In the Night of the Heat: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel

Enjoyed the book, perhaps even more than the first one. I was glad to see the weird little family dynamic, one of my favorite elements from the first book, is still present and evolving. I can't remember the exact quote, but Ten makes a comment about how he's made peace with, and is happy with, how is life is, rather than how he wanted it to be. The relationship with the girlfriend is a bit rocky, and Ten does a few dickish things in the course of the book that made me a little angry with him. But I do love flawed and imperfect characters because they engage my emotions...so, all in all, that's a good thing. Too easy to forget the blandly perfect, and Ten's anything but but a perfect ten in that regard. I love his character, his relationship with his father, his often rocky relationship with Chela, his insta-daughter following events from the first book, and how he's just a decent person who struggles with his self-esteem and, sometimes, with his darker side . His character continues to develop nicely in this book.

The author(s) style is very readable and the pacing is leisurely when it needs to be and zips along in the action scenes.The mystery in this installment was excellent. Some parts I figured out, but others kept me guessing right through to the end. In fact, the actual killer is someone I hadn't even expected. I think my mouth might've dropped open, a little.

My only quibble is a very minor one: I wanted more of a resolution with that horrible woman who got Ten fired from his show. I wanted to see her get what she so richly deserved, which isn't the big money settlement suggested by Ten's agent at the end. So for me, that subplot ended rather suddenly as Ten hops a plane to Africa to work things out with the girlfriend, April. Maybe it'll be picked up in the third book and I'll have a chance to see that woman get a little payback.

I think John Sanford's Lucas Davenport has a new rival on my list of favorite big city investigators...

Tennyson Hardwick also known as "Ten" is a very complicated character. His story, which began in the novel Casanegra, is continued in this latest one. Ten, the son of a former LAPD captain, is a struggling actor and former prostitute. He is also