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The Precinct: Vice Squad #1
Up Against the Wall
Stuck Between Rock Hard And A Hard Place
He was built like a tank, and he was undercover in Kansas City's seediest district. Waist-deep in the trouble that came along with the Vice Squad, Seth Cartwright had unwanted company.
After several years, investigative reporter Rebecca Page was finally getting her chance to uncover the truth behind her father's death—if she could swing Seth to her side.
There was no debating that Seth ignited her temper, along with something else at her core. He said he was no longer a cop, though Rebecca suspected there was more to Seth than met the eye. And awaiting them was a deadly secret that KC's most ruthless criminal minds will do anything to keep buried deep forever.
He was built like a tank, and he was undercover in Kansas City's seediest district. Waist-deep in the trouble that came along with the Vice Squad, Seth Cartwright had unwanted company.
After several years, investigative reporter Rebecca Page was finally getting her chance to uncover the truth behind her father's death—if she could swing Seth to her side.
There was no debating that Seth ignited her temper, along with something else at her core. He said he was no longer a cop, though Rebecca suspected there was more to Seth than met the eye. And awaiting them was a deadly secret that KC's most ruthless criminal minds will do anything to keep buried deep forever.
242 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
47 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Julie Miller
293 books369 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie Miller writes breathtaking romantic suspense. She's won a National Readers Choice Award and two Daphne du Maurier Awards among other prizes. She was also honored to receive a Career Achievement Award from RT BookReviews and has been a finalist for many national and international awards. Her books have appeared on the USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, Amazon and BookScan Top 100 Romances bestseller lists.
Writing about Kansas City cops, Julie has crafted bestselling, award-winning books for Harlequin Intrigue. In addition, Ms. Miller publishes romantic suspense books with a military twist. Millions of copies of her books have been sold in print and digital formats around the world.
USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie Miller writes breathtaking romantic suspense. She's won a National Readers Choice Award and two Daphne du Maurier Awards among other prizes. She was also honored to receive a Career Achievement Award from RT BookReviews and has been a finalist for many national and international awards. Her books have appeared on the USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, Amazon and BookScan Top 100 Romances bestseller lists.
Writing about Kansas City cops, Julie has crafted bestselling, award-winning books for Harlequin Intrigue. In addition, Ms. Miller publishes romantic suspense books with a military twist. Millions of copies of her books have been sold in print and digital formats around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 17, 2023
Esta serie tiene sus años y en esta ocasión se ha notado demasiado.
Por lo demás, me gustan estas novelas románticas de suspense clásicas y siento curiosidad por el miniuniverso creado por la autora para esta serie. No es nada del otro mundo pero me gustan. De hecho, le habría puesto más puntuación porque tanto la relación de los protagonistas como la trama de suspense están muy bien aunque sea un poco predecibles al final pero el que haya envejecido mal en ciertos temas me ha estropeado un poco su lectura. En cuanto a los personajes, pese a ser periodista, Rebecca, la protagonista me ha caído bien y a ambos los conocíamos de la novela anterior. Esta quinta novela ha tenido, además, un toque de noir y por el casino en el barco un aire decadente que le ha dado un toque especial.
Por lo demás, me gustan estas novelas románticas de suspense clásicas y siento curiosidad por el miniuniverso creado por la autora para esta serie. No es nada del otro mundo pero me gustan. De hecho, le habría puesto más puntuación porque tanto la relación de los protagonistas como la trama de suspense están muy bien aunque sea un poco predecibles al final pero el que haya envejecido mal en ciertos temas me ha estropeado un poco su lectura. En cuanto a los personajes, pese a ser periodista, Rebecca, la protagonista me ha caído bien y a ambos los conocíamos de la novela anterior. Esta quinta novela ha tenido, además, un toque de noir y por el casino en el barco un aire decadente que le ha dado un toque especial.
April 1, 2010
Three years ago, her father, an investigative reporter, was murdered to silence the story he was working on. Now it’s up to Rebecca Page to continue her father’s expose and maybe uncover his killer in the process. Infiltrating the riverboat casino was a peace of cake, but staying a step ahead of the man who makes her tingle, a supposedly ex-cop now working the security detail at the casino, might just be impossible.
