The Book Gourmet

Adam Kimble has been slowly crawling out of the dark hole that's been his life for the past year or so, ever since he witnessed a little girl slaughtered live, on his computer screen. He also desperately needs Meredith Fallon (in more ways than one), but has been keeping his distance in order to actually deserve her. Then someone makes her a target, and Adam will do anything to keep her safe, to keep her alive...Even if his year "of atonement" isn't over yet.


Another intense, thrilling, gut-wrenching book in Karen Rose's opus. This is what she does best, really. This perfect mix of thrills and chills, twisted suspense, and emotionally (and sometimes physically) scarred characters that somehow manage to find one another when the time is right, and then have to keep each other safe in order to have a shot at the life they deserve.

This story concludes (I think) the Cincinnati arc of this interconnected series with the big loose end left from the previous three books, namely the kingpin, the elusive supposed cop that terrorized a young girl instead of helping her.
Turns out, this person really exists, is even more evil than everybody thought, has fingers in more pies than previously believed...And the reveal of this person's identity is both a shock and a relief to at least one person involved in the investigation.
I must say I figured out who it was a little over halfway in, but I didn't mind. I was looking forward to seeing how they'd catch the bastard, and what would happen at the climax. Yes, Ms. Rose does her suspense well.

Her other forte are her characters. People you both want to hug and smack around at the same time. Flawed, layered, with real-life issues...I knew there was something off with Adam from the start, but I never suspected it ran so deep. Yet his issues were rather well-balanced with the issues of his heroine, Meredith. What a coincidence these two characters, that were so adept at wearing masks to hide what was truly going on, both having deep psychological issues, found each other and turned out to be perfect for one another.
Yes, the fit was a bit too cookie cutter perfect, but the romance still worked out nicely, because of the similarities and their "shared issues". And yes, in the end, I was glad they found one another.

Turns out the only uncoupled characters are Sloan and Dolores, Dani and Diesel (as star-crossed romances go, this one takes the trophy), and agents Troy and Quincy. I really hope Ms. Rose revisits the Cincinnati characters in the future (as she did with most of her Chicago crew in this book, which was a bit much, if you ask me), so we get to see these "loose" characters get their shot at happiness. :)

Yep, I liked this one, despite the overabundance of characters. They were mostly old friends, and well, the story itself was strong enough to sustain it.