Can You Tell Me Something About Sandra Brown's Novel 'Chill Factor'?

The Chill Factor, by Sandra Brown opens with the characters Lilly Martin and Dutch Burton closing down their cabin. This move marks the end of their turbulent eight-year marriage. Dutch leaves Lilly to finish up and heads back to his duties. Clearly, North Carolina's Chief of Police, in the meanwhile unearths five cases of missing women, who are presumed dead.

On the other hand, amidst a winter storm, Lilly is unsure whether she will be able to make it back to town. On her way down a treacherous road, a man suddenly emerges from the thicket and she has no other option but to hit him. With difficulty they get back to the cabin and begin to assess their situation. Lilly realizes that she knows the man. She knows him as Ben Tierney, a freelance writer who she met, and at one point in time had flirted with.

Meanwhile, Chief Burton receives a cryptic call from Lilly and his jealousy and suspicions lead him to plot and 'rescue and win' her back. Rounding out the cast of characters are the colourful FBI agents Begley and Wise.

From the very beginning of this thriller, everything points to Ben Tierney as a serial killer. However, his mannerisms and moral strength do not show any tell tales of a brutal killer. Brown has used twists and interactions to keep the reader searching for more clues.