The Cold Room. J.T. Ellison

       Praise for J.T. Ellison’s TAYLOR JACKSON NOVELS

      ‘Scintillating … Suspenseful … Startling …’

      Publishers Weekly

      ‘Mystery fiction has a new name to watch.’

      John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author

      ‘J.T. Ellison’s debut novel rocks.’

      Allison Brennann, New York Times bestselling author of Fear No Evil

      ‘Creepy thrills from start to finish’

      James O. Born, author of Burn Zone

      ‘Fast-paced and creepily believable … gritty, grisly

      and a great read’

      M.J. Rose, internationally bestselling author of The Reincarnationist

      ‘A turbo-charged thrill ride of a debut’

      Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar Award finalist and author of All Mortal Flesh

      ‘Fans of Sandford, Cornwell and Reichs

      will relish every page.’

      J.A. Konrath, author of Dirty Martini

      About the Author

      J.T. ELLISON is a thriller writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. She writes the Taylor Jackson series and her short stories have been widely published. She is a weekly columnist at Murderati.com and is a founding member of Killer Year. Visit her website, JTEllison.com for more information.

       Other novels in the Taylor Jackson series

      ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

      14

      JUDAS KISS

      THE COLD ROOM

      THE IMMORTALS

      SO CLOSE THE HAND OF DEATH

      WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE

      The

      Cold

      Room

      J.T.

      Ellison

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      For Scott and Linda.

      You took a chance, and I’ll be forever grateful.

      And, as always, for Randy.

      ‘Understanding does not cure evil,

      but it is a definite help, inasmuch as

      one can cope with a comprehensible darkness.’

      —Carl Jung

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR

      THE COLD ROOM

      It takes a village to write a book, and The Cold Room was possibly the most difficult, research-intensive novel I’ve ever written. I owe a debt of thanks and gratitude to the following:

      First, the Team:

      Scott Miller—my wonderful agent, friend and partner, who never ceases to make me laugh.

      Linda McFall—my editor, my friend, my sanity. Without you, these books would be mere shadows of the stories I want to tell.

      Stephanie Sun and MacKenzie Fraser-Bub—assistants extraordinaire, whose energy and enthusiasm are always appreciated.

      Adam Wilson—my right hand, and sometimes left hand too. I couldn’t do it without you.

      Marianna Ricciuto—publicist to the stars and unflagging cheerleader.

      Christine Lowman—for dealing with my finicky ways.

      Kim Dettwiller—indie publicist and Nashville girl. You rock!

      The rest of the MIR A team: Donna Hayes, Alex Osusek, Loriana Sacilotto, Heather Foy, Don Lucey, Michelle Renaud, Adrienne Macintosh, Megan Lorius, Nick Ursino, Tracey Langmuire, Kathy Lodge, Emily Ohanjanians, Margaret Marbury, Diane Moggy and the artists Tara Kelly and Gigi Lau.

      Second, the Research, the heart and soul of this novel:

      Sean Chercover, for giving me the access point.

      The Federal Bureau of Investigation, for being so incredibly open and generous with time and expertise, especially: Angela Bell, Office of Public Affairs, Federal Bureau of Investigation

      Special Agent Ann Todd, Office of Public Affairs, FBI Laboratory

      Supervisory Special Agent Kenneth Gross, Chief Division Counsel, Critical Incident Response Group, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Mark Hilts, Unit Chief, BAU,

      CIRG, FBI

      Dr Vince Tranchida, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Manhattan

      Dr Michael Tabor, Chief Forensic Odontologist for the State of Tennessee

      Detective David Achord, Metro Nashville Police Department

      Elizabeth Fox, Metro Nashville Police Department (Ret)

      Shirley Holley, Manchester Public Library, Manchester, Tennessee

      Assistant Chief Bob Bellamy, Manchester Police

      Captain Frank Watkins, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office

      James Tillman, for sharing his Uncle Welton Keif’s term for identical twins, “Born Partners.”

      John Elliot, former Interpol Agent, who steered me in the right directions.

      Sharon Owen, for the fishing expertise.

      Christine Kling, for the boating expertise.

      And the Personal:

      Zoë Sharp, whose debt can never be fully repaid, for bringing Memphis to life, all the Britishisms (and an amusing and lengthy discourse on the correct term for erections).

      The Bodacious Music City Wordsmiths—Del Tinsley, JB Thompson, Janet McKeown, Peggy Peden, Cecelia Tichi, RaiLynn Wood—for everything.

      A special thanks to JB, who read, and read, and read this book for me, and my other mother, Del Tinsley, who always cheers me up and cheers me on.

      Joan Huston, first reader and friend.

      Tasha Alexander and Laura Benedict, for always knowing the right thing to say.

      Murderati—you know why.

      Rosemary Harris, for bidding on a character name at auction and presenting me with Patrol Officer Paula Simari, and her canine companion, Max.

      Charlaine Harris, for bidding on a name in another auction and appears here and forevermore as Special Agent Charlaine Shultz, FBI Profiler.

      Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein, for sharing their incredible journey in the book Identical Strangers.

      Evanescence, whose songs more than inspired; they got me through this very difficult subject matter.

      All the libraries and bookstores who have shown such unflagging support, especially Murder by the Book in Houston, Davis Kidd in Nashville, Sherlock’s Books in Lebanon, Poisoned Pen Press in Phoenix, the Seattle Mystery Bookshop in … you guessed it, Seattle, and the great staffs at Borders and Barnes & Noble who hand-sell me all over the country.

      My incredible parents and brothers and nephews and niece, for constantly believing in me. I love you all. More.

      My