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Colin Conway is the creator of the 509 Crime Stories, a series of novels set in Eastern Washington with revolving lead characters. They are standalone tales and can be read in any order.
He also created the Cozy Up series which pushes the envelope of the cozy genre. Libby Klein, author of the Poppy McAllister series, says Cozy Up to Death is “Not your grandma’s cozy.”
Colin co-authored the Charlie-316 series. The first novel in the series, Charlie-316, is a political/crime thriller that has been described as “riveting and compulsively readable,” “the real deal,” and “the ultimate ride-along.”
He served in the U.S. Army and later was an officer of the Spokane Police Department. He's owned a laundromat, invested in a bar, and ran a karate school. Besides writing crime fiction, he is a commercial real estate broker.
Colin lives with his beautiful girlfriend, three wonderful children, and a codependent Vizsla that rules their world.
Find out more about Colin at his website: colinconway.com.
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Long Cold Winter by Colin Conway is a police procedural with a difference. Detective Dallas Nash is set to return to work at the Major Crimes Unit after losing his wife, and he’s assigned a cold case to help him settle back in. It’s a murder, unsolved for 30 years, and as Nash dives in, he realizes he’d seen the victim just before she died. Then another death, a winter’s day and another body, before Nash can even begin to investigate the first one. Two killers on the loose, one uncaught for 30 years. Will Nash be the one to bring them both in and see justice served for the victims?
The Long Cold Winter by Colin Conway is part of The 509 Crime Stories series set in Eastern Washington, and at the front of the book is a helpful explanation of why the series has this name. Although it is the second book, I found it easy to read as a standalone, but it isn’t a straightforward murder mystery. This is a story filled with heartbreak and grief, and one detective’s journey to finding his way back from darkness. It is emotional, and written in a way that helps you feel it, with characters that are real and easy to relate to. You’ll be on Nash’s side all the way through as he copes with his grief and finds his way back to work and life. This police procedural is really well-written and engaging, and you’ll be invested in how both cases turn out. If you love a good murder mystery with plenty of action and twists, you’ll love this book, but just be prepared for the emotion. If you’re struggling with grief of your own, this will be a hard read, but totally worthwhile.
