Cold Contracts - Ryan Grey

Marcus Cole was a good detective. He followed the rules, trusted the system, believed in justice.

Then his sister disappeared.

Elena took a job in an industry most people don't know exists. Not stunt work. Not celebrity impersonation. Cold Contracts, the specialised subset where trained professionals lie in coffins at funerals, providing closure for families when the real body is unavailable, damaged, or lost.

It's legal. Regulated. Lucrative.

It's also a hunting ground.

When the system refuses to investigate Elena's disappearance, Marcus makes a choice that can't be undone. New face. New fingerprints. New life. He goes underground, infiltrating the Cold Contract industry and learning to slow his heartbeat, lower his body temperature, and lie perfectly still in a coffin while strangers perform increasingly disturbing tests to prove he's committed to the role.

Some families just want closure.

Others want something much darker.

As Marcus works deeper into the industry, he uncovers a network of wealthy, connected families using Cold Contracts as cover for something far worse, protected by money, lawyers, and an agency willing to look the other way. Every job changes him. Every coffin costs him something he won't get back.

And when the truth about Elena finally surfaces, Marcus will have to decide how much of yourself you can destroy in the name of justice before you become something unrecognisable.

In the Cold Contract industry, you're paid to play dead. Some people never get back up.