Cold Bones

Obsessively analyzing every single decision leading up to the moment. A dull ache in her chest, a feeling of being hollowed out and corrosive sense of unworthiness. – Parents at wits end not knowing what happened to their child.

Days and hours don't pass; they bleed together in a frantic blur. Uncooperative witnesses, and missing pieces. – Stoane Cold with a time limit before execution.

Distinct, unmistakable smell. Blend of industrial floor wax, cold concrete, aged Manila paper. Chemical taint of plastic zip-ties and sealed zip-lock bags. brown corrugated file box—smells faintly of dust and dampness. – Stoane poised to open an old case.

Sharp pop of dry pine underfoot, rhythmic groan of iron floor nails. Stagnant, heavy with the scent of aged cedar. Moonlight cuts through grime-streaked windowpanes in sharp, dusty bars, casting erratic shadows. – Stoane entering the cabin with a glimmer of hope. 

As readers dive into a decades-old mystery involving a missing 5-year-old and an imprisoned suspect facing the electric chair, they are pulled out of everyday mental fatigue and thrust into an immersive, deductive mindset, meticulously sorting through old videotapes and witness transcripts alongside the protagonist.

The narrative challenges readers to question the absolute nature of guilt and innocence, transforming comfortable assumptions into a state of tense psychological inquiry as dark historical pieces of the puzzle slowly come to light.

By riding shotgun through a tense, slow-burn investigation where every clue matters, readers experience the intellectual thrill of the hunt, culminating in a deeply satisfying sense of resolution when long-buried truths finally break the surface. 

The descriptions of characters, places, and items were good but not lengthy. The store flowed in a way that keep you wondering what was going to happen next. It also was interesting because I know of the place the author writes about. Very interesting book.
I recommend this book to those that like mystery, forensic, who done it, those that know of the county, and to anyone who enjoys reading a good book. - Tina Hampton - Goodreads

What a great story. Of course I figured out some of it ahead of the ending. Well written and keeps your interest the whole time
An ex cop- detective is hired to prove the innocence of a man on death row for the death of a child. - Wanda - Goodreads

Leon M A Edwards has average 4.2 stars on Goodreads

Retired detective missing person investigation

Stoane Cold thought retirement meant dealing with DIY store managers. Instead, he’s hunting for a thirty-eight-year-old corpse.

No body was ever found. The only clue was a blood-stained cap left behind, and the only target was Alex Jefferson—a passing outsider who insisted on his innocence, refused to break his secret alibi, and was promptly thrown on death row. 

Thirty-eight years later, retired homicide detective Stoane Cold isn't looking for a hero's welcome. He’s blunt, sharp, and only took the case to get his forensic pathologist wife off his back. But when a powerful senator hires him to re-examine the cold case with only two weeks left before Jefferson’s scheduled execution, Stoane steps straight into a sleepy Southern town hiding decades of hostility, lazy police work, and buried secrets. 

Teaming up with a local journalist, Stoane starts pulling on threads the original investigators ignored: three identical witness statements, a night full of bizarre local crimes, and a crime scene that makes no sense. 

The town moved on, but the killer never left.

Can Stoane unearth the truth and find Daniel’s body before the clock runs out on an innocent man, or will Marion’s dark past keep its secrets six feet under?

• A CHARISMATIC, NO-NONSENSE LEAD: Stoane Cold brings veteran detective smarts, razor-sharp instincts, and deadpan humor to a high-stakes investigation. 
• A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK: With an execution date set in fourteen days, every clue counts and every lie could be fatal. 

PERFECT FOR FANS OF: Small-town mystery, procedural crime thrillers, cold case investigations, and sharp-witted detectives facing tough odds.