Crimson Thaw

A detective's fall from grace. A rookie's baptism by fire. A town's secrets laid bare.

"...reads like the real deal--a tale of trial and redemption..."--Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

In the unforgiving wilderness of Maine, a disgraced detective must confront his past to solve a chilling murder.

Detective Brock Justice's career is on thin ice. Once the golden boy of Maine State Police, Brock now finds himself exiled to the remote northeastern wilderness, punishment for crossing the thin blue line. Assigned to the Major Crimes Unit--North, he suffers the added indignity of partnering with newly-minted Detective Chloe Wright, a rookie with her own hidden struggles.

The pair's uneasy alliance is put to the test almost immediately when a routine snowmobile retrieval in the coastal town of Blue Hill unexpectedly escalates into a full-blown murder investigation. Even as the case exposes the darkest corners of the town, their fragile partnership threatens to undermine the investigation at every turn.

Brock and Chloe's hunt draws them into the lives of several intriguing locals: the town doctor, a biker gang involved in drug trafficking, a politically connected sheriff, and Brock's own father. With each revelation, the line between ally and enemy blurs, compelling Brock and Chloe to question their trust in everyone around them, including each other.

Even as winter's icy grip loosens from Blue Hill, the noose of suspicion tightens. Brock must navigate not only a shaky partnership and a town harboring deadly secrets, but also the shadows of his own past. Can he and Chloe piece together the puzzle before Maine's wilderness swallows them whole?

Retired Detective Sergeant Bruce Robert Coffin delivers a masterful blend of police procedural and small-town intrigue in this page-turning thriller. Perfect for fans of Craig Johnson's Longmire series and C.J. Box's Joe Pickett novels.

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Praise for Crimson Thaw

"Will please fans of Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch series or Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther novels." --Library Journal

"Coffin's experience...lends the book's procedural elements a ring of truth, and he paints cops and suspects alike with a fine brush." --Publishers Weekly

"A superior, Connelly-esque procedural that ratchets up the tension page by page." --Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Blind to Midnight

"Smooth as buttah in the telling, Coffin's layered characters almost leap off the page to sit in your lap." --Tracy Clark, award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Det. Harriet Foster series

"The pace is break-neck swift, the writing crisp, and the tension nearly unbearable..." --Baron Birtcher, award-winning and bestselling author of Knife River

"Brock Justice is a protagonist worth following." --Paul Doiron, author of Dead by Dawn

"...suspenseful and extremely entertaining." --Chris Miller, Best Thriller Books

"One of the most mesmerizing crime fiction series starters I've read in years..." --LynDee Walker, bestselling author of the Faith McClellan series

"...drips with gritty authenticity and razor-sharp detail." --Brian Shea, author of the Boston Crime Thriller series

"...a masterfully creative and riveting tale of suspense." --Raven Award winner Dru Ann Love, Dru's Book Musings

Author: Bruce Robert Coffin
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
Published: 11/04/2025
Pages: 376
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.94h x 6.13w x 1.07d
ISBN: 9781648756580


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2025 pg. 56
Publishers Weekly 09/29/2025

About the Author
Bruce Robert Coffin is the award-winning author of the Detective Byron Mysteries. Former detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement, he is the winner of Killer Nashville's Silver Falchion Awards for Best Procedural, and Best Investigator, and the Maine Literary Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel. Bruce was also a finalist for the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. His short fiction appears in a number of anthologies, including Best American Mystery Stories 2016.