Kemal GoodwinThe last thing he needed was another cop in his life.Growing up with his dad on the force was hard enough on Kemal. And with the shape his dad is in now, the last thing Kemal wants is someone around to remind his dad of his glory days as a detective in the Dark Falls PD. So when Eve Scanlon shows up with a lead in the one cold case his dad never let go, he’s going to make damned sure … never let go, he’s going to make damned sure she doesn’t get his dad involved.
Eve Scanlon
Eve doesn’t care what Kemal Goodwin wants or doesn’t want. She’s got a job to do and the body of a woman who vanished decades before, not to mention evidence of a child out there somewhere in danger. If Kemal thinks he’s going to get in the way, she’s got a wake up call for him. Her former mentor might be retired, but he knows this case better than anyone.
Solving a case with thirty-year-old evidence and not a whole lot of leads. Yeah, that’s hard. Dealing with the feelings for Kemal that she definitely doesn’t want and absolutely isn’t going to act on? That might prove to be damn near impossible.
more
This is my first book by Ryan and I have not read any other books in this multi-author series yet so I do not know if characters cross stories but I had no trouble keeping up with the characters or following the plot. This read is attention-grabbing with good characters, twists and turns, and includes thought-provoking issues relevant in today’s society. It gets you thinking. There is plenty of mystery, suspense, danger, drama, and a tad of romance to hold your interest from beginning to end.
Dark Prison involves an interesting cold case murder as well as more recent missing girls that pull a grief-stricken, health challenged, retired cop back into the game by his former mentee, a young captain and her team of detectives revolving around a church/commune and its reverend and his wife. There is definitely nefarious goings-on occurring and everyone is tight-lipped with any information related to missing girls and once Eve and her team start putting the clues together, things take a dangerous turn for her when she gets too close to a truth that some want to stay hidden. The only negative that I have in this story is the relationship between Kemal and Eve. I did not really feel a true connection between them and even though their relationship was developing, I felt there was a lot missing. Most of the emotions and romance between them was glossed over and I would have liked it more if there had been a bit more depth and development. Aside from that, I did enjoy the story and I look forward to catching up on the others in the series.
*I received an advanced copy from the author and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
Dark Prison by Lori Ryan will have you on the edge of your from the very first page. A 30 year old cold case get re-opened when the body of a young woman is found. A run away who went missing at 15 whose body was just found leaves everyone scrambling to finger this out. Nothing is as it seem. The twist and turns will have you turning the pages to find out why and who did it! Don’t forget to breathe as you will be holding your breath until the very end. Add in a hot, sexy, too hot to handle man and you have romance and suspense at it best! Lori Ryan has done it again tell a story that will hold you in it grib until the very last page.
3 stars
I purchased a copy of the Dark Prison: Eve and Kemal in the Dark Falls Box Set 1-5 Dark Falls, CO Romantic Thrillers by Lori Ryan et al and this review was given freely.
The negative outweighed the good and overshadowed the happy ending.
A dark and fairly negative story of discrimination involving people of color and the police blended with the evil practices of a cult and a mildly steamy love/hate/insecurity relationship.
Captain Eve Scanlon struggles with her feelings for her retired mentor’s college professor son Kemal Goodwin while at the same time struggling to solve the mystery of multiple teen girls.
18+ for graphic descriptions
3.75 Stars Captain Eve Scanlone has seen all her detectives fall in love and has to admit they are happier because of it. Eve has been extremely busy trying to run her department, please the Mayor, and gain back the confidence of Dark Falls after the recent police corruption and discovering a serial killer amongst her detectives. Romance was the last thing on her mind.
When a body turns out to be the missing person from an old cold cases, Eve reaches out to her mentor. Detective Goodwin is retired, but has never forgotten about this missing girl case. Godwin’s son, Kamal, is not happy with Eve for dragging his dad back into law enforcement. In-between solving this bizarre case involving a cult, Eve finds herself attracted to Kamal. The feeling is mutual, though serious social issues could drive a wedge between them. This author takes on the controversial subject of how Blacks are perceived and treated by the police. I wasn’t expecting this topic. The author handles this issue by giving the perspective from both sides, which leads to some intense conversations between Eve and Kamal. Because Eve is in a management role in a male dominated field, she can relate to some of the feelings Kamal expresses. By adding this topic to a romantic suspense book, the investigation part of this story almost became insignificant.
So glad to get Captain Eve Scanlon story. And what a story it was! I really enjoyed the mystery of the missing girls, coupled with her growing feelings for Kemal.
This book opens with the find of a body related to a cold case. Eve’s retired partner Glenn had continued to work this case long after it went cold and until he retired.
Now Captain, Eve is reopening the case on new evidence and she needs to talk to Glenn. She hasn’t visited very often lately, her busy schedule has made that difficult. Glenn hasn’t been the same since his wife died and his son, Kemal doesn’t like her talking about the job but this time he doesn’t get the choice.
In spite of Kemal’s protests, Glenn is going to help all he can with this investigation.
What Eve doesn’t expect is her almost overwhelming attraction to Kemal. I loved the internal battles they both seem to have.
As we learn more about this case we also get to see some of the hot racial topics that are in the news almost daily, these are handled with grace, dignity and truth.
Plenty of frustration and intrigue, laced with some family drama and a relationship that sizzles.
