Book review: Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt, released in 2023 was one of my favourite books of the year. It was dark (derr) and quite shocking – seemingly creating a new genre her website describes as ‘tech noir’. Cold Truth is the latest offering from the Canadian-born, Australian-dwelling author and she sets it in her country of origin and I must confess I found elements fascinating, the setting becoming a character in itself. I cannot imagine how cold minus 20-40C gets for example and I loved all of the references to things I assume to be quintessentially Canadian – from coffee chains to food. I am also very intrigued however by the Caramello Koala cake (as a CK addict who thought they were quintessentially Australian) – if it features those with which I’m familiar or it’s something very different.

Harlow Close has made a career as an influencer uncovering the secrets of Winnipeg, dubbed ‘North America's strangest city’. The region is renowned for its sub-zero temperatures, dropping to minus 40 degrees – sometimes for months at a time. Yet, it’s not just the frigid winters and geographic seclusion that render Winnipeg peculiar.

When Harlow’s father mysteriously disappears amid a brutal cold snap, suspicions of foul play arise. It’s not like Scott to miss phone calls – and he’s been even more cautious since that time he was catfished by a romance scammer. Unhappy with the pace of the police investigation, Harlow launches her own search, enlisting her sister Blaise’s reluctant help.

Kalagian Blunt again manages to scare the pants off readers with online evils and horror stories, which also featured heavily in Dark Mode. Interestingly here, our lead character is a tour guide and relies heavily on social media.

Readers are offered a number of layers adding texture, including the familial relationships between Harlow, Blaise and their father. The death of Blaise and Harlow’s mother also casts a shadow over their lives and shaped who they’ve become. And then there’s present-day relationships and businesses thrown into the mix.

Again I loved Kalagian Blunt’s writing – mixing longer sentences with short ones and her use of clever and well-crafted phrasing. Her knowledge of technology is also (again) impressive; her ability to remind us how dire and dangerous living online can be – oversharing on social media, online scammers, the dark web, the ease with which phones can be hacked and malware installed… duping the savviest of us – may be quite shocking to many readers.

It’s ironic that – given how much this book focuses on online stuff – how easily lies from Harlow’s past could have been unravelled by some online searching. It’s telling I guess that it’s human nature accept what we’re told by those we trust.

I probably didn’t love this quite as much as I loved Dark Mode, more because the twist in that book was quite horrific, reflecting depersonalised evil, whereas here I didn’t feel as invested in the baddies’ actions or fate and I think our criminals felt somewhat inept (though I also liked that element).

This is a great thriller however and ultimately becomes a whodunnit (and why) and I raced through it – suspicious of so many of the players and certainly surprised at the duplicitous long game being played. (I can’t help but also think it’d translate well onto the screen. The scenery alone would be amazing.)

Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagian Blunt will be published on 29 January 2024 by Ultimo Press.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. 

** Huge kudos to Kalagian Blunt and Ultimo Press for the acknowledgement to reviewers and bookstagrammers and for the little promo package we received!