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The Detective's Dilemma
** Daphne DuMaurier Award Finalist **Her fingerprints are on the gun, but Sarah swears she's innocent. Although Sarah Anne Martin admits to pulling the trigger, she swears someone forced her to kill her lover. Homicide detective Jay Christianso is skeptical, but enough ambiguous evidence exists to make her story plausible. If he gives her enough freedom, she'll either incriminate herself or draw out the real killers. But, having been burned before, Jay doesn't trust his own protective instincts. . .and his growing attraction to Sarah only complicates matters. With desire burning between them, their relationship could ultimately be doomed since Sarah will be arrested for murder if they can't find the real killer.65,517 Words
- GenresRomance
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2014
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 21, 2014
Copy received via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
★Book Basics★
Genre : - Contemporary Romance
Series : - Stand Alone
Writing : -Third person Dual POV (Jay and Sarah)
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author? - Maybe
Rating - 3
★Review★
While I did enjoy this, something about it just felt a little "off" for me.
It felt a bit rushed at times, and I never felt that the love Jay and Sarah were feeling was real. Jay had a self acknowledged "white knight" syndrome, and they had really not spent all that much time together before they were confessing their love. With everything being resolved in the last couple of pages, and them actually able to be together properly only then, maybe an epilogue would have made it feel more like a HEA and not a HFN.
And this is just me, while we did get the "who" of who carried out the murder, we never truly got the why, just some vague reference to the victim having had something about someone else. I did kind of want to know. If you want to base your romance on a bit of a suspense/murder plot, then at least tie it up. That bit felt a bit unfinished.
But overall, I liked Jay and Sarah as characters, and it was a pleasant read.
★Book Basics★
Genre : - Contemporary Romance
Series : - Stand Alone
Writing : -Third person Dual POV (Jay and Sarah)
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author? - Maybe
Rating - 3
★Review★
While I did enjoy this, something about it just felt a little "off" for me.
It felt a bit rushed at times, and I never felt that the love Jay and Sarah were feeling was real. Jay had a self acknowledged "white knight" syndrome, and they had really not spent all that much time together before they were confessing their love. With everything being resolved in the last couple of pages, and them actually able to be together properly only then, maybe an epilogue would have made it feel more like a HEA and not a HFN.
And this is just me, while we did get the "who" of who carried out the murder, we never truly got the why, just some vague reference to the victim having had something about someone else. I did kind of want to know. If you want to base your romance on a bit of a suspense/murder plot, then at least tie it up. That bit felt a bit unfinished.
But overall, I liked Jay and Sarah as characters, and it was a pleasant read.
November 7, 2014
The Detective's Dilemma is a story about Sarah who is out to prove that she didn't murder her lover. Unfortunately for her, she really did do it, though not willingly. Detective Jay is assigned to the case and wants to believe in her innocence, but how can he when the evidence has her name all over it? When Sarah's life is threatened, she and Jay must work together to solve this mystery. As they spend time together, their feelings grow for one another, and Jas has complications separating pleasure from business.
This was a quick read for me. The story moves at a fast pace and I didn't notice any lags. Sarah is a strong and capable heroine. She's smart and resilient. Jay is a good guy with a white knight complex. He tends to fall for women who need saved. Because of this, the reader might feel a bit unceratin as to whether his and Sarah's love is real and everlasting. I did really like Jay though. Although there were a few times where I noticed his thoughts and/or words sounded a bit too feminine. At those times, I recall thinking "that's not something an alpha male would say...more like something a woman would say."
There were a few times that left me scratching my head too. Sarah and Jay do fall in love quickly, and profess their feelings equally as fast. This surprised me on account of Sarah having just lost her long-time lover, in a tragic manner no less, and considering the murder charge hanging over her head. I was a bit surprised to hear the two talking about Sarah's late lover and their sex life while having sex together. That would have been an instant mood killer for me. Lastly, the whole story is centered around the murder mystery. We get the who but never get the what or why, which is a bit jarring at the end. An epilogue would have been a great way to tie up that loose end.
All-in-all a very good book with an buildup and climax that are well written. Karen McCullough writes a good suspense and I'll be checking out her other books in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the pleasure of reading and reviewing The Detective's Dilemma.
This was a quick read for me. The story moves at a fast pace and I didn't notice any lags. Sarah is a strong and capable heroine. She's smart and resilient. Jay is a good guy with a white knight complex. He tends to fall for women who need saved. Because of this, the reader might feel a bit unceratin as to whether his and Sarah's love is real and everlasting. I did really like Jay though. Although there were a few times where I noticed his thoughts and/or words sounded a bit too feminine. At those times, I recall thinking "that's not something an alpha male would say...more like something a woman would say."
There were a few times that left me scratching my head too. Sarah and Jay do fall in love quickly, and profess their feelings equally as fast. This surprised me on account of Sarah having just lost her long-time lover, in a tragic manner no less, and considering the murder charge hanging over her head. I was a bit surprised to hear the two talking about Sarah's late lover and their sex life while having sex together. That would have been an instant mood killer for me. Lastly, the whole story is centered around the murder mystery. We get the who but never get the what or why, which is a bit jarring at the end. An epilogue would have been a great way to tie up that loose end.
All-in-all a very good book with an buildup and climax that are well written. Karen McCullough writes a good suspense and I'll be checking out her other books in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the pleasure of reading and reviewing The Detective's Dilemma.
