Forensic Psychologist Michael MacGregor returns to his old home town when his estranged father, the local priest, is murdered in the first of a series of killings. Nathan Quarryman, the lover he walked out on years before and now the local Chief of Police, is tasked with investigating the crimes. The two men must find a way to settle their differences, repair their broken relationship, and work … work together to bring the killer to justice.
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** 4.5 stars **
I am wary of reading new authors. I know what I like in books and do not want to be disappointed, so I try to stick with the authors I love. Well the name sounded so appealing and the cover looked mighty good, so I put my big girl panties and gave this book a fair chance. I am glad that I did. It was very enjoyable. Yes, there were things that irked me, but for the most part I liked the easy way the story flowed, the language the author used – a smattering of British words without overwhelming usage of slang and idioms since the events are set in UK, modern language with small addition of old fashioned words. The story is told from a single POV, I usually like dual POV but the character despite some unfavorable traits had compelling thoughts and internal monologues that I enjoyed wading through.
Michael MacGregor whose POV we do get is a hard character to like at first. He is shown irresponsible, a tad selfish and a cheater (not to the MC but somebody else). I hate cheating in books so I thought to stop right there, but I figured that there had to be something to like about him since he had people who cared for him. Mikey’s character evolved slightly throughout the story and changed for the better. I liked that he took matters into his own hands, made decisions and stuck by them. His profession of Forensic Psychologist was rather fascinating and I enjoyed him while hard at work. In the end I figured that with a tyrant of a father and uncaring mother any youth would have caved under pressure and made choices that would haunt them. Mikey did own up to his misdeeds and made peace with everyone in the end.
Nathan Quarryman is the man who has carried his feelings bottled up for too long without a way of easing the tension. Mikey’s arrival and their subsequent meetings brought about the catharsis that was long overdue. Wow, the intensity of feelings, the pain he felt when they had it out between them was staggering and I loved it when it happened. Both men needed it, and it finally let them move past the hurt. I liked Nathan. He is loyal, steadfast and so caring. Years didn’t lessen his feelings for Mikey, and his return must have been painful for Nathan at first. I loved how their closeness returned. They used to be everything to each other. I wonder if they can get that close ever again after all these years. The second chance high school sweethearts trope was a good choice here. There is a promise of great love story by the end of the book.
The mystery was rather good. There were suspects who kept changing with new murders happening quite often. The investigation was not overly technical or in depth, nor was it fast paced but I enjoyed the small town mentality that allowed everyone to know everyone’s business thus providing plenty witnesses and helpful evidence. One thing to note is that the crucial moment when I, the reader, saw the possible killer was a tad sloppy and way too obvious. I wished that it didn’t happen like that. Up until that moment I was in the dark and enjoying the guessing game of my own. But overall the whodunit was well written and engaged me till the very end.
I am glad I tried this one. It had major feels, danger and mystery, was set in UK and was rather good story. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.