In His Sights (Second Sight 1) by K.C. Wells at Dreamspinner Press
Genre | Gay / Bisexual / Paranormal / Law Enforcement / Psychic Powers / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Kristin F. on 10-July-2024 |
Genre | Gay / Bisexual / Paranormal / Law Enforcement / Psychic Powers / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Kristin F. on 10-July-2024 |
Random letters belong on Scrabble tiles, not dead bodies. But when a demented serial killer targets Boston’s gay population, leaving cryptic messages carved into his victims, lead detective Gary Mitchell has no choice but to play along.
As the body count rises, Gary gets desperate enough to push aside his skepticism and accept the help of a psychic. Dan Porter says he can offer new clues, and Gary needs all the insight into the killer’s mind he can get.
Dan has lived with his gift—sometimes his curse—his entire life. He feels compelled to help, but only if he can keep his involvement secret. Experience has taught him to be cautious of the police and the press, but his growing connection to Gary distracts him from the real danger. As they edge closer to solving the puzzle, Dan finds himself in the killer’s sights….
I’m quite partial to a good mystery/thriller and this one checked all my boxes with the bonus of an additional male/male romance woven in.
What was refreshing with this particular mystery was Detective Mitchell is NOT an alcoholic, depressed, renegade ‘lone wolf’ in the police department. Yes, he has a tragic background, his relationship with his parents is more than rocky, and he’s questioning his sexuality. The good detective engages his team, works well with his boss, and isn’t afraid to use unconventional means to put an end to the murders.
Enter psychic Dan Porter – trust fund child, also has a rocky relationship with his parents, and is gay. The connection between Detective Mitchell and Dan is strong and the relationship goes from 0 to 60 fairly quickly. A little too fast maybe? But it works within the confines of the plot – Gary does spend some time contemplating this unexpected turn in his life, but there isn’t a huge amount of overwhelming angst that can sometimes bog down a character and plot.
The murder mystery is straightforward, the reader gets glimpses into the killer’s mind and motivations, a couple of good plot twists and the red herrings were fairly well executed. The final resolution was a bit formulaic and predictable with one of the main characters thinking, “…I’m just going to go down the block on my own, what can possibly go wrong?” but the climatic conclusion needs to be set up somehow and it worked. The “who done it” resolution was well executed.
So a well written male/male romance set against the backdrop of a murder mystery – the characters and plot pulled me in and this ended up being an enjoyable read. I’m quite looking forward to the next book!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook and print |
Length | Novel, 248 pages/82557 words |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 23-May-2023 |
Price | $6.99 ebook, $18.99 paperback |
Buy Link | https://dreamspinnerpress.com/books/in-his-sights-by-kc-wells-12330-b |