'[Harstad's] books are terrific and really capture the atmosphere of small-town America, where the twentieth century almost seems to have slipped by unnoticed.' Independent on Sunday

'Harstad's first-hand experience ensures his storytelling always rings true.' Arena

The Big Thaw, set in the dead of winter in a Fargo-like mid-west, is American procedural writing at its best.' Guardian

It's 30 below zero in the heartland of Iowa. The Mississippi River is frozen solid and with it, the Colonel Beauregard - a floating casino. Carl Houseman comes upon Fred, a petty crook, one night. A few break-ins have been reported and Fred confesses that he's involved. But now he's worried: he dropped his cousins off to rob this house a few days ago and they never came out... There are few clues to reveal what happened but Carl realises more than murder is at stake. Soon he and his partner Hester Gorse are fighting for their lives as a million-dollar seige of the casino is threatened.