Jami Alden delivers her first in a brand new trilogy surrounding suspense, deceit and danger.

Megan Flynn is falling hard for her detective boyfriend, Cole Williams. She envisions herself living in sweet bliss with him. Her fantasies are interrupted when Cole arrests her brother, Sean, for murder. Their romance quickly dissolves when Megan realizes that Cole believes her brother committed the crime and he is the lead detective on the case.

Sean is sentenced to death. Three years later, he decides to stop trying to appeal the case, which speeds up the date for his execution. Megan is devastated and prays for some answers that may help them convince the court of Sean's innocence. Struggling to deal with Sean’s decision, Megan is called in by Devany, the young teenage who she is a court appointed advocate to.

Devany stumbles upon a brutal and horrifying murder. The young woman was raped and viciously attacked. Megan encourages her to call the police and when she comes face to face with Cole again, her heart is immediately conflicted. The cops believe the killer is a serial killer who enjoys torturing young woman. The evidence and the crime scene look vaguely familiar to Megan. Pretty soon she is convinced that the killer might be the same person who set up her brother and Megan frantically forces Cole to help her track down the killer.

Soon enough Megan and Cole discover that Sean and the killer might have been involved in a highly elite prostitution ring and no one is to be trusted. Megan is not so forgiving of Cole but she can’t resist him and the two share some steamy, erotic and well-written love scenes. As they get closer to the truth, they must learn to put their faith in one another.

Megan is a character that most can sympathize with but at times she didn’t listen to what Cole was trying to tell her which made her stupid. She is constantly putting herself in danger and running interference with the case. At the same time, her love for her brother and her determination to prove her brother’s innocence makes her an interesting character. It is her amateur skills as a detective that brings the most action and drama to the story.

Cole is a bit different than Alden’s heroes. He is still a strong alpha male who wants to protect the woman he loves but she shows him as vulnerable and understanding. He is upstanding and wants to do what is the right thing even if it upsets Megan. His compassion and drive to her help without being obnoxious (like Alden’s former heroes) make him more appealing.

I give Jami Alden credit for trying something new. She normally writes spicy and steamy contemporary romances that have left me wanting for more on many occasions. To step out onto the romantic suspense genre and do a good job is no small feat.  There are times when the book is really intense and dark. I must warn readers that some of the scenes are pretty graphic (sexually and gruesomely). The romance and the suspense are on equally good measure.

My only annoyance is that readers can pretty much figure out who the killer is fairly early on in the story. The story flows so well that I would have thought the author could have concealed the killer’s identity a bit better.

Jami Alden really gets deep with this fast pace thriller. I can’t wait to read the next book in this trilogy Hide from Evil.

~ Samantha