V. J. Chambers

Having cut my teeth on decades of Stephen King's scary, scary, nights, I thought I had lost all my bejabbers years ago. I was wrong. There is a moment in this story so intensely frightening, I mean Jim-Bob, we are going to have to re-lock all the doors and windows tonight. Chambers' characters are wired wrong. Murder is a game, a craving, a need, a fierce pleasure. Whodunit fans, grab your favorite nerve tonic and curl up with this one!

Having cut my teeth on decades of Stephen King's scary, scary, nights, I thought I had lost all my bejabbers years ago. I was wrong. There is a moment in this story so intensely frightening, I mean Jim-Bob, we are going to have to re-lock all the doors and windows tonight. Chambers' characters are wired wrong. Murder is a game, a craving, a need, a fierce pleasure. Whodunit fans, grab your favorite nerve tonic and curl up with this one!

This wasn't your typical "noir" mystery with a craggy he-man in charge of cranking up the V8 engine and driving mercilessly from point A to point B. It was more of a slow, kind of thoughtful burn that gives us surprising insight into the character of Ivy Stern. We learn about her "romantic" escapades, her exit from the police force, her over-drinking, the loss of her parents, etc. Oh, yeah, and there's a mystery that she's working on, too; and the client is a jerk. Possibly not a book for show more every reader, but I liked her a lot as a protagonist. She's honest and earthy, even if she drinks too much. I'm definitely curious to see where she goes next. I'd certainly invite her over for a summer cook-out to liven up the scene.

(Disclosure: I got this book free one day during an Amazon giveaway in June, but it would have been worth paying for. The author is now on my list of people to buy coffee for when they show up to claim it.) show less

Leigh Thorn is hiding out in a backwoods college because her father put her in danger, and if the wrong people find her, she’s dead. She’d rather snort lines than think about that. She’d rather do shots of marshmallow-flavored vodka until she can’t remember.

When Griffin Fawkes arrives with the news that her father’s dead, she isn’t sure if she cares. He wasn’t much of a father anyway. The only silver lining here is that Griffin’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and Leigh wants him show more bad.

Griffin owes his life to Leigh's father. The man begged him to keep his daughter safe. But Griffin didn't expect a cocaine-fueled party girl who barely seems to care about her own safety. It seems like she'd rather destroy herself than anything else.

Even worse, he didn't expect he'd care about her. He knows he's too damaged to ever really be with a woman. The best he can do is to make sure she’s safe from whoever could hurt her. Including herself. Including himself. show less