Frost and Venom

by Christine Feehan

Genres: General Fiction; Romance; Paranormal Romance; Romantic Suspense; Thrillers; Suspense

Synopsis

Deception and danger lay in wait in the beautiful, harrowing California backcountry in this gripping suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Surgical and trauma nurse Harlow Frye loves the small town of Knightly, where breathtaking views of the Sierra and a tight circle of female friends provides a refuge from her professional life. But lately, it’s Harlow’s personal life that’s causing all the chaos.

First, a series of anonymous threatening letters are left in her mailbox. Then, Harlow is dealt a blow when her friend Lawyer dies after reacting to some sort of toxin. And to top it off, Harlow finds her secret obsession, CIA operative Hawkin Wilder, bleeding out on a mountain trail.

As Harlow turns her home into a makeshift hospital, her infuriating, attractive patient insists on distracting her. But even in the face of their increasing connection, there’s no way Harlow can ignore the escalating storm, when someone else close to her is struck down by the mysterious toxin.

With little more than intuition to go on, Harlow turns to the five friends who have proved themselves to be a better family than her own flesh and blood. As the women attempt to unravel the killings, they will need to rely on their instincts and their connection to each other—or else they’ll lose everything they’ve come to hold dear.

Release date: September 1, 2026

Publisher: Berkley

Print pages: 384

Sample

Chapter One


Harlow Frye curled up in her favorite swing chair on her front porch. She'd purchased the property for just these moments, when her day had gone to absolute hell and she needed to find balance and serenity again.

From her porch she had a view of the Sierra with all its majesty, one of the best she could have without going backpacking or hiking. She'd been lucky to find her own little piece of paradise. She really needed the peace this evening for a number of reasons.

She bought the house for the studio and the amazing wraparound porch with the extraordinary views of the majestic mountains. The inside of the house had needed to be renovated, but she'd taken her time and modernized, upgrading each room to her satisfaction. Her home was her sanctuary, and she treated it that way.

She had the eye of an artist. A photographer. She was a little on the obsessive-compulsive side when it came to her home. If she was honest, she was that way with just about everything. It made her a good surgical and trauma nurse. It also made her an excellent photographer and potter.

On two sides of her property, her house was surrounded by woods. Aspens, pine, oak and fir made up her mini forest. She owned twenty acres, and a good fifteen of those acres were forest. Almost daily, she walked in those woods. Her trusty little beagle, Misha, loved the walks in the forest. Other than running along the canal, it was her canine family member's favorite thing to do. Harlow tended to run along the canal every day. She had her own private workout room and spent a couple of hours not only stretching and doing strength training, but kickboxing. As an exercise, it was really quite invigorating, along with being useful.

Most evenings, her porch swing was her favorite place to be. She would scrub her face, pull her flaming red hair into the classic messy knot on top of her head, put on her most comfortable leggings and whatever top the weather required. She had a tendency to curl her long legs under her and sip at a glass of white wine, often reading a book. The last few days at work had been particularly grueling, and she just wanted to enjoy the peace of home and the beauty of the distant mountains.

Harlow often took extra shifts in the ER. Their hospital had a trauma unit thanks to the incredible fundraising Zahra Metcalf did on the hospital's behalf. Vienna Mortenson also donated a tremendous amount of money from her gambling wins. Oftentimes, whatever Vienna donated, Giselle Gentry, a woman belonging to one of the founding families of Knightly, had matched.

Their community was tight-knit and very supportive of their hospital. Thanks to them, the hospital could offer doctors, nurses and staff a good wage. Because they could, they were able to attract excellent personnel for their hospital, consequently making it one of the best and busiest in several counties, although small.

The day had been horrendous at work. Harlow had lost a good friend, a man she respected. Lawyer Collins had been one of the first people she'd met when she moved to Knightly. He'd set up her security system around her property. He'd always been easygoing and friendly. He'd even asked her out a couple of times, but Harlow preferred not to date, especially someone she had made friends with . . . and she genuinely liked Lawyer, which couldn't be said of most men she'd met.

The worst part of his death was that the doctors couldn't find the cause. He'd seemed to have had a reaction to something, an insect or plant. Something toxic for certain. There was talk about bringing in infectious disease experts. Every spare minute she had, she had sat by his side, whispering encouragement, sponging the sweat from his body, doing everything she could to keep him comfortable, but early that morning, he had succumbed to the terrible unknown pathogen.

