Cold Burn is the second National Parks thriller by pseudonymous author duo A.J. Landau. Released 29th April 2025 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, although this book is not, the first book in the series is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is an exciting and immersive very well written thriller set in and around Alaska. Espionage and cover-ups, special ops, and critical climate science, alongside really breathtaking scenery, well described are a winning combination. It works very well as a standalone, with the understanding that relationships and back-history which were written in book one will bring slight (not book-breaking) spoilers if read out of order.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours, 46 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Gregory Abbey. He has an -excellent- command of modulation and accents and delineates each of the characters well, with varying regional accents and of a wide range of ages and both sexes. He has a gravelly baritone which suits the gritty narrative well. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four stars. It's not at all derivative, but fans of C.J. Box, Hillerman, and Nevada Barr will find a lot to like here. With two books out, it would make a nice mini-binge/buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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