I received an advanced copy of this book. This is a Dark Falls book. In this one, Eve finally catches a break on a long cold case. A body is found that leads her to a local church, that is kind of like a cult. The cold case is one that brings her back to her mentor, Glenn and his son, Kemal. She must solve the case, while engaging Glenn, discovering her feelings for Kemal, and balancing the needs of the city so that she can bring justice to all of the missing girls she is finding as she keeps going in the case. This is a great book that I had a hard time putting down!
Overall I thought this was a good read. Eve is a detective working on a cold case of a missing teen. She enlists the help of her mentor and friend Glenn, but is instantly met with resistance from his son Kemal. There story is fast paced, and the suspense of the cold case is interlaced with an enemies to lovers romance between Eve and Kemal, as well as very real dialogue concerning social justice. I haven’t read all books in the series, just a few, but I had no issues jumping right in.
As a reader you jump right in to this story! There is mystery, murder and intrigue right from the start. This isn’t just a story about solving a case though, it deals with a lot of social issues from abused teens, runaways, the foster system and race relations just to name a few. There’s also the fear of falling in love, trying to keep yourself away from someone because it seems like the right thing to do, angst and fighting the powers that be to do the right thing. I was left holding my breath with each new page, never knowing where it was going to lead! Basically I just really loved this book!
This is my first read by this author, though I’ve found more on my kindle so I need to catch up. This story grabbed me from the beginning and kept me entertained. I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout this story investigating a ‘cult’. The book was interspersed with their budding relationship but it didn’t overpower the story which I liked.
In this final book in the Dark Falls series, Captain Eve Scanlon assists her detectives with the case of a woman’s body that is found in a cemetery, in a freshly dug grave. The woman is identified as a teen who has been missing for decades, has signs of being held captive and at some point, gave birth. Where has she been all these years? Eve contacts her former mentor, Glenn, who had worked to find the missing teen prior to his retirement. Contacting Glenn brings her in to contact with his son, Kemal, who stirs feelings in Eve that she tries to ignore. While Eve is of mixed heritage, Kemal, a professor and African American has issues towards Eve and the police. When a small piece of evidence leads Eve and her team to a church compound, will she find the answers she needs to close this cold case as well as those of several other missing teens? When Eve finds herself in danger, will her team and Kemal be able to save her? A great ending to a wonderful series! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author. (by paytonpuppy)
Be sure to pick up Dark Prison by Lori Ryan for a wonderful roller coaster ride of a romantic crime fiction suspense story. The characters are realistically portrayed dealing with problems found in today’s society. I read this book in two days and would recommend it highly. CASL
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of Dark Prison . The entire series is fantastic .
I was not disappointed at all with Dark Prison . It is intriguing and suspenseful . I was captivated from the start . This is Eve Scanlon of Dark Falls police chief and Kernal I Goodwin Professor and son of her former partner’s story . Eve is investigating a cold case of a missing girl . It takes her to the steps of the Blessed Divine Church (a Cult ) . Eve comes face to face with evil and danger . Kernal and Eve fight their growing attraction .
This is a fabulous , interesting and suspenseful story . I couldn’t put it down . An all out phenomenal book . I highly recommend reading it .
A riveting tale of the abduction of young women, Dark Prison takes you into the shadows of a cult masquerading as a church/commune. The body of a young woman who went missing years before has turned up. Eve opens the cold case up & stumbles into a bigger case. She involves her former partner who investigated the original case.
Kemal is the son of Eve’s former partner. He is trying to stop Eve from involving his dad in the case even as he sees it pulling him from his grief. Kemal has disliked the police for incidents in the past that seem ripped from today’s headlines. He’s also trying to fight his attraction to Eve.
Women are stronger than some give them credit for. I feel the author was trying to show that in this case. The missing women had to endure captivity & violence until they were browbeaten. The author, through Eve’s thoughts, expresses the horror & pain of this. The case is concluded in a timely manner. I look forward to the next in the series to see if Eve & Kemal’s relationship keeps moving forward.
This book had Eve working to solve solve a cold case that her former partner had been unable to solve. It was interesting the way Eve pulled together the facts of the case regarding the missing teenagers. Being able to determine that the church was more of a cult than a commune, Eve steadily put the pieces of the puzzle together.
I have to admit that I was shocked that Eve would make a dangerous move like she did at one point. Then, I was further shocked by the move Kemal made. After everything else in the book, those actions (coming from BOTH of them) did more than teeter on the edge of ridiculousness.
Wrapped around the plot of the book was subject matter that I felt Lori Ryan did a pretty decent job of expressing, not only some of the feelings involved, but the situation as it stands. She was able to convey a bone deep fear that most POC live with every day. A hesitation to reach out for help that could end up costing you your life. Sound dramatic? Sound like the plot of a book? Too bad that it happens to be a reality for so many people. She also presented an opposite view. There is more I could say, but I will step off of my soapbox now.
I would liked to have seen more of Kamel and Eve developing their relationship, spending more time together that didn’t have to do with Glen. I couldn’t quite figure out their ages, with Eve being the former partner of Kamel’s father.
There was mystery, suspense, and danger that left me on edge waiting to see how it was going to unfold. There was also a little romance and a little heat. This book could be read as a standalone. I have read a couple of other books in the series, but not the on immediately prior to this one. I wonder if I had would it have made a difference in how I saw Kamel and Eve’s relationship? The other branches of the storyline were interesting, but I have so many unanswered questions about Kamel and Eve. Where do they go from here? Will the be an openly dating couple? Do they get an HEA, or a HFN, etc.?
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.