The leaves were beginning to turn color, creating a magnificent photograph in her mind. Spring was giving way to summer, but slowly, as if unveiling a lush landscape painted by a master. Spring had brought unusual amounts of rain, turning every meadow into a riot of color. The wildflowers grew in abundance on every conceivable ground surface. Even now, in late spring, flowers were everywhere, their colors adding to the striking shades of green from the trees and brush.

Looking at the beauty that always brought her peace should have settled the churning in her stomach, the knots that refused to go away. Or the ominous feeling she couldn't rid herself of. A storm was brewing; it might be in the distance, but it was coming toward Knightly-or maybe it was already here. She couldn't shake the feeling that the peace they'd had throughout this last year was about to be shattered.

The year before, one of her best friends, Shabina Ashcroft, originally Foster, had been set up to take the fall for a series of murders. Worse, she had been slowly maneuvered into a severe PTSD episode that nearly took her life. Thankfully, Rainier Ashcroft had arrived on the scene, and no one ever went against Rainier and survived intact. He had worked for the Special Activities Division in the CIA for years and now owned a security company made up of men who had also worked in that division. He was a force to be reckoned with, and Harlow loved that Shabina had his protection.

Rainier stayed away from most people, but those he considered family were under that umbrella of protection, just as Shabina was. That meant Shabina's closest friends, Harlow included, were looked after by him. Honestly, that could be a pain in the neck. Rainier tended to be the kind of man who gave orders and expected everyone to follow them-and they did. This last year, as quiet and peaceful as it was, had made that trait in him difficult, but she had to admit, with the ominous feeling growing stronger every day, Harlow was grateful to have him.

As if losing Lawyer wasn't bad enough, Harlow's father, a US senator, had come under suspicion in the disappearance of a very young woman. Harlow hadn't had anything to do with her father in years. He was one of the reasons she had moved to Knightly, to be far from him and the media. Now, her family was back in the spotlight, which meant reporters were calling continuously. Things were stacking up, one after another, to bring about a terrible storm, the last thing Knightly and its inhabitants needed. The last thing she needed.


Two weeks later, Harlow sat at the back table in the Sunrise Café, her favorite place to eat, and where she normally met with her best friends. Shabina Ashcroft owned the café with her husband, Rainier, although Rainier liked to refer to himself as a silent partner. Personally, Harlow didn’t think there was anything silent about Rainier, other than his walk. He could enter a room and take command. Just his presence, one piercing stare from him, said it all.

Harlow looked around the table at the faces of her friends. These five women were more like family to her than friends. Over the years, she had learned she could count on them no matter what the circumstances. They had proved themselves to one another over and over. That was more than her family had ever done.

Stella Harrison-Rossi sat directly across from her. Stella had called the meeting. If the six friends had a center, Stella was it. She had brought them all together, first with climbing the boulders, so famous in the Knightly area, and then by inviting them to go dancing at the Grill. Stella was a powerhouse in Knightly. She had saved a resort, turning it into a fishing mecca, where fishermen came from all over to compete in tournaments. That had helped every business in the town of Knightly. She owned a second resort, higher up the mountain, devoted to skiers. The love of her life was Sam Rossi. Sam had worked for the Special Activities Division at the CIA, as had Rainier, Shabina's husband, and Zale Vizzini, Vienna's fiancé.

Sam had come to Yosemite to find peace. Two years before his marriage to Stella, he'd become part of their circle of friends, always volunteering to be their sober driver. Stella hired Sam as a handyman when she first took over the resort. He was excellent at just about anything to do with motors or carpentry. They were a good fit. All the friends had come to love Sam like a brother, and he treated them like family. She was also certain that Sam knew about her parents and the shame she felt. As was his way, he didn't say much, but he was watchful, and she knew if she wanted to talk to him, he would listen. She hadn't said much about her family to the others, not the really bad things, but she intended to. They knew about the senator's penchant for young teens, but not the ordeal that had been her childhood, or the suspicions she had when other teens had disappeared.

"Where's Shabina?" she asked. She looked around the café.

Shabina was gorgeous. Her mother was from Saudi Arabia, and her father, from Houston, was legendary for putting out oil fires around the world. Shabina had inherited her silky skin and gorgeous eyes from her mother. She wore her thick black hair in a long braid she normally wrapped in some intricate knot.

"In the kitchen at the moment," Stella answered. She sighed and pushed her hands through her unique platinum-colored hair, something she'd inherited from her Finnish grandparents along with her crystal-blue eyes. "I swear that woman never stops working. She works as hard as or harder than her employees."

It was the truth. Shabina loved the café, and she had turned it into a major success. She was an amazing chef. The café had a reputation far and wide. Shabina wasn't sitting with them because she ran her café and did most of the cooking as well as waiting tables when needed.

Rainier told her nearly everything. He only kept her in the dark when he was going on a mission. Even then, if she asked, he would probably tell her whatever she wanted to know. Rainier might be the most intimidating man Harlow had ever met, but he wasn't that way with Shabina. He couldn't even look at her without his eyes softening to a look of absolute love.

Harlow wanted someone to love her the way Rainier loved Shabina. She didn't believe it was possible. If by some miracle someone fell that deeply in love with her, she wouldn't know what to do. Her parents certainly weren't a blueprint for a successful relationship. Still, she dreamt, or fantasized, especially when Hawkin Wilder was around. She had no idea why he appealed to her, but she was seriously obsessed with him. She couldn't see other men-only Wilder. She recognized how unhealthy her fantasies about him were, but she gave herself permission to have them; after all, he was rarely around. He worked in the Special Activities Division of the CIA and was very close friends with Rainier, Sam and Zale.

Raine O'Mallory sat in her usual chair at the end of the table. She was never without her laptop. She had a walking cane hooked to the table and relied on it far more than she wanted any of them to know. Raine had been shot and nearly lost her leg when a casino owner had hired men to kill Vienna. Harlow knew she was still fighting to come back from the horrific injury. She had metal rods, pins, and plates in her leg, and more than once infection had set in. Raine had been an incredible athlete. She had done physical therapy for over a year, and she'd really applied herself, maybe a little too much. She could walk with a cane, but she wasn't climbing, one of her greatest loves, and that told Harlow a lot about the injury.

Harlow admired the fact that Raine insisted on her independence and lived in her home with her Jack Russell terrier, Daisy. Raine had lived a life of extremes, traveling around the world, hiking everything from the John Muir Trail to the Alps. She parasailed and went into ice caves. And she did it solo. There wasn't much in the way of adventures that she hadn't tried.

She was incredibly brilliant and worked as an analyst. It was clear to Harlow and the rest of her friends that Raine's job was very important to the government, and she had an extremely high clearance. Many times, a helicopter had been sent for her, and she would be gone for days or even weeks. She took Daisy with her, and no one ever seemed to object. In fact, when Raine asked for something, she was given it immediately.

Lately, Harlow had been concerned for her. Raine seemed very tired and withdrawn. Because she was in the medical field and very astute when it came to her patients, Harlow had observed that Raine's leg was still painful. That had to be worrisome to Raine.

"Everything all right?" Vienna greeted her. Vienna was engaged to Zale Vizzini, a man working in the same field Rainier and Sam had been in.

Did it show that she was stressed? Harlow was a woman used to not showing her emotions. She'd grown up in a political family right in front of the press. She was a surgical and trauma nurse. She was definitely slipping if Vienna could see she was uneasy.

Harlow shrugged, trying to appear casual. "The senator just won't stay out of the headlines. He's so certain he's powerful enough to get out of the charges and remain in office. As you and the rest of the world know, he's under investigation for the disappearance of an underage girl."

"I'm so sorry, Harlow," Raine said. "This must be so difficult for you."

"My parents have always been difficult. My mother is insisting they come here. She wants the senator out of the spotlight. He loves the spotlight. Even if I allowed them to be here, which I would not, the senator would have as many reporters as possible following him. I think he's behind her pushing to come to my home. He always goes back to how perfect our image as a wholesome family is. He thinks that buys him the conservatives."

"You've always known what he's like, Harlow," Vienna said, her voice gentle. "That's why you ended up in Knightly in the first place."

Raine reached out and laid her hand over Harlow's. "It isn't the same, Vienna. We knew about her father because she confided in us. Now the entire world knows."