November 1, 2014
I loved this story, I could not put it down. The romantic suspense story of Sarah, who is charged with murder is full of suspense, intrigue and mystery that will keep the reader on the edge of the seat. She is a strong young woman, but alone and open to any caring help from a handsome detective. The detective in the story is Jay, a very professional guy, but when he meets Sarah his protective and male instincts come to the fold. Can he resist? No. The story is very fast paced and the secondary characters were very likeable to. This story will keep you guessing right to the end and not disappoint.
October 29, 2014
I love romantic suspense stories. This one was full of crazy twists and turns and what the hell just happened moments. I loved Jay, he's hot as hell, a detective and a caveman at times..lol..stone faced too..Sarah is tough as nails and alone in the world but a survivor. Liked Sam..what a great partner and friend to Jay. Very fast paced and intriguing story, there was only one part that dragged a little bit with her a few days in a row that nothing happened it was a little step by step but loved the who done it feel. Love the neighbors too...great story, sexy kisses in parts and wow did I mention how sexy Jay is..lol..4 - 4.5 review by Nanee at upallnightreadallday.blogspot.com
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February 7, 2015This is a romance and a mystery. If you are looking for something to read for entertainment, this will take you there. I loved the part of a dying man's last words becoming a puzzle to solve. The treasure hunt to solve the puzzle became as important to me as the investigation to solve the murder. All ended up being connected and all ended well.
October 29, 2014
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
The story moves at a good pace, even though there is that sense of frustration due to working out the mystery of who murdered Vince Capelli, it didn’t push me to the point where I wanted to toss my Kindle into the freezer for a few days in punishment. While I question just how deeply in love Jay and Sarah end up being at the end of book, I don’t disbelieve that it could happen. Their past relationships were not ideal in anyway and considering the situation they find themselves in, the fact that they both grab hold of the good makes it feasible. While both Jay and Sarah are well written and have quite a bit of depth, I find that I liked Sarah the most. That she didn’t let what was going on around her drag her into depression showed how strong her will really was, though there were times where it made me wonder if she did have more of a part in the murder than she let on, which was one of the things that kept me reading until the end.
While this was a decent read for me, I did find that there were few things that bothered me on the police procedural side of things. I’m no expert, any knowledge I have is from TV shows, but when one is a suspect in a murder, charged or not, I’d think that there would be some limitations put on the person. Also, I felt that the end was quite abrupt. We do get an adequate resolution to the murder mystery, but I would have liked a little more detail on the why.
The story moves at a good pace, even though there is that sense of frustration due to working out the mystery of who murdered Vince Capelli, it didn’t push me to the point where I wanted to toss my Kindle into the freezer for a few days in punishment. While I question just how deeply in love Jay and Sarah end up being at the end of book, I don’t disbelieve that it could happen. Their past relationships were not ideal in anyway and considering the situation they find themselves in, the fact that they both grab hold of the good makes it feasible. While both Jay and Sarah are well written and have quite a bit of depth, I find that I liked Sarah the most. That she didn’t let what was going on around her drag her into depression showed how strong her will really was, though there were times where it made me wonder if she did have more of a part in the murder than she let on, which was one of the things that kept me reading until the end.
While this was a decent read for me, I did find that there were few things that bothered me on the police procedural side of things. I’m no expert, any knowledge I have is from TV shows, but when one is a suspect in a murder, charged or not, I’d think that there would be some limitations put on the person. Also, I felt that the end was quite abrupt. We do get an adequate resolution to the murder mystery, but I would have liked a little more detail on the why.
March 29, 2015
The Detective's Dilemma is a suspenseful romance that turned out to be a really quick read.
After ready the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued and excited to get started. The book is really fast paced, which I found extremely frustrated at certain points. This is how the first 65% of the book felt: summary....summary...event....summary...summary. It was so fast paced that days were blown by with only a slight summary of was happened that day, then an event would happen in detail...only to have more time flow by with a simple summary. Toward the very end of the book things started to quickly unravel and become more entertaining but I felt as if it was a little too late to overcome the rocky beginning. A epilogue or wrap up to this story would also have been extremely beneficial, the book ended at an awkward spot with a lot left on the table.
While parts of the book were action packed and enjoyable, the book as a whole seemed extremely unlikely. The characters had an insta-romance/love, and the whole way that the crime and investigation turned out seemed very unlikely.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions*
After ready the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued and excited to get started. The book is really fast paced, which I found extremely frustrated at certain points. This is how the first 65% of the book felt: summary....summary...event....summary...summary. It was so fast paced that days were blown by with only a slight summary of was happened that day, then an event would happen in detail...only to have more time flow by with a simple summary. Toward the very end of the book things started to quickly unravel and become more entertaining but I felt as if it was a little too late to overcome the rocky beginning. A epilogue or wrap up to this story would also have been extremely beneficial, the book ended at an awkward spot with a lot left on the table.
While parts of the book were action packed and enjoyable, the book as a whole seemed extremely unlikely. The characters had an insta-romance/love, and the whole way that the crime and investigation turned out seemed very unlikely.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions*
December 4, 2014
ARC provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley for an honest review.
The only thing I didn't really like in this story is that we got the who done it all figured out, but the why they done it, not so much. It left you kind of going ... hmmmmmmm. It was very fast paced, which I like and all the characters were well developed and likeable. And the story had quite a few sexy moments as well. Overall, an average read.
The only thing I didn't really like in this story is that we got the who done it all figured out, but the why they done it, not so much. It left you kind of going ... hmmmmmmm. It was very fast paced, which I like and all the characters were well developed and likeable. And the story had quite a few sexy moments as well. Overall, an average read.
November 26, 2014
This was a wonderful romantic suspense story. Sarah is a unique and strong female character and the story is fast-paced. With its flow and climax this is sure to be a hit for any reader.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews