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The Precinct: Cold Case #3
Kansas City Confessions
Keeping secrets close… and an enemy closer…
His protection instincts on high alert, KCPD detective Trent Dixon knew something was wrong with Katie Rinaldi. The special investigator had obviously uncovered a dangerous piece of evidence while looking into a cold case. So dangerous, in fact, that the single mother's life was now in jeopardy. But as much as Trent told himself he was keeping tabs on Katie and her young son as part of his job, he couldn't ignore the very real feelings he had for her. Still, as a professional, he was bound to the badge and would give Katie all the security she deserved. And not give in to the attraction he was having trouble containing…
His protection instincts on high alert, KCPD detective Trent Dixon knew something was wrong with Katie Rinaldi. The special investigator had obviously uncovered a dangerous piece of evidence while looking into a cold case. So dangerous, in fact, that the single mother's life was now in jeopardy. But as much as Trent told himself he was keeping tabs on Katie and her young son as part of his job, he couldn't ignore the very real feelings he had for her. Still, as a professional, he was bound to the badge and would give Katie all the security she deserved. And not give in to the attraction he was having trouble containing…
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2015
61 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Julie Miller
295 books370 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 29, 2015
Very good book and conclusion to the Cold Case series of books. Katie and Trent are both members of the Cold Case unit at KCPD. They are also old friends, having known each other since they were in high school. Katie and her young son are members of a local theater group where Tyler is playing the part of Tiny Tim and Katie does the costumes. When she isn't needed she uses the time to do some of her cold case research for work.
At the beginning of the story Katie, who is a genius on the computer, has uncovered what appears to be some links between several cold cases. That night, at the theater, some strange things happen that make her feel threatened. Scared, she calls Trent, but then tells him not to worry she was actually okay. Trent, unconvinced, shows up at the theater, but Katie and Tyler are already gone. He notices some things that are suspicious, and also rescues an abandoned dog.
The next day at work Trent tries to get Katie to tell him what happened, but she insists that she was panicking over nothing. In the meantime, Katie fills in the rest of the team on what she has found. It is looking more and more like the links they have found may lead to a mob boss they have been trying to nail for a long time.
The relationship between Katie and Trent is one of friendship, by Katie's insistence. As a kid she and her mother suffered from her father's physical and mental abuse, then she saw her father murder her mother. She has always felt responsible for that happening. Then in high school she got pregnant, was kidnapped by someone who wanted to steal her baby to sell it, and lost a good friend to the same man. She and Tyler were rescued, and she has been determined to make better choices in her life ever since. She also has a hard time trusting other people, especially men. Trent's friendship has meant a lot to her and to Tyler, so she refuses to take a chance on ruining that friendship with anything else. Trent has been in love with Katie for years. He wants nothing more than to marry her and become Tyler's father, but Katie won't take a chance on them. So he takes her friendship and tries to make the best of it.
As the danger to Katie and Tyler increases, Trent's protective instincts overpower his attempts to follow Katie's rules. I loved seeing him pull them closer to him and overcome Katie's objections. I also loved the way that he gave in to his need to kiss her, and how that one kiss started changing the way Katie looked at him. She had forced herself to keep him in the "friend zone", but that kiss has really opened her eyes to the man he has become. It was fun to see how she was suddenly noticing his physical attributes and how sexy he was. Unfortunately, her fears still have her resisting what her heart really wants. I really liked how Trent's patience and persistence finally started to break down the walls around her heart. But it isn't until she thinks she'll never see him again that she can admit to herself how much she has always loved him.
I loved following Katie and the team as they worked their way through the information she uncovered. The events of the previous two books are included in this one as they are finally able to link the crimes together and to the man behind them. It was fascinating to see the connections uncovered and how each one led to another. The escalation of the threats against Katie kept the intensity high. Though it was pretty obvious who the man behind it all was, it was the people in between that kept me guessing. The final confrontation was fantastic. I especially loved how Katie kept her head and used her skills to help the team find her at the same time she kept the bad guy focused on what he had her doing. The arrival of the team came at just the right time and how it all worked out was perfect. I loved seeing the bad guy's final plan thwarted.
The last chapter was the perfect wrapup to the trilogy. As always, I loved the way characters from previous books are an integral part of the story, not just tossed in as filler. The support they always give each other, both professionally and personally, makes their relationships seem that much more real. I love some of the conversations between Trent and Max. The ending was really sweet as the whole team comes to see Tyler in the play, and Tyler gets his biggest Christmas wish.
At the beginning of the story Katie, who is a genius on the computer, has uncovered what appears to be some links between several cold cases. That night, at the theater, some strange things happen that make her feel threatened. Scared, she calls Trent, but then tells him not to worry she was actually okay. Trent, unconvinced, shows up at the theater, but Katie and Tyler are already gone. He notices some things that are suspicious, and also rescues an abandoned dog.
The next day at work Trent tries to get Katie to tell him what happened, but she insists that she was panicking over nothing. In the meantime, Katie fills in the rest of the team on what she has found. It is looking more and more like the links they have found may lead to a mob boss they have been trying to nail for a long time.
The relationship between Katie and Trent is one of friendship, by Katie's insistence. As a kid she and her mother suffered from her father's physical and mental abuse, then she saw her father murder her mother. She has always felt responsible for that happening. Then in high school she got pregnant, was kidnapped by someone who wanted to steal her baby to sell it, and lost a good friend to the same man. She and Tyler were rescued, and she has been determined to make better choices in her life ever since. She also has a hard time trusting other people, especially men. Trent's friendship has meant a lot to her and to Tyler, so she refuses to take a chance on ruining that friendship with anything else. Trent has been in love with Katie for years. He wants nothing more than to marry her and become Tyler's father, but Katie won't take a chance on them. So he takes her friendship and tries to make the best of it.
As the danger to Katie and Tyler increases, Trent's protective instincts overpower his attempts to follow Katie's rules. I loved seeing him pull them closer to him and overcome Katie's objections. I also loved the way that he gave in to his need to kiss her, and how that one kiss started changing the way Katie looked at him. She had forced herself to keep him in the "friend zone", but that kiss has really opened her eyes to the man he has become. It was fun to see how she was suddenly noticing his physical attributes and how sexy he was. Unfortunately, her fears still have her resisting what her heart really wants. I really liked how Trent's patience and persistence finally started to break down the walls around her heart. But it isn't until she thinks she'll never see him again that she can admit to herself how much she has always loved him.
I loved following Katie and the team as they worked their way through the information she uncovered. The events of the previous two books are included in this one as they are finally able to link the crimes together and to the man behind them. It was fascinating to see the connections uncovered and how each one led to another. The escalation of the threats against Katie kept the intensity high. Though it was pretty obvious who the man behind it all was, it was the people in between that kept me guessing. The final confrontation was fantastic. I especially loved how Katie kept her head and used her skills to help the team find her at the same time she kept the bad guy focused on what he had her doing. The arrival of the team came at just the right time and how it all worked out was perfect. I loved seeing the bad guy's final plan thwarted.
The last chapter was the perfect wrapup to the trilogy. As always, I loved the way characters from previous books are an integral part of the story, not just tossed in as filler. The support they always give each other, both professionally and personally, makes their relationships seem that much more real. I love some of the conversations between Trent and Max. The ending was really sweet as the whole team comes to see Tyler in the play, and Tyler gets his biggest Christmas wish.
July 29, 2020
I cannot help but laugh because I truly enjoyed this book. There's a bit of everything; murder, suspense, crime, unrequited love (kinda), a little bit of sexual tension AND A PLOT! Because it's a Harlequin book it has to be of a certain length (i.e. short) but it's a rollicking good read. It could have easily been a full novel delving into more details about the crime/s and the character's background. But I'm grateful it isn't as it would have been gritty and depressing and that's just something you don't sign up for in a Harlequin book.
It was refreshing to read more of the male's perspective as these romance books tend to heavily lean towards the female's side so that was enlighting. All I could think of was Trent clearly loves Katie but has to remain professional and Katie loves Trent but doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship. Its major friend-zoning territory.
The sex was nothing to speak of, a full hot paragraph, but at least the physical description of the hunky hero and sexy heroine are consistent. I mean Harlequin has to maintain SOME standards. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable read.
It was refreshing to read more of the male's perspective as these romance books tend to heavily lean towards the female's side so that was enlighting. All I could think of was Trent clearly loves Katie but has to remain professional and Katie loves Trent but doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship. Its major friend-zoning territory.
The sex was nothing to speak of, a full hot paragraph, but at least the physical description of the hunky hero and sexy heroine are consistent. I mean Harlequin has to maintain SOME standards. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2017
5/29/17
2nd read thru!
Think I enjoyed this even more the 2nd time thru! If you enjoy police dramas, cop, forensics, etc , then you'll love this series!!
2nd read thru!
Think I enjoyed this even more the 2nd time thru! If you enjoy police dramas, cop, forensics, etc , then you'll love this series!!
March 15, 2017
Excellent book. It is part of a series, but reads as a standalone.
I had a lot of respect for Katie. She is a single mom, and working for KCPD. She is a member of the Cold case unit. After work she is taking her 9 year old son to play practice. He is part of a Christmas performance. Her son Tyler kept me laughing throughout the story. He was a typical 9 year old boy. For Christmas he wanted a dad, and a dog.
Katie and Trent has been good friends since Katie was 15 years old. Trent has always wanted more, but Katie has always kept Trent as just a close friend. She needed his friendship, and was always afraid to take it to the next level. She never wanted to lose Trent as a friend.
Katie was sent warning to stop her investigations. Trent stepped in, and made himself her body guard. She fought against his protection, until her son's life was threatened. She would do anything to keep her son safe.
The suspense, and action was excellent throughout the story. I loved the romance between Katie, and Trent. This book will be going onto my favorite's list, to read again later on.
August 22, 2018
A really enjoyable fun, quick read. Katie has worked hard in the cold case squad for the KCPD but as the computer expert she's been uncovering secrets someone wants buried and has no issues with threatening her to make them stay secret. Trent has loved Katie since high school but he's watched her struggle over the trauma she's been through. As a detective for the same squad he has a front row seat for her struggles to remain calm as her life, and the life of her 9 year old son, are threatened. Can Katie finally open herself up to more than friendship with Trent and solve the mystery chasing her? Fun read and I'm not sure it's because I jumped in at book three in the series, I was a little confused by the number of secondary characters and suspects which is why I have this 3 stars. For such a short story it could have used some trimming so it was a little easier to pick up. Outside of that, fun read!
March 5, 2021
Nice ending to The Precinct: Cold Case series. I loved that Katie and Trent finally gets together. Trent has loved her since high school but she always ran scared from commitment. She finally realizes that they are meant to be the together family the her son, Tyler, needs and wants.
The criminal mob boss, Leland Asher, is finally arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, and other crimes.
And the rest of the team have found their forever families. This series is the prequel to Bachelors in Blue.
The criminal mob boss, Leland Asher, is finally arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, and other crimes.
And the rest of the team have found their forever families. This series is the prequel to Bachelors in Blue.
May 2, 2021
I have been enjoying the quick read that Julie Miller's books have been. I love that they are set in Kansas City as this is my hometown. I do however need to pay more attention to this being a series as I read this one first and it was the third book in the series. That being said, I liked the characters in the this series and love the suspense and romance at the heart of each story.
July 12, 2019
Good book even though it is Christmas related the whole story was around Christmas it should be labeled a Christmas book.
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October 25, 2022Puzzler Solver!
Exciting read from Julie Miller. Riddles and interrelated mysteries being solved by the built 6’5” detective Trent and single Mom Katie.
Exciting read from Julie Miller. Riddles and interrelated mysteries being solved by the built 6’5” detective Trent and single Mom Katie.
January 6, 2016
3.5 would be a better assessment.
I interrupted my reading of this to read Shards of Hope. The last time I read one of those - think it was Vasic's book - I found myself reading a book with a similarly tormented H and getting to compare them. Seems kind of a strange coincidence that it would happen again.
Our h - Katie - had a v. bad childhood. Her father killed her mother. She was kidnapped while trying to find a friend who'd gotten sucked into an illegal adoption ring. So now she keeps everyone at arm's length, including the best buddy/old pal who's been hanging around forever because he just can't move on. And why can't he? Not like she calls him every time she needs help. It's called stringing along. Also not nice. And all because she's afraid to lose the friendship. And yet, it's apparently never occurred to her that three's a crowd and as long as she's hanging off his belt loops, he's never going to have a relationship. Or, if he does, she'll get the ax, because what woman wants some chick hanging around her man who obviously is hung up on said chick?
At least the h in Shards of Hope was honest with herself. As far as she was concerned, he was hers, but she was afraid to let go of her control to be with him. She had a bad childhood too - her parents tortured her until she snapped and killed both of them. She was 7 at the time and ended up where she was as the alternative was execution.
So I finished this where eventually the h realized she loved the H (only took her 10 years to figure this out?). I had other issues, largely involving the h and her computer. I live in a household full of geeks, and while they might leave electronics alone when surrounded by family, no way would the ones doing anything important leave a laptop they were using for sensitive stuff stashed in a bag in an easily accessible room. At the very least, there's the concern of theft (DH had a company laptop stolen from a rental car while he was having lunch once).
I interrupted my reading of this to read Shards of Hope. The last time I read one of those - think it was Vasic's book - I found myself reading a book with a similarly tormented H and getting to compare them. Seems kind of a strange coincidence that it would happen again.
Our h - Katie - had a v. bad childhood. Her father killed her mother. She was kidnapped while trying to find a friend who'd gotten sucked into an illegal adoption ring. So now she keeps everyone at arm's length, including the best buddy/old pal who's been hanging around forever because he just can't move on. And why can't he? Not like she calls him every time she needs help. It's called stringing along. Also not nice. And all because she's afraid to lose the friendship. And yet, it's apparently never occurred to her that three's a crowd and as long as she's hanging off his belt loops, he's never going to have a relationship. Or, if he does, she'll get the ax, because what woman wants some chick hanging around her man who obviously is hung up on said chick?
At least the h in Shards of Hope was honest with herself. As far as she was concerned, he was hers, but she was afraid to let go of her control to be with him. She had a bad childhood too - her parents tortured her until she snapped and killed both of them. She was 7 at the time and ended up where she was as the alternative was execution.
So I finished this where eventually the h realized she loved the H (only took her 10 years to figure this out?). I had other issues, largely involving the h and her computer. I live in a household full of geeks, and while they might leave electronics alone when surrounded by family, no way would the ones doing anything important leave a laptop they were using for sensitive stuff stashed in a bag in an easily accessible room. At the very least, there's the concern of theft (DH had a company laptop stolen from a rental car while he was having lunch once).
May 23, 2016
I received a free copy of this book at RT16.
For me, this book was adequate for what it is. I thought the heroine's backstory was overkill in terms of explaining why she didn't trust herself to get involved with her best friend, the hero. Katie blames herself for her father shooting her mother. This happened right in front of her. Afterward Katie went to live with her aunt, who was good to her. At seventeen Katie got pregnant. When she was nearly ready to give birth, her friend Whitney disappeared. Katie tracked her down, but was kidnapped by Whitney's kidnappers. When Katie went in labor a few weeks later she was handcuffed to a table in a makeshift hospital room. The kidnappers turned out to be part of the black market in baby selling and she was separated from her son, Tyler, almost immediately. They were rescued separately, but there seemed to be a little conflict in the narrative so I'm not sure who was rescued first. Unfortunately, Whitney was killed and Katie blames herself for Whitney's death as well.
Trent and Katie dated when she was pregnant nine years ago, but she decided that while she loved him, she wasn't in love with him. After the kidnapping Katie stayed in town while Trent went off to live his life and played with the Kansas City Chiefs for a while. Eventually he came back to town and they picked up where they left off and are best friends.
Trent is a good guy and is trying to have a life outside of Katie, but he is in love with her and wants to be a father to Tyler as well as a husband to Katie. Katie has the tried and true "I am broken and I don't trust myself in a relationship" reason for not getting involved.
Tyler doesn't come off as a plot moppet and has something to add to the story. Katie's job at the police department is interesting and there is plenty of plot in this book outside the romance.
If you enjoy the friends to lovers trope I think you'll like this book.
For me, this book was adequate for what it is. I thought the heroine's backstory was overkill in terms of explaining why she didn't trust herself to get involved with her best friend, the hero. Katie blames herself for her father shooting her mother. This happened right in front of her. Afterward Katie went to live with her aunt, who was good to her. At seventeen Katie got pregnant. When she was nearly ready to give birth, her friend Whitney disappeared. Katie tracked her down, but was kidnapped by Whitney's kidnappers. When Katie went in labor a few weeks later she was handcuffed to a table in a makeshift hospital room. The kidnappers turned out to be part of the black market in baby selling and she was separated from her son, Tyler, almost immediately. They were rescued separately, but there seemed to be a little conflict in the narrative so I'm not sure who was rescued first. Unfortunately, Whitney was killed and Katie blames herself for Whitney's death as well.
Trent and Katie dated when she was pregnant nine years ago, but she decided that while she loved him, she wasn't in love with him. After the kidnapping Katie stayed in town while Trent went off to live his life and played with the Kansas City Chiefs for a while. Eventually he came back to town and they picked up where they left off and are best friends.
Trent is a good guy and is trying to have a life outside of Katie, but he is in love with her and wants to be a father to Tyler as well as a husband to Katie. Katie has the tried and true "I am broken and I don't trust myself in a relationship" reason for not getting involved.
Tyler doesn't come off as a plot moppet and has something to add to the story. Katie's job at the police department is interesting and there is plenty of plot in this book outside the romance.
If you enjoy the friends to lovers trope I think you'll like this book.
September 7, 2020
This is the best one that I’ve read in this series in ages.
I felt the magic that I felt in the first books of this series and that makes me so happy.
A few things I would have liked for Miller to touch just a bit on more was the h and H’s high school friendship. Also since the h’s aunt and uncle had their own book early on in this series (where we first meet the h too) I would have LOVED to have actually seen them in this book, not just them mentioned in passing but actual interactions with them. Also I was really looking forward to an epilogue.
The H was so sweet and kind, you tell right away how he felt about the h and her son. He never had to macho or jealous or like an a$$, which made me fall in love with him all the more. It’s a short book so for it’s length and depth the character growth from the h was okay but another hundred pages and I would have loved to see deep down in her and more self reflection.
So happy to feel excited about this series again.
I felt the magic that I felt in the first books of this series and that makes me so happy.
A few things I would have liked for Miller to touch just a bit on more was the h and H’s high school friendship. Also since the h’s aunt and uncle had their own book early on in this series (where we first meet the h too) I would have LOVED to have actually seen them in this book, not just them mentioned in passing but actual interactions with them. Also I was really looking forward to an epilogue.
The H was so sweet and kind, you tell right away how he felt about the h and her son. He never had to macho or jealous or like an a$$, which made me fall in love with him all the more. It’s a short book so for it’s length and depth the character growth from the h was okay but another hundred pages and I would have loved to see deep down in her and more self reflection.
So happy to feel excited about this series again.
March 10, 2016
Good one, closing the Cold Case miniseries (don't worry - Miller has another - Bachelors in Blue - starting soon). This one ties together a lot of threads of many cold cases. I'll never hear the movie title "Strangers on a Train" again without remembering this series.
The story in the foreground is about Katie Rinaldi, niece of the District Attorney and tech guru of the Cold Case squad. Katie is a single mom with a single focus - keeping her young son safe and keeping him away from the errors in judgment she has made in her life. High school friend and now fellow detective on the squad Trent Dixon wishes she would focus on him.
The story is a good one and good closure for the Cold Case guys and gals.
The story in the foreground is about Katie Rinaldi, niece of the District Attorney and tech guru of the Cold Case squad. Katie is a single mom with a single focus - keeping her young son safe and keeping him away from the errors in judgment she has made in her life. High school friend and now fellow detective on the squad Trent Dixon wishes she would focus on him.
The story is a good one and good closure for the Cold Case guys and gals.
November 24, 2015
3.5 stars.
Like I always say, I like much more the male characters than females. Katie is a little anoying at times. Maybe that's understandable with all the things that have happened to her but still sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop doubting everything, specially what corcerns to Trent. He's a gem. She would have been a fool If she kept with those ideas about them together being a mistake and end up without him in her life.
It was interesting how the one we all suspected being the master mind in all those crime they were investigating in reality wasn't.
Like I always say, I like much more the male characters than females. Katie is a little anoying at times. Maybe that's understandable with all the things that have happened to her but still sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop doubting everything, specially what corcerns to Trent. He's a gem. She would have been a fool If she kept with those ideas about them together being a mistake and end up without him in her life.
It was interesting how the one we all suspected being the master mind in all those crime they were investigating in reality wasn't.
December 27, 2015
Kansas City Confessions The Precinct: Cold Case by Julie Miller once again sends you on an adventure of good guys looking for bad guys. When Katie Rinaldi is threatened, Trent Dixon and the rest of the KCPD cold case group come together to protect one of their own. Due to events in Katie's life she has a hard time trusting the feelings Trent has for her and her son. Can she overcome all the baggage that is weighing her down.
Julie Miller once again pulls you into her story with strongly written characters who make you root for a happy ending.
Julie Miller once again pulls you into her story with strongly written characters who make you root for a happy ending.
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January 12, 2016"Not only is the multi-layered mystery of The Precinct: Cold Case series perfectly plotted, but the patiently waiting hero is perfection. Fans with excellent recall will remember the heroine first appeared on the Precinct series scene as a teen in an earlier Miller story" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
Miniseries: The Precinct: Cold Case
Miniseries: The Precinct: Cold Case
December 14, 2015
I really liked Trent but Katie wasn't as likeable, she annoyed me a lot with her "we're just friends" but kept using him like he was her boyfriend. The plot started off great but the end seemed rushed and the development of the romance between Katie and Trent was a little stingy. Not one of my favorite Kansas city series books.
September 2, 2016
Trent is in love with Katie and has been since they were kids...She has been through some very rough times..But Trent was always there..She starts getting threats and Trent comes to the rescue..while he is trying to help her they unravel a bunch of cold cases the team had been working on...A very good fast paced story
April 2, 2016
OMG! Another great book from Julie! I can't get enough of her books! This was so good, sweet and funny altogether too. I loved every bit of it. I really like Mr. Dixon. He is so cool and hot!
If I ever find a guy, someone to protect me. I would like him to be like Trent.
Great book!!
If I ever find a guy, someone to protect me. I would like him to be like Trent.
Great book!!
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January 12, 2016received 4 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: The Precinct: Cold Case
Miniseries: The Precinct: Cold Case
November 13, 2015
This book was ok. Previous books were better. Didn't like Katie much.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews