Author: Tami Hoag
Narrator: David Colacci
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication Date: January 2016
Genre: Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: EVERY FAMILY HAS A SECRET. THEIRS WILL CHILL YOU TO THE CORE.
A murder from the past. A murder from the present. And a life that was never meant to be... As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless. After moving to the cold case squad in order to spend more time with her sons, she misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter, the sense of urgency of hunting a murderer on the loose. Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.
Sam is having an even harder time adjusting to Nikki's absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than pieces of Sam's wardrobe. Sam is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a middle-aged husband and wife bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword. Nikki's case, the unsolved murder of a family man, community leader, and decorated sex crimes detective for the Minneapolis PD, is less of a distraction: Twenty years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.
On the other end of the spectrum, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job. Little does she know that a danger from her past is stalking her perfect present. A danger powerful enough to pull in both Kovac and Liska and destroy the perfect life she was never meant to have.
My Thoughts: Because The Bitter Season was published in 2016 and, as of 2026, no additional books have featured Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska, it seems reasonable to view this as the likely final installment in the series. That gives the story a bittersweet quality, especially after the events of the previous book.
Nikki and Sam are no longer partners in this book, and that shift is felt throughout the story. Nikki misses working with Sam, but her move to the cold case unit gives her more time with her sons and keeps her away from the immediate danger of chasing active killers. I was glad to see that they still cross paths, and their scenes together continue to deliver the camaraderie and banter I enjoy so much.
Nikki’s twenty-five-year-old murder investigation eventually connects to the new case Kovac and his inexperienced partner are working, though not in the way I expected. That connection added tension and kept me invested as the two storylines began to overlap.
Because this series is so character driven, I recommend reading the books in order. Doing so makes it easier to understand the characters’ personalities, appreciate their growth, and notice the nuances in their relationships. This installment is also intense and violent at times, so readers may want to check content warnings before diving in.
Several jaw-dropping twists genuinely surprised me and heightened my apprehension as the story unfolded. David Colacci’s excellent audio narration added to that tension and made the suspense feel even sharper. My only real disappointment was the lack of closure around Sam and Nikki’s personal lives, especially if this is the final book in the series. The author may have left that door open intentionally in case she wants to revisit these characters, but I also do not want to hold on to false hope.
My Final Verdict: The Bitter Season is a gripping, character-driven thriller that blends a chilling cold case with a brutal present-day investigation. While I wish the ending had offered more personal closure for Sam and Nikki, the suspense, twists, and emotional weight make this a strong and bittersweet installment in the Kovac and Liska series. Recommended for readers who enjoy dark police procedurals with layered relationships and tense, unsettling mysteries.
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