Review: Hell & High Water - Charlie Cochet

Title: Hell & High Water
Series: THIRDS Book 1
Author: Charlie Cochet
Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 7, 2014
Pages: 296

Review by Gloria Lakritz

Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild

I am on a roll this month, with reviews from authors I met at RainbowCon in Tampa.

So, of these books I have been reviewing I will note: these authors are new to me, but will be on my list to auto buy! Charlie Cochet has written a wonderful series, and I am far behind as Book 5, Against the Grain releases tomorrow August 3 as I write this review…I need some catching up!!!

Hell and High Water was a great introduction to give us an overview of what this series is about. Her writing style is wonderful, with snark, humor, innuendo, pace and voice of characters. This is not a chik lit book. It has a storyline of strong characters, dealing with horrors, killings and tortures in the under belly of New York.

To begin, our world has changed at the knowledge humans are not alone in the world. Shifters called Therians have evolved. Dexter Daley is a detective in the Human Police Force, sixth precinct in NYC( HPF) He has just testified in court that his partner had shot and killed a young Therian in cold blood, right in front of him during a meeting on a case. It is not going to go well as at his job, his fellow officers are not happy at him giving up a brother. Also unhappy with him, is his live in lover, who he finds moving out one day upon his returns home…Alone now, he has been tripped, mugged and beaten repeatedly and now he is being called into his Chief’s office.

Dex is now told he is being ‘promoted and transferred’ out to an elite group as a Defense Agent. His is father is a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron, (the THIRDS) and has called some favors… Dex is being sent there. His life in shambles Dex sets out to join this new team and become a strong part in it. What an eye opening first day on the new job for Dex, as he meets his team leader Sloane Brodie, and finds out this hella big, scowling, dark, sexy Therian will be his partner.

Ms. Cochet, you whett my appetite with this book within the first chapter. Continuing through this story was sheer magic. The characters jumped off the pages like in a comic book, pictures of them by your description jumped out at me in living color. Your attention to detail was fabulous, not over the top, I could see things not be reading them.

I loved Dex, so eager to be loved, always a smart remark, sometimes over the top, but it was so Dex. The team is a bunch of mismatched people, all becoming one unit, just waiting in the wings for their stories to be told. The force in the book, besides the underlying story of catching the bad guy, is the simmer of Dex and Sloane. It’s there but there is soooo much more to be told. I know I am late to the game, but better to be late than not play at all right???

Book two is on order and I look forward to Blood and Thunder. If you haven’t read this series yet join me in the trip.