They watch the streets, scouring faces… …To catch a killer in the shadows When a civilian disappears, Detective Finn Cavanaugh catches the case. His partner-in-catching-crime? Brainy and beautiful insurance investigator Nik Kowalski, whose method of pursuing people clashes with Finn’s own–and whose charms prove all too alluring. As their missing-person case heats up, Nik and Finn race to … and Finn race to find the killer haunting their waking nightmares.
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Good entry in the Cavanaugh series. Finn is a grand-nephew of Seamus Cavanaugh, on the Murdoch Cavanaugh side of the family. Like most of the Cavanaughs, Finn is a member of the Aurora PD. When Seamus is injured during a carjacking, Finn is the detective assigned to the case. There isn’t much to go on, just a partial fingerprint, but Finn is determined to catch the culprit.
Nik is an insurance investigator who took a leave of absence to search for a friend’s missing daughter. She doesn’t make much progress until the missing girl’s fingerprint shows up in a carjacking case. Now she is determined to join forces with Finn, whether he likes it or not.
Finn is a tough, no-nonsense cop with a laser-like focus. He always gives his cases 100% of his attention, but this case is personal for him. He makes it clear to Nik that he is not interested in her help – until he discovers he needs it after all. He isn’t happy about it, and it shows. Their methods are very different. Finn is direct and not very tactful in his questioning. Nik is more of a people person, and her softer methods turn out to be very successful.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the relationship between Finn and Nik develop while they worked together. Finn initially seems impervious to Nik’s lighter personality, but eventually, she gets under his skin. It was fun to see her ignore his attitude and keep chipping away at his aloofness. When the robbery/missing person case turns into a hunt for a serial killer, their teamwork becomes crucial to solving the case. I loved the interactions between them, as sparks of attraction flew, and they finally quit fighting it. As they grew closer, there was also a need to support each other. I loved seeing Nik be there for Finn when he had to deliver bad news, and when Finn did the same for her at the end. I ached for Nik when she believed their relationship was over and loved Finn’s unique declaration of his feelings.
The suspense of the story was terrific. It started intensely with Seamus as the victim that got the ball rolling, and maintained the intensity throughout the investigation. The discovery of blood in the trunk of Seamus’s car showed that there was more to the crime than a mere carjacking. I could feel Finn and Nik’s frustration as the bodies piled up, and clues were hard to find. Nik’s different perspective provided some useful leads, and Finn quickly began to appreciate her presence. One crucial connection provided the information needed to catch the killer. I was glued to the pages during the final confrontation, anxious to see how it would go. I was happy to see that I was correct in my suspicions and loved how it went down.
As always with a Cavanaugh book, I loved the importance of family. The outpouring of support at the hospital was heartwarming, and also funny as the new ER head nurse had her first experience with them (“Oh, lord, they warned me about this.”). I ached for Seamus as what happened to him affected his confidence in himself, leaving his family members struggling to help him. I loved how it was an outsider that found the key. There are so many family members now that they can’t all make cameos in the story, but there are still some. Valri’s computer skills play a big part, and as CSI, Sean makes multiple appearances. As always, one of Andrew’s parties is a key in bringing a new person into the fold, and Nik was no exception.
The Cavanaugh clan is a large family living in Aurora, California, most of whom are involved in law enforcement. Seamus Cavanagh, is the 81-year old patriarch, retired robbery detective and head of a security firm, where many of his younger relatives are employed. While checking out one of the buildings his security firm protects, his is attacked, his car is carjacked and he is left for dead in the parking lot. Fortunately he is found shortly there after, by some of his relatives/employees. His car is found later with blood in the trunk and wiped down except for a fingerprint on the rearview mirror.
Seamus’s grand nephew, Findley (Finn) is in the robbery division and is quickly on the case. Into the the squad room walks lovely Nikola Kowalski, insurance investigator, on “vacation” looking for the daughter of a friend. The fingerprints found on the rearview mirror belong to her, Marilyn Palmer. Nik would like to join forces with Finn to find Marilyn, but their personalities clash and Finn brushes her off- until he finds that he needs her. While working together, Finn finds that her style of “catching more flies with honey…” works in their favor- until the case becomes a search for a serial killer. They start working as a team, while the body count grows. Will they catch the murder and find Marilyn before she becomes the next victim?
Great character development, easy banter and an action packed page turning story, made this a terrific read, but because the books in the series are on the short side, I found some things lacking. There was no follow through with clues like a note in the hand of one of the victims with Marilyn fingerprint on it and why was the senator’s daughter never reported missing? And this reader would like to know more of Nik’s background and family. I image we will be seeing more of Finn’s brother, Cullen in a future book.