it shows up at a discount rate somewhere.
February 6, 2018
When I started this book, I had trouble getting into it because of the many production errors � missed and wrong words and the like � in it. But as I read further, their frequency went way down and I got caught up in the story.
Banner tosses plenty of twists in the story to keep the reader guessing the right outcome. I had a pretty good lock on it about halfway through the book.
Banner has a good way with words, creating some interesting imagery. And he avoided that tired old storyline of having the main character and his female co-star fall into bed the night of the day they met. There is something there between them, but whether it will evolve into something more remains to be seen.
I’ll have my eye out for more books in this series.
P. S. Amazon still hasn’t mastered the art of numbering the pages in their downloads. Come on, Amazon, it can’t be that hard.
Banner tosses plenty of twists in the story to keep the reader guessing the right outcome. I had a pretty good lock on it about halfway through the book.
Banner has a good way with words, creating some interesting imagery. And he avoided that tired old storyline of having the main character and his female co-star fall into bed the night of the day they met. There is something there between them, but whether it will evolve into something more remains to be seen.
I’ll have my eye out for more books in this series.
P. S. Amazon still hasn’t mastered the art of numbering the pages in their downloads. Come on, Amazon, it can’t be that hard.
May 27, 2020
Good. I Don't Know if I Would Get Into the Series?
November 13, 2018
Fun read with great chemistry between the characters. It keeps you guessing about who the real bad guys are, particularly since they debate it between themselves. Liked the way they tied up loose ends at the end. The first in a series with these protagonists. Look forward to reading the others.
November 9, 2020
I didn't like either character so am unsure if I will read anything else in the series.
May 23, 2022
Loved it.
May 26, 2022
Superbly twisted.
July 6, 2022
This was an enjoyable read. It was fast paced and had a good story line. I will definitely read more of this series.
November 16, 2018
Really enjoyed this story. I did not see the twist coming at the end, it was a real surprise. Like how the 2 characters interact with each other. A promising series that I'm going to follow!
November 3, 2017
Not a bad start to a crime series. I thought the characters were fairly well written and I liked how the two protagonists slowly bonded as the story went on. Apparently the character of Dehan was not well liked by her fellow police officers but I couldn't really figure out why. I didn't find her character to be overly brash or unlikeable. It would have been good to have a bit more backstory on the two main characters and how they get to the point where the story starts. The mystery behind the story kept me guessing until the very end which is a good thing. However, I found parts of the story were confusing and took giant leaps without really explaining why the main character decided to go there. For example . All in all, the story was a decent start to a series and I will likely read the next one. I hope that there's a little more connecting of the dots in the next one.
June 25, 2021
I purchased this book at least 6 months ago, during a Kindle book sale and I’m not sure why I waited so long to read it.
Anyway, a cold case is brought brilliantly to light by 2 detectives with quite the repartee.
Concisely written with great characters. I already downloaded several more in the series.
Anyway, a cold case is brought brilliantly to light by 2 detectives with quite the repartee.
Concisely written with great characters. I already downloaded several more in the series.
February 5, 2024
Stone and Dehan are assigned to a new cold cases. Stone is assigned as he is a dinosaur and Dehan because she’s gorgeous with a mouth. There first case is ten years old and gets complicated quickly with the mob, triads, cartel and a bad cop. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series!
October 15, 2022
I liked this story a lot. From the very beginning, two very different detectives being assigned to work together to take on a backlog of cold cases starts off with some interesting times as they begin to figure each other out. From there, the one case they focus on involves just the right depth of suspense, analysis and reporting of new and old facts, and an overall expertise in making the reader wonder who exactly is behind the crime.
Definitely a writer I'd love to read more from.
Definitely a writer I'd love to read more from.
December 14, 2019
An Ace and a Pair. Blake Banner
This is the first book in this series. It's a classic murder mystery. An epic who dunnit. Detectives Stone and Dehan at first glance are an unlikely pair. Stone is a seasoned New York homicide detective. Set in his ways. Kisses no one's ass regardless of their rank. He's also a dinosaur. He can piss people off with his demeanor. Dehan is short in tenure, but her abilities are respected. Her personality irritates everyone. As a female, it's a shield she uses to keep the sharks at bay. So in actuality they quickly gel. They are a perfect match for each other. This is a cold case investigation with enough twists and turns to get you dizzy. An excellent read! Enjoyed immensely!!
This is the first book in this series. It's a classic murder mystery. An epic who dunnit. Detectives Stone and Dehan at first glance are an unlikely pair. Stone is a seasoned New York homicide detective. Set in his ways. Kisses no one's ass regardless of their rank. He's also a dinosaur. He can piss people off with his demeanor. Dehan is short in tenure, but her abilities are respected. Her personality irritates everyone. As a female, it's a shield she uses to keep the sharks at bay. So in actuality they quickly gel. They are a perfect match for each other. This is a cold case investigation with enough twists and turns to get you dizzy. An excellent read! Enjoyed immensely!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 552 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.