Will her virtual scheme succeed when flesh-and-blood
killers attack?
Desperate to get justice for his slain family, Jones
Colton hires Allie Chandler to do what Chicago officials couldn't. Though both
are fierce loners, the grieving artisan and the PI agree to work together and
keep it professional. When Allie uses her hacking skills to seek out the
murderers, their teamwork yields wild passion…and a danger neither expected…
Good book. It's been several months since the murder of Jones's
father and uncle. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Jones hires a California
PI to do what the cops can't. Allie has a high success rate using unusual
methods, and she's going to need every one of them on this case.
I liked both Jones and Allie. In previous books in the
series, we've seen how the murders affected the whole family. Here we see more
of their effect on Jones. He and his dad had something of a strained
relationship thanks to Jones's career decisions. It eats at Jones that his
father died before he repaired their relationship and that his dad may have
still been disappointed in Jones's choices. Finding the killer will go a long
way toward making him feel that his dad could be proud of him again. Even
though he is part of a big family, Jones is also a bit of a loner. He loves his
family, but he also needs his time alone and is somewhat set in his ways.
Allie never liked being the center of attention, even as
a child. As she got older, she preferred her own company and her computer and
developed the reputation of being socially awkward. She doesn't suffer fools
gladly, tends to get lost in whatever she's working on to the exclusion of
everything else, and can be uncomfortably honest. Allie will also do almost
anything to avoid groups of people.
The first meeting between Jones and Allie was a bit
awkward thanks to a hotel disaster and a rainstorm, plus Jones's tendency to
get lost in his work. I liked that they came to an understanding quickly, aided
by Jones's invitation to stay with him. It was easy to see the beginnings of
some sparks between them as they ironed out the details of their cohabitation. Those
sparks flared a little brighter when Jones talked her into attending the beer
pairing dinner at his cousin's restaurant that night. The night finished with a
bang when Allie was attacked and stabbed. Jones's protectiveness kicked in,
especially when they discovered it wasn't a random attack.
I loved watching the bond between them develop. Besides
their loner tendencies, each time one of them shared something of their pasts,
the similarities drew them closer together. Though they tried to keep things
professional initially, their attraction soon became too much to resist.
Even then, they intended to keep things
casual, but their hearts did not cooperate. Allie feared that she brought
danger to Jones and tried to pull away, but he was determined to stay close. In
the end, they discovered that even two loners could find happiness with someone
special.
The suspense of the story kept me hooked from beginning
to end. Because the things that Allie does aren't always admissible in court,
even if she knew something to be true, proof needed to be found. The attempts
to obtain that proof often put Allie and Jones in danger, and there were many
times I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was fascinated by Allie's methods,
and I could see why Jones was also captivated by her. As Jones and Allie began
to close in on their quarry, the intensity of the danger also increased. The
final confrontation was a nail-biter, though it didn't turn out quite as I
expected. Some questions are resolved, others remain unanswered, and no one
will give up until justice is served.
There was a secondary mystery going on that involved
Allie. Because of the work she does, she has made some powerful enemies. From a
random stabbing that wasn't so random to attacks on both her and Jones, they
never know where it will come from next. Allie suspected who was behind it, but
she couldn't take action without proof, especially considering the background. That
the resolution of this issue came in the middle of their other operation added
complications to an already intense situation. I liked how a bit of Jones's
past played an important part in ending the threat.
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