If she wants to know his secrets…
This time it could be fatal.
Journalist Neema Kamau will risk anything to uncover the
truth. She'll even get close to politician Davis Black in order to investigate
his possible organized crime connections. But when her professional interest
turns personal, Neema knows that she risks losing the story -- and the man --
if she tells Davis the truth. And the stalker who's circling them both might
rob her of the chance to make things right…
Good book with a slow burn romance and interesting
suspense element. Davis Black is the youngest of the prominent Chicago family.
Unlike many of his family, Davis chose civic involvement instead of joining law
enforcement. Davis was recently elected alderman of his district and already had
a reputation as a caring and honorable leader. Therefore, he isn't happy when
his father, Jerome, the police superintendent, all but orders him to meet with
Alexander Balducci, a man suspected of having ties to organized crime.
Neema is an award-winning reporter with the city paper.
Her parents own a restaurant where she frequently helps out. She witnesses the
meeting between Balducci and Davis and sees a suspicious exchange of what looks
like cash. Neema smells a possible story and plans to get close enough to Davis
to investigate her suspicions.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Davis and Neema. They met briefly the night he met with Balducci, and the
sparks between them were immediate. Davis was amusing with his blatant
excitement over his upcoming meeting with Neema and her father and his
happiness at securing a date with her. Neema, who also feels the sparks,
accepts the date with a healthy dose of skepticism and suspicion. During their
dinner out, Neema finds her doubts fading as her admiration for Davis grows. As
they spend more time together, Neema feels guilty about not telling him about
her job. She knows she has to come clean, but finding the right time proves
difficult. The longer she waits, the harder it is, and she fears that it could
destroy their growing relationship. Davis is obviously smitten, and his
enjoyment of her company is evident. He finds it easy to share things with her
that he usually doesn't talk about and appreciates her support during some rough
times. It all comes crashing down when the truth comes out. I ached for both
Neema and Davis. Davis felt betrayed and doubted her feelings for him, while
Neema thought all of her fears had come true. Though it took some effort and
unsolicited advice from his family, I liked the ending. I especially liked the
realism that it wasn't immediately all unicorns and rainbows; instead, it took
time and attention to get back to where they were.
The suspense of the story was good, with a lot going on.
First, there was the requested meeting with Balducci. Let me say right off that
the relationship of the head of the police with a known/suspected criminal
struck me as all kinds of wrong. It was explained later, but the optics were terrible.
I also hated the way Jerome forced Davis into doing it. I know that Davis has a
lot of respect for his father, but I would have had more respect for Davis if
he'd refused. Yes, it set up the meeting with Neema, but... Then there were the
attacks on Davis, one of which implicated him in a murder. Are the two events
connected, or has Davis's political activities angered someone? The final
confrontation was a little bit anticlimactic thanks to Davis's dog but satisfying
nonetheless. I did not see the twists that went along with that event coming.
The book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, leading into the next book.
I liked seeing the other members of Davis's family and
how close they all are. I especially liked how his siblings immediately came to
him when he asked for their help. My only exceptions were Davis's father, as
previously mentioned, and his sister Simone. In the previous book,
Reunited by the Badge, I noted her tendency toward the melodramatic. In this book, she
takes it too far in a vicious confrontation with Neema.
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