Review by Booklist Review
Book two in the New Scotland Yard series (Murder in Thrall, 2013) builds on the romantic relationship between DI Kathleen Doyle and her new husband, Chief Inspector Michael Sinclair, Lord Acton. Doyle is investigating a series of killings that seem linked to the London underworld. Is one person behind the murders, or are members of rival gangs taking each other out? From Irish terrorists to Russian mobsters, the only thing that seems to connect the victims is crime. As the body count rises, so does Acton's interest. Why would the chief inspector care about these low-level hits? Does he know something he's not sharing with his wife? The main characters are a huge part of the appeal of this book. Doyle could easily be a stereotypical feisty, Irish redhead, and Acton could be another bored lord detecting as a hobby. Instead, the humor and passion and tenderness they bring out in one another add a delightful layer to this likable series.--Keefe, Karen Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Romantic suspense fans will welcome Cleeland's second New Scotland Yard mystery (after 2013's Murder in Thrall). The beguiling Det. Constable Kathleen Doyle must adjust to life as a new bride while fighting hostility and gossip about her sudden marriage to the Yard's most eligible bachelor and top cop, Det. Chief Insp. Michael Acton. Members of Acton's aristocratic family and his closest friends regard the nuptials with shock and dismay. To cope, Doyle buries herself in work, investigating two homicides that appear to be related to turf battles in London between crime syndicates from Russia and Ireland. As she zeroes in on possible suspects, she becomes increasingly ill and fears someone is out to do her harm. Distinctive characters, including Aiki, a friendly Rwandan cab driver who acts as Doyle's self-appointed protector, compliment the finely wrought, highly charged plot. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Starred Review. While dealing with the aftermath of their relationship going public, DC Kathleen Doyle and CI Michael Acton set out to discover who is behind a rash of underworld murders in London. As the couple try to find a balance between their work and personal lives, everything escalates when violence hits close to home. In addition to dealing with her not-so-traditional marriage to Acton, Doyle must face some hard truths during her investigation that might better have stayed unrevealed. VERDICT Doyle and Acton are incredibly flawed and engaging protagonists who stay in the reader's mind long after the case is solved and the last page turned. With just a second book (after Murder in Thrall), Cleeland is developing a memorable series that will captivate fans of police procedurals and complicated sleuths such as the protagonist in Carol O'Connell's "Mallory" series. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In a second adventure for ahusband-and-wife detective team, the couple takes on underworld turf wars and athreat closer to home. For DC Kathleen Doyle, courtship hascome only after her secret marriage to her boss, DCI Michael Sinclair, alsoknown as Lord Acton. Now she's pregnant, and though she insists she's a goodIrish Catholic girl who waited for her wedding night, she knows her colleaguesare ticking off the months on their fingers. Virtue rewarded means being LadyActon with all the material perks. It also means being married to a man who hasa neurotic fixation on her, is an acknowledged stalker, and suffers fromviolent outbursts and black moods she can best treat with trysts on the floorof their luxury flat and the desk of his office. Kathleen doesn't need her giftfor reading people to see that not everyone is as happy about the marriage asshe is. Knowing she's resented by at least one of her colleagues, she workshard to prove herself by investigating a series of tit-for-tat murders betweenan Irish terrorist group and Russian gangsters. As she struggles with adistressing loss, bouts of illness and the challenge of balancing her work withher marriage to a husband who's also her supervisor, her devotion to Acton isalmost a match for his. Indeed, the depth of her feeling causes her to makelight of his questionable, creepy and sometimes-shocking ways of proving hislove for her. And her sixth sense about who's out to get her seems to deserther when she most needs it.Although Cleeland (Murder inThrall, 2013) writes with wit and flair, her attempt to bring freshness tothe well-worn pairing of a naveand penniless younger woman with a rich, brooding older man is more disturbingthan romantic. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