It seems Ms. Miller can do no wrong. This was yet another example of her knack for writing romance-laced suspense stories with well-developed characters, wonderful pacing, tight plot, incredible tension and intrigue, and toe-curling romance.
There were so many possible suspects in this story I had no idea who the killer (because there were multiple villains) was, until she actually named him, threats, fists, bullets and debris flew liberally, sparks flew when the hero and heroine clashed, and though some questions remained unanswered (for the next story in this two-book "miniseries" about the KCPD Vice Squad division), the story ended on a satisfactory note as far as the suspense arc was concerned.
It seems Ms. Miller can do no wrong. This was yet another example of her knack for writing romance-laced suspense stories with well-developed characters, wonderful pacing, tight plot, incredible tension and intrigue, and toe-curling romance.
There were so many possible suspects in this story I had no idea who the killer (because there were multiple villains) was, until she actually named him, threats, fists, bullets and debris flew liberally, sparks flew when the hero and heroine clashed, and though some questions remained unanswered (for the next story in this two-book "miniseries" about the KCPD Vice Squad division), the story ended on a satisfactory note as far as the suspense arc was concerned.
May 17, 2020
I was so damn close to giving this a 5 star rating until the end. It just felt so abrupt. I really wanted a smoother ending. I liked the entire plot a lot though, so there's that.
August 3, 2020
Awesome
I just finished reading this book and it was awesome from beginning to end! I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
I just finished reading this book and it was awesome from beginning to end! I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
May 2, 2012
Back Cover: “STUCK BETWEEN ROCK HARD AND A HARD PLACE
He was built like a tank, and he was undercover in Kansas City's seediest district. Waist-deep in the trouble that came along with the Vice Squad, Seth Cartwright had unwanted company.
After several years, investigative reporter Rebecca Page was finally getting her chance to uncover the truth behind her father's death -- if she could swing Seth to her side.
There was no debating that Seth ignited her temper, along with something else at her core. He said he was no longer a cop, though Rebecca suspected there was more to Seth than met the eye. And awaiting them was a deadly secret that KC's most ruthless criminal minds will do anything to keep buried deep forever.”
Rebecca’s reporter father was murdered three years ago to cover up a story he’d been working on and no one did anything about. Now, she finally has the ability to continue his investigation and possibly bring his killer to justice. The only thing that stands in her way is an ex-cop turned head of security at the riverboat casino where clues from her father’s notebook led her.
The couple apparently had a few run-ins with each other in the previous story “Baby Jane Doe” featuring Seth’s mother Commissioner Shauna Cartwright and Eli Masterson, and their animosity spills over into this story. But if you’re like me and haven’t read “Baby Jane Doe”, don’t worry. Other than mentioning they’d met before, Ms. Miller does well in keeping this a story that you can read alone or with the others.
The sparks that fly between these two could set the state on fire. I really liked that Rebecca wasn’t the kind of person to just stand by and let Seth come to her rescue. She also didn’t expect someone else to take care of things that didn’t seem quite right, even when they didn’t have anything to do with her father’s murder.
Co-worker Melissa Teague, who gets her own story later in the series, is one of those situations. Even though it could cause problems with investigating the casino and what her father was after, Rebecca can’t look the other way when it appears that someone is physically abusing Melissa. At first, the situation ends up a win-win when it provides her with a way to infiltrate the behind the scenes activities of the casino. But in the end, it almost costs Rebecca her life when Melissa’s abuser attacks both women and Rebecca’s real identity as a reporter is exposed to the killer.
A cast of characters, including Seth’s gambler father, gives plenty of suspects for Melissa’s abuser and her father’s killer. Though with each clue that helped narrow down the list came another clue that would shoot that idea out of the water. In the end, it wasn’t until the true villain was actually named did it all come together.
If you want to get technical, there were some loose ends that remained unanswered at the conclusion of this story. The couples for the next two books of the series, “Nine-Month Protector” and “Protective Instincts”, were introduced in this story and provided some background. However, the ending provided satisfactory closure to Rebecca and Seth’s relationship without making you feel like you missed the second half of a two-parter.
I loved it!
More at the Review Room
He was built like a tank, and he was undercover in Kansas City's seediest district. Waist-deep in the trouble that came along with the Vice Squad, Seth Cartwright had unwanted company.
