Wow wow wow. I absolutely loved this book. I picked it up in early September because the premise seemed super interesting but never found myself in the mood for a quirky detective romance ... until October 1st hit. Of course, I decided, this would be the perfect book to kick off ~spooky~ October. It was so much more in depth and intriguing than I was expecting and I highly recommend this book to everyone that is even remotely interested in the premise.
This story follows Riley Thorn, reluctant psychic, and Nick Santiago, dashing PI. Riley comes from a long line of women with some sort of psychic ability but Riley has made it her life's mission to be 'normal'. She's spent 30 years trying her best to block out or ignore any visions of the future or messages from beyond the grave. One day, a vision hits so close to home she can't ignore it - her neighbor in the apartment across the hall is going to be murdered. Nick is looking for that same neighbor so he can serve him some legal papers. Nick just wants to do the job he's being paid for and go back to his life of living by his own timetable but he's enthralled by Riley, her big brown eyes, and her plucky attitude. The two of them team up to track down the murder before the killer finds out that Riley knows more than she's letting on.
Now, right off the bat, I wouldn't say this book is primarily romance. Lucy Score does write a lot of romance (and I've read a few of her other books) and this book is marketed as an action/adventure romance. I'd say it leans much more toward the line of a detective PI thriller than a traditional romance. The romance elements are definitely there and the two characters do obviously like each other but they are much more focused on solving the murder so the romance takes a sort of side step for most of the book. There are some real steamy kisses, but they don't actually fall into bed together until about the 80% mark. Just a heads up for anyone that was looking for a romance with thriller side plot - this is not that book.
One of the best parts of this book for me was the overall tone. This is not some hard-boiled noir detective fiction story. The tone is pretty lighthearted (considering the subject matter) and there were quite a few laugh out loud moments for me. The tone reminded me of the TV show Dead Like Me - bit of a dark comedy with a lot of lighter comic relief moments put in. The comic relief mostly came in the form of the eccentric cast of characters that surround Riley and Nick. Riley lives in a house with a bunch of elderly neighbors that are well into the phase of being old where they feel they have carte blanche to do whatever they want just because they're old. They have no filters and questionable hearing but they look out for each other. Nick works with his cousin and his cousin's wife. The cousin will get a few wise cracks in at Nick's expense and his wife is the muscle of the trio. Riley's family are also a colorful bunch of characters - her mom and sister are very accepting of their gifts and lean in to the whole 'woo-woo' aspect of it all. And finally, there's Riley's spiritual advisor sent by her grandmother to help Riley develop her gift. He's plays the straight man to the others' antics but has his funny moments as well. All in all, the overall tone and cast of characters was perfection.
The thriller/mystery part was pretty interesting as well. It is the standard detective fiction set up of crime happens, investigator runs down various leads, throw in a few red herrings, and then solve the whole thing at the end. I think Nick being a PI and not a cop really helped loosen the story up since he was able to get a bit 'creative' with his methods. The investigation isn't all interviewing suspects or serving search warrants like it can be with other detective thrillers which I think will be a big draw for people who don't generally like this sub-genre. I thought the different directions of the investigation were interesting and all of them seemed viable until they were proved to not be part of the murder plot. I didn't find myself guessing the twist at the end, which I always appreciate, but the breadcrumbs are there so maybe a more careful reader would pick up on them. I was just having too much fun going along with the ride to pickup on and follow those crumbs to solve the mystery first. It isn't an overly complex crime plot and there are lots of other plot lines that we follow throughout the book that give a sort of rest from the constant investigation aspect that a lot of detective thrillers can fall into. While this book does have a very light tone overall, there are still very thrilling elements. It opens on a car chase and then goes back a few weeks into the past where we pick up the story from the beginning. I really liked this choice Score made because the whole time we have the countdown of the date in each chapter heading so we know how close we are to the car chase from the beginning. The investigation is relatively low danger, but once the dominoes fall all bets are off and the characters need to act fast.
The chemistry between Riley and Nick was fantastic. They go from strangers, to friends, to co-workers, to lovers and each step along the way made perfect sense. This is a long book and I think the relationship development was perfectly executed. Both characters are pretty set in their ways (Riley is 34, Nick is 37) and they know who they are. They both think they have figured out what they want in life and are equally annoyed at the other in the beginning for disrupting that status quo. However, they both enjoy the adventure of solving the case and they work together really well. I especially appreciated how Riley was anything but a stereotypical damsel in distress. In fact, she saved the day on more than one occasion. And Nick would always try to yell at her for putting herself in danger and she wouldn't take any of this scolding because she knew she did a good job. I really felt that they were the type of people who could see past each other's prickly exterior and that helped them really click in a way that neither of them had clicked with someone before. There is the fake dating/fiance trope in this book, which is one of my personal favorites. Both of these characters are fully developed people and they work together really well, leaning on each other when needed but also not needing the other to save them all the time.
The one part I wasn't happy about was the sort of cliffhanger ending. Yes, Riley and Nick solve the murder and get together by the end, but there are some unanswered questions and new characters introduced right at the end with a "that's not a good sign" sort of ending. In the author's note at the end, Lucy Score mentions wanting to write more stories with these characters - which I'm all for! I just really really hate walking into that sort of ending when there isn't a second book I can immediately start reading. By the halfway point of the book, I was already hoping this would turn into a series of cozy mysteries with Riley and Nick and the whole colorful cast of characters working together. I just didn't need the obvious sequel bait and it just made me a little grumpy that now I'd have to wait however long until the next book comes out (this book was just published on August 27, 2020).
544 pages
A light comedy thriller detective fiction that really ramps up the action toward the end. Cast of colorful characters support the two main characters who are perfect for each other and a super investigation team.
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