ABOUT THIS EPISODEWhen a 911 call goes wrong and a young man goes missing, it falls to Malcolm and Seong-Jae to investigate the responding officers when Internal Affairs’ internal politics leave the case compromised and the officers aren’t willing to talk. But with Seong-Jae on the wrong side of the thin blue line, tensions just may turn violent before the detectives find their answers–and only … find their answers–and only their trust in each other will keep this investigation from hitting a dead end. Will Malcolm and Seong-Jae’s savage love survive the test, or will this case end in self-destruction?
With Sade mysteriously vanished once more, taking one of their major assets out of commission, it’s anyone’s game. Especially when their missing young man becomes a dead young man…and no one will admit who’s truly responsible for his violent demise.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Baltimore homicide detective Malcolm Khalaji has his own way of doing things: quiet, methodical, logical, effective, not always particularly legal. He’s used to working alone—and the last thing he needs is a new partner ten years his junior.
Especially one like Seong-Jae Yoon.
Icy. Willful. Detached. Stubborn. Seong-Jae is all that and more, impossible to work with and headstrong enough to get them both killed…if they don’t kill each other first. Foxlike and sullen, Seong-Jae’s disdainful beauty conceals a smoldering and ferocious temper, and as he and Malcolm clash the sparks between them build until neither can tell the difference between loathing and desire.
But as bodies pile up at their feet a string of strange, seemingly unrelated murders takes a bizarre turn, leading them deeper and deeper into Baltimore’s criminal underworld. Every death carries a dangerous message, another in a trail of breadcrumbs that can only end in blood.
Malcolm and Seong-Jae must combine their wits against an unseen killer and trace the unsettling murders to their source. Together, they’ll descend the darkest pathways of a twisted mind—and discover just how deep the rabbit hole goes. And if they can’t learn to trust each other?
Neither will make it out alive.
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This book is sort of the tipping point. Almost like the beginning of the end. The mystery was top notch and kept me on the edge the whole time. Though I think the case will come back to haunt them.
Sade’s arc is finally making a bit of sense but still so much is unknown. I’m pretty sure Sade and Huang will get a book and I’m really looking forward to that.
Malcolm and Seong Jae!!!! Maybe I should stop gushing about them in every installment but truthfully, I just can’t.
I love you too much, too fast, too soon.
And I am afraid that you could never love me. ~Seong Jae
This book ends in the biggest cliffhanger in the series yet and I have no words to describe the last chapter. I can’t even imagine what will happen when Seong Jae’s lies come to light. All I wish is that he doesn’t hurt Malcolm. Atleast not too much.
You, Malcolm thought, his heart so full its overflow felt as painful as weeping, are more beautiful than I deserve.
Honestly, I simply adore this couple and so love the Criminal Intentions series. I don’t know how the author manages to keep the stories and cases so fresh, but they are never dull and often keep me on the edge of my seat.
The case in Backdraft was less action and more a mental workout as the partners try to piece together what really transpired, and yet it still had me glued to my kindle to see how Malcolm and Seong-Jae would solve it. I also loved how the Sila plotline continues to build over the course of this season, with the tension palpable throughout Backdraft as I waited for him to strike. Between Sila and Sade, the side plots in Criminal Intentions are almost as addicting as Seong-Jae and Malcolm, and I’m dreading it almost as much as I’m excited to see what will come.
Beyond that, I love getting to see Seong-Jae and Malcolm’s relationship develop and strengthen. Their hard edges and soft touches contain so much feeling and their chemistry at work and home is undeniable. This series has to be one of the best slow burn romances I’ve ever read, keeping me eagerly coming back for more without things ever seeming dull or unnecessarily strung along.
A 991 call goes wrong and a person goes missing but things are not so easy as they think it would be. Internal affairs get involved but some officers are refusing to talk. Their relationship may not survive this case. See how they find the truth
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It Grabbed My attention and focus so strong I could not put it down. A word of advice when you get your copy. Grab a snack, a comfy seat, kick back and relax. You will not be moving until you finish this bad boy here. Remarkable job. Thanks for sharing.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh this was a great episode in the Criminal Intentions series. Everything is slowly and quietly leading up to something and I’m so here for it!
We got to see much more of Sila in this episode and he was terrifying. We’ve only read heard about Sila before and seen very small interactions of him with Gabrielle, but now we get so much more and I’m genuinely scared. So, thanks!
The investigative case in this episode was heartbreaking and so very real. Seong-Jae and Malcolm investigate a possible homicide by two police officers. And while I was on the very edge of my seat, I do love how well these two men work with each other.
And we got some lightness just before the cliffhanger of an ending, which I’m thankful for. I think I’m going to be taking a break from this series until the remaining books of season 1 are out. Just because, by following the author on Twitter, I don’t think I’m going to be able to deal with reading cliffhangers once a month. I need to binge the remaining books over the space of a few days. I can’t wait!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I absolutely loved it. I’m glad I set aside a block of time when I got my hands on this. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down, as always, this series just keeps getting better and better and drawing me in further every single time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dealing with psychopaths
That is the theme of this installment of Criminal Intentions, as our heroes are confronted with a wide spectrum of psychopathic and sociopathic types, in and outside the agency that employs them. We know about the one with mismatched eyes, and the one who stole Sade’s heart despite being a drug lord, but they are everywhere– deep in Internal Affairs, and also patrolling the streets in uniform, like the ones behind a police shooting death our heroes need to solve.
If you think the story’s over, you will be wrong. It won’t be over until every last criminal in Malcolm and Seong-jae’s lives is given justice. That will take another ‘season,’ for sure. Meanwhile they keep each other sane with plenty of hot trysting. Love will win.
This is a long episode, so settle in. All kinds of things turn and flip around and change until this reader bit a knuckle as she read the last chapter. She maybe whimpered at the end. Don’t tell anyone. *waits for #11*
Join in the CI fan enthusiasm! Mal and Seong-Jae are intense!
I love this series! Each book just gets better and better, and this was no exception. Mal and Seong-Jae are such complex characters, it’s fascinating to just listen to them talk or think, interact with each other. While working they finish each other’s sentences, they get each other. In private both men finally relax and show their feelings. Seong-Jae can be cranky one moment then he melts into Malcolm. Malcolm is a steady presence, he is unwavering in his love and support of Seong-Jae. I loved those sweet and tender moments between them. Passion was explosive. It was intense, hot and a little bit wild.
While the case itself is not a mystery, it raises a question of loyalty. What do you do when a grievous mistake was made? Do you stay true to yourself or do you lie? Where do you cross the line when lives are at stake? Malcolm and Seong-Jae uncover the truth. It’s fascinating how they think, detect the smallest inconsistencies. It all comes down to one point: do you cover for the brothers in blue or do you get justice for the innocents?
I loved the multiple POVs that made this story multidimensional. Sade’s fate is beginning to take shape, Sila is making his move, Gabrielle’s presence finally makes sense. The best parts of the book are very personal. We see Seong-Jae flustered and nervous, but the love between these men is getting stronger, and it will get worse before it will get better. The hornet’s nest has been stirred. It was freaking awesome! I can’t wait to read the next one! I highly recommend it!