Dal Maclean

Like several other reviews, I have some seriously mixed feelings about this one. A strong, compelling debut novel with good writing (even though more aggressive editing would have helped) but with a very problematic romance at the center.

It's one thing to have complex, flawed love interests, it's another to excuse manipulative, deceitful, and ultimately selfish behavior on the basis of an abusive childhood and smoldering charisma. Very much not okay, especially without a redemption arc show more before the HEA.

Attraction does NOT = True Love. Friendly people are automatically good people. Feeling sorry for someone isn't the same as needing to put up with their B.S. Let's have romances that address these issues before letting characters end up together.

And yet, I did gallop through this novel thanks to the strength of the storytelling. The mystery could have been tighter and the plot more grounded, but all in all few complaints there. show less

When seeking a word to describe this debut novel I would have to say “turbulent.” will pretty much do it. Also...because of so much information given about the case and the characters in the first part of the book it weighted the story down. It was an extremely complex investigation with a great many victims... family...suspects... and alias names in the narrative. The scenes flipped between work situations... James's interactions with Ben...with Steggie, the friend, and the scenes in show more the apartment. By the point the climactic parts of the story came about, I had lost track of who was whom in the investigation and had to keep going back to determine who was being talked about. I didn’t dislike the story by any means but it was difficult to keep it all straight. The cast of characters does include police detectives that are friends...work well together...obviously like one another and at times become a hilarious bunch who are completely besides themselves in trying to solve these grisly mysterious deaths. As I stated I didn’t dislike the book at all and I will diffidently give this author another opportunity. show less

Holy COW. So, this one takes all those strands from the first book, and the second, and gathers them up in a fist, tighter and tighter, twisting, snapping some, until by the last third of this book I was yanked straight through to the end, where I was rewarded by a perfect last line.

What a great trilogy.

Whew.

For a lot of this book I kept thinking 'is this really a m/m romance? Or just a police procedural with a gay lead.' The case was interesting, but the romance part was not very enjoyable for me. I wasn't tempted to set it aside though, so it had me engaged at least that far. At the very end we finally get some insight into the other character, and I think I could maybe like them as a couple going forward from that point (in a following book). But in this book they were kind of a wreck. Still, show more I was entertained, and I am looking forward to reading the next book. show less