She Treads Softly: The Cold Read

Monday, October 5, 2026

The Cold Read

The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski
11/10/26; 368 pages
Park Row Books

The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski is a highly recommended popcorn thriller. This locked-room mystery is set at an old ski lodge and features the cast of actors who have returned to film the sequel to a horror movie set there a decade ago.

Izzy Bingham, the podcaster of Horrified Fans, has been asked by director Esme Duncan to be at the Frostmourne Lodge and ready to announce at midnight on January 10th the sequel to one of the scariest horror movies of the 21st century, No One Can Hear You Scream. It is noted not only for the horror but also for the disappearance of one of the cast members, Theo Cloutier, who's body was never found. The stars of the film are returning, including the scream queen Cassidy White, model and actress Ruby Morales, action heart throb Jake Abbot, smoldering Ben Hartman, and the lumberjack himself David Belfardy. Esme has bought the lodge for this purpose, while David is financing the sequel.

When they are filming the announcement at midnight online with horror fans across the country watching, something happens and the feed is cut. Izzy comes on again briefly and then a voice is heard saying, "Shut it down, now." The Horrified.com forum goes crazy with comments from the participants speculating what has happened at the lodge. Those at the lodge also don't know what is going on. It appears they may be in a real horror novel and someone came for revenge, but who?

This is truly a well-written popcorn thriller for horror movie fans. The action starts quickly with the threatening weather as well as between the characters with all the secrets they have and the history between them, especially with the unsolved, presumed death of Theo the last time they filmed together. None of these characters are particularly likable or trustworthy and with all the bad memories of the first film it is a wonder they'd return for a second, but they all have their reasons. Esme causes turmoil briefly at the beginning and then disappears before the midnight announcement.

The chapters in the narrative alternate between the point-of-view of several characters. It also includes several Interstitial chapters which include some of the online comments from the Horrified Fans forum. Making this a locked-room mystery, where they are stuck at the lodge due to the frigid, snowy weather, helps keep the characters on edge with the tension and suspicion high. The question is always there, is it one of them or an outside force?

The Cold Read is a great choice for those who enjoy horror movies and popcorn thrillers. Thanks to Park Row Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.