After several years, investigative reporter Rebecca Page was finally getting her chance to uncover the truth behind her father's death -- if she could swing Seth to her side.
There was no debating that Seth ignited her temper, along with something else at her core. He said he was no longer a cop, though Rebecca suspected there was more to Seth than met the eye. And awaiting them was a deadly secret that KC's most ruthless criminal minds will do anything to keep buried deep forever.”
Rebecca’s reporter father was murdered three years ago to cover up a story he’d been working on and no one did anything about. Now, she finally has the ability to continue his investigation and possibly bring his killer to justice. The only thing that stands in her way is an ex-cop turned head of security at the riverboat casino where clues from her father’s notebook led her.
The couple apparently had a few run-ins with each other in the previous story “Baby Jane Doe” featuring Seth’s mother Commissioner Shauna Cartwright and Eli Masterson, and their animosity spills over into this story. But if you’re like me and haven’t read “Baby Jane Doe”, don’t worry. Other than mentioning they’d met before, Ms. Miller does well in keeping this a story that you can read alone or with the others.
The sparks that fly between these two could set the state on fire. I really liked that Rebecca wasn’t the kind of person to just stand by and let Seth come to her rescue. She also didn’t expect someone else to take care of things that didn’t seem quite right, even when they didn’t have anything to do with her father’s murder.
Co-worker Melissa Teague, who gets her own story later in the series, is one of those situations. Even though it could cause problems with investigating the casino and what her father was after, Rebecca can’t look the other way when it appears that someone is physically abusing Melissa. At first, the situation ends up a win-win when it provides her with a way to infiltrate the behind the scenes activities of the casino. But in the end, it almost costs Rebecca her life when Melissa’s abuser attacks both women and Rebecca’s real identity as a reporter is exposed to the killer.
A cast of characters, including Seth’s gambler father, gives plenty of suspects for Melissa’s abuser and her father’s killer. Though with each clue that helped narrow down the list came another clue that would shoot that idea out of the water. In the end, it wasn’t until the true villain was actually named did it all come together.
If you want to get technical, there were some loose ends that remained unanswered at the conclusion of this story. The couples for the next two books of the series, “Nine-Month Protector” and “Protective Instincts”, were introduced in this story and provided some background. However, the ending provided satisfactory closure to Rebecca and Seth’s relationship without making you feel like you missed the second half of a two-parter.
I loved it!
More at the Review Room
January 6, 2016
Rebecca's father was a investigative reporter. He was murdered to silence the story he was working on. Right before he died he wrote clue's on his hand that only his daughter Rebecca would understand. Rebecca Page is also a reporter. Her father's case went cold, and the police never found out who killed him. It is up to her, to get to the bottom of it, and make sure justice is served.
Seth Cartwright has always been a thorn in Rebecca's side. Seth says that he is on probation on the Police force, but Rebecca does not know what to believe. She starts working as a waitress at the riverboat casino. Just her luck Seth is providing security for the casino.
Seth has been working undercover for 8 months. The last thing he needs is a beautiful reporter to blow his case, or cover. He intends to stick to her side. The chemistry between the two heats up as the story unfolds. I loved the suspense of the story, the action, and yes I've always loved romance. Great book!
Seth Cartwright has always been a thorn in Rebecca's side. Seth says that he is on probation on the Police force, but Rebecca does not know what to believe. She starts working as a waitress at the riverboat casino. Just her luck Seth is providing security for the casino.
Seth has been working undercover for 8 months. The last thing he needs is a beautiful reporter to blow his case, or cover. He intends to stick to her side. The chemistry between the two heats up as the story unfolds. I loved the suspense of the story, the action, and yes I've always loved romance. Great book!
March 15, 2013
Wasn't wowed by the romance or the case. Reporters have a tendency to irritate me, but Rebecca grew on me. It didn't feel like the Seth and Rebecca interacted much in comparison with other stories, but that might just be my impression.
September 9, 2016
Another exciting,fast paced read from Julie Miller.
October 30, 2015
OMG! Great Read! I loved it!
I loved Seth the most!
I loved Seth the most!
May 16, 2015
Pretty good harlequin. One of the best I have read in a while. I decided to go back and buy some of the older harlequins, so glad I did.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews