ABOUT THIS EPISODE
A murdered night club mogul unlocks a web of infidelity and deceit. The most likely suspect? The daughter of the richest family in Baltimore, if only Detectives Malcolm Khalaji and Seong-Jae Yoon can piece the evidence together. The clues just aren't lining up—but Malcolm can't tell if he's missing a piece of the puzzle or completely missing the mark. The McAllister case still haunts him. So many dead. So many he couldn't save. It's throwing him off his game.
And the only one who really understands is his strange, coldly aloof partner.
A partner he can never see the same way, after a moment of intimacy that haunts him as much as the voices of the dead.
Seong-Jae Yoon is struggling in his own way. He can't solve the case when he can't trust Malcolm, and he can't trust Malcolm when the grizzled old wolf is growing increasingly erratic, increasingly dangerous. What disturbs Seong-Jae is how much he needs to trust Malcolm. He doesn't get that close. He doesn't get that involved.
But he may have no choice, if they want to stop a powerful killer from slipping away.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Baltimore homicide detective Malcolm Khalaji has his own way of doing things: quiet, methodical, logical, effective, not always particularly legal. He’s used to working alone—and the last thing he needs is a new partner ten years his junior.
Especially one like Seong-Jae Yoon.
Icy. Willful. Detached. Stubborn. Seong-Jae is all that and more, impossible to work with and headstrong enough to get them both killed…if they don’t kill each other first. Foxlike and sullen, Seong-Jae’s disdainful beauty conceals a smoldering and ferocious temper, and as he and Malcolm clash the sparks between them build until neither can tell the difference between loathing and desire.
But as bodies pile up at their feet a string of strange, seemingly unrelated murders takes a bizarre turn, leading them deeper and deeper into Baltimore’s criminal underworld. Every death carries a dangerous message, another in a trail of breadcrumbs that can only end in blood.
Malcolm and Seong-Jae must combine their wits against an unseen killer and trace the unsettling murders to their source. Together, they’ll descend the darkest pathways of a twisted mind—and discover just how deep the rabbit hole goes. And if they can’t learn to trust each other?
Neither will make it out alive.
Karen's rating:
All I need to make this truly perfect is the next episode...
There was a lot about this story that set it apart from the first story but what didn't change was how much I enjoyed the interactions between Malcolm Khalaji and Seong-Jae Yoon. Both their personal and professional interactions. While there's a definitely relationship developing between these two men it's slow...I mean seriously slow. Two books in and there's only been one kiss between them and that happened in the first book and according to both men...they felt nothing...that and a quarter will almost get them a phone call...just sayin'. I have to admit I'd usually be a bit impatient with this but somehow with these two men it's working and I'm not having a problem with how things are progressing on a personal level.
Neither of these men are simple or uncomplicated...not in their personality or in their personal history and as we follow the story and Malcolm and Seong-Jae work together to solve their latest case we see things from both perspectives and are shown the frustration each man feels as they are subjected to actions that they don't always understand and that they often don't get an explanation for.
I'm just going to mention that while the relationship between these two men is a slow...seriously...ultra-slow burn that doesn't mean that there's not sexy times in this story...just that it's not necessarily between the MCs. So be warned if this is a deal breaker for you, it's here and each person needs to make their own decision as to how they feel about it. I know for some people sex other than between the MCs isn't something that they want in their stories so without going into details be warned it happens and it's in this story and that's all the detail that I'm giving about this.
So far this series dark and there are so many questions surrounding both Malcolm but Seong-Jae's past things that seem to be a part of a bigger overlying story line that is being revealed slowly and seems to be tied to Seong-Jae's past for sure and time will tell if there's a connection to Malcolm or not.
As much as I've been enjoying Malcolm and Seong-Jae there's so much more to this series and in this installment we were given more about Sade who offers cyber support to the team among other skills. I was curious about them in the first book when we saw enough of Sade to have our interest piqued along with Malcolm and Seong-Jae's Captain Anjulie Zarate y Salazar, whom we got a bit of an interesting peek at on a personal level as well this time around.
Cole McCade has a writing style that for me is unique to that of so many other authors that I read and the ease with which this author draws me into the story and weaves events together has kept me reading late into the night with both of these stories and I have to admit even though it's only been a couple of days since I finished the second story I am so looking forward to the next episode. I've always loved crime dramas both as television shows and in my reading selections so I guess it's really kind of inevitable that I would be drawn to as series like this one.
Anyone who's a fan of crime dramas, police procedurals or mysteries and doesn't mind a touch of sexual tension between their MCs should check this one out. I can't imagine that you'll be disappointed.
According to the Q & A at the end of this book the author has rough plans for 5, 13 episode seasons for this series...think of it as a television series in book format and just sign me up because if 'The Cardigans' and 'Junk Shop Blues' are any indication of what's to come this one's an Emmy winner and I am so there for each and every episode.
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A copy of 'Junk Shop Blues' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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