Eruca Arthropoda Book #2
Bi Sexual, Thriller, LGBTQ Fiction,
DSP Publications
Feb 8, 2022
Kindle
344
Amazon
There is no crime without witnesses
When Detective George Donovan and his eccentric partner, Detective Andi Hayes, need a break from their gruesome job, a hike seems like just the thing.
Unfortunately, the job catches up with them when they find three dead men in a lake.
When the promising clues dry up, George and Andi turn once more to Andi’s “gift”—but this time things aren’t so easy. Andi’s mysterious talents are growing stronger, making it harder to block out the barrage of information and taking a toll on his physical and mental health. The cryptic clues his informants offer are even more bizarre than the case itself. And the more they discover about the victims, the more uncomfortable the investigation becomes.
Torn between catching a killer and serving justice, between George’s career and Andi’s sanity, the detectives have their work cut out for them if they’re going to solve these murders.
Review by Xanthe
Reviewer for The Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this series! I don’t know why I’m surprised as I love a good mystery and the added aspect of Detective Andi Hayes having the ability to hear all of the insects around him really ramps up the intensity as things become more intense for him through the series.
The case for Andi and George this time catches them off guard as it’s while they are on a hike to get away from it all that Andi’s ‘gift’ informs him that there are three dead bodies in the lake nearby. AAs with a lot of Andi’s cases, the question then becomes, how do you report this with a believable story considering it’s a dark, murky lake with no visible signs of anything. Just another day for Andi and George as they work the case but pressure seems to be increasing from the Chief, who seems to have some sort of vendetta against Andi. A bigger problem for them is how badly Andi’s ‘gift’ seems to be affecting him. Exhaustion and headaches getting worse, the influx of information is getting more intense and he’s finding it harder to pull back. George is getting extremely worried and stressing about the case, Chief and Andi, as well as his possibly changing feeling towards what has always been his career plans.
I’ve become fully invested in George and Andi. They seem to have quickly developed this symbiotic relationship where George can anticipate Andi’s needs and is there to care for him after the fact, as well as wanting to take any other pressures off him as well just to help in any way he can. It’s amusing to read how far they have come since they first met and Andi was extremely reserved and prickly, his normal social setting, but George has eased his way through Andi’s barriers and it’s sweet to read them together as Andi has come to rely on the man he believes is going to leave him in a year or so. I can’t wait to read if anything further develops between them as there is the barest hint of something that they both seem to want to deny to themselves now while things are still unsettled for each of them.
The case is a hard one considering the location that the bodies were found, the type of people the victims turn out to be and some skeletons in their closets lead to a multitude of possible suspects. The Chief has put Andi and George on the case hoping to see them fail but with Andi’s ‘gift’ they do have a big advantage though, for most of the book, it doesn’t feel that way, especially with the toll it seems to be taking on Andi’s mind and body. That’s a worry that both men share and are fearful of what it means for Andi’s future. What is also intriguing in this book is how each man feels about the justice system and their differing opinions, in particular regarding victims who, when alive, would be the bad guys that they would put away. It also gets complicated when you bring in Andi’s gift and how they can use it to solve cases but must…… tweak how they come about evidence because of that help. What’s brilliant is that, despite how the Chief feels, Andi clearly has people on his side, whether he likes it or not.
I loved all aspects of this book. The friendship and work relationship developments between Andi and George, and even the possibility of something more coming their way soon. The crime is confusing, detailed and overloaded with information that may or may not be relevant, keeping the detectives and the reader guessing. I’ve read the blurb for the next book and am exceedingly interested to see how that turns out considering who it turns out needs their help.