Cold Evil — Beta Reader Summary

Genre: Crime fiction / mystery with a sapphic subplot Word count: ~32,000 (novella length — approximately 93 pages, single-sitting read) Setting: Ramsey County, North Dakota — rural, isolated, winter Series: Book 1 of the Claire Sauer series (7 books planned) POV: Third person limited, past tense, Claire's perspective throughout

---

A sample paragraph

Claire went outside again. This time she felt the North Dakota winter. A slap in the face that took her breath. At this temperature, breathing the cold air directly for long could cause your lungs to freeze. She backed up, pointed the light along the side of the house, under the window. There, by the window, under the ledge of the house where it was protected from the snow fall, were an indention in the snow. Someone stood there, breathing on the glass, watching Ben Stevens eat his last meal. Claire watched her breath turn to crystals in the air.

---

What It's About

Deputy Detective Claire Sauer works murders in Ramsey County, North Dakota. She's spent ten years earning her badge and longer than that learning to live alone.

A man is found dead on his couch, throat cut, hands in his lap. A woman is found at her kitchen table, throat cut, a single bite missing from a waffle. The crime scenes are staged and personal — details that mirror Claire's own childhood. Someone is recreating scenes from essays Claire wrote in college, details only she should know: the tiny apartment, the waffles before swim practice, the missing father.

As Claire tracks the killer across a frozen county, she meets Danyelle — a blonde waitress at Rosie's Diner who makes her coffee right and won't stop looking at her. The relationship builds through food, small gestures, and crisis while Claire races to stop a killer who is getting closer to the source material: her.

The case resolves. The relationship is just beginning.

---

What I'm Looking For From You

I'm not looking for copyediting. There may be typos. Ignore them. I need your honest reaction to the reading experience. Here are specific questions, but feel free to tell me anything that comes to mind.

Pacing

• Where, if anywhere, did you want to put the book down?
• Did the story feel rushed at any point?
• Did the story drag at any point?
• Were the scene breaks clear or confusing?

Character

• Does Claire feel like a real person? Where did you connect with her? Where didn't you?
• Do you trust Danyelle? At what point did you decide?
• Does Pritchard feel like a man carrying a secret?
• Did any character feel underdeveloped or unnecessary?

The Relationship

• Does the connection between Claire and Danyelle feel earned or rushed?
• Did the relationship feel authentic — like two real people finding each other — or did it feel like a plot device?
• Were there moments that felt like romance novel tropes? If so, where?
• Did Claire's sexuality feel naturally integrated or did it feel like a statement?

The Crime

• Were you able to follow the investigation?
• Did the killer's reveal feel earned or did you guess too early?
• Were the crime scenes clear or confusing?
• Did the staged crime scenes — the connection to Claire's past — land for you?

Voice and Tone

• Did the writing style work for you? Was there anywhere the voice felt inconsistent?
• Did the North Dakota setting feel real or like set dressing?
• Were there lines or passages that stood out — for better or worse?
• Did the ending satisfy you?

The Big Questions

• Would you read Book 2?
• Would you recommend this to a friend? What would you tell them it's about?
• What's the one thing you'd change?
• What's the one thing you wouldn't touch?

---

A Few Things to Know Going In

• This is a novella, not a full novel. The length is intentional. It's meant to be read in one sitting.
• The relationship between Claire and Danyelle is a subplot, not the main plot. If you remove the romance, the crime still works. That's by design.
• Claire and Danyelle are not a trope. There's no love triangle, no breakup-to-makeup, no will-they-won't-they. Danyelle doesn't leave. The tension is Claire — her darkness, her isolation, her struggle to let someone in.
• This is the first book in a seven-book series. Some threads are left deliberately open. Smith's motive is not fully explained. A character named Barrow is introduced but not resolved. These are seeds, not loose ends.
• The cold is not a backdrop. It's a character. If the weather feels oppressive, that's intentional.

---

Timeline

Please try to read and respond within two weeks. A few sentences per question is plenty. If all you send me is "I stayed up until 2 AM to finish it" or "I put it down at chapter four," that tells me what I need to know.

Thank you for your time. I mean that.

P.S. I am happy to perform a beta read for most stories, but I do not do well with certain types of fantasy.

— L.A. Kirkland