So far this month I have read 5 books.

Some of them are easy to put into a square and some are difficult:

Last Namsara falls somewhat into Doomsday; it involves stories so I think A Grimm Tale would be pretty apt but it is about Dragons so Cryptozology is the best slot.

A Dangerous Place is set in Gibraltar which I'm pretty sure counts as a Small Town, it could also have been Genre Suspense, just about Fear the Deep (she arrives on a Liner from India) and most of this series qualifies as Cosy, the first few pages are quite Gothic, Maisies mental health is not the best here and that's most of the terror in the tale... but Terror in a Small Town is the best fit.

Beyond the Empire is more space opera than anything else, the only thing I have that it fits into is New Release 

Murder in Thrall falls into Genre Suspense, Supernatural a little, Modern Noir and Gothic; I'm going to use Genre: Suspense here.

The Reapers has elements of Genre Suspense, Modern Noir and Supernatural; you could also argue Southern Gothic and Terror in a Small Town (where the final battle takes place and most of the gore) I think I'll go with Modern Noir here.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong.

It was an interesting mystery and I liked Kathleen Doyle, however Lord Acton is a stalkerish creep.  I honestly didn't get the romance of it. Quite apart from the disparity in class and wealth, and yes this shouldn't matter but when she's Irish, living from paycheque to paycheque and a rookie and he's an English Lord with a lot more seniority and is quite wealthy.  He follows her and basically doesn't take no for an answer.  I didn't find it romantic, I found it troubling to be honest and while I might read more in the series I hope the author addresses the problematic issues as the series goes on.

This is fairly classic abuser behaviour and I could see other people having problems with it, I didn't really see a build of romance but our views of the story are coloured by the voices telling it.

Overall it was quite readable and while I had problems I did finish the book quite quickly

I haven't read the first two books in this series and while this can be read as a standalone novel, I felt that I was missing something through most of the book. Perhaps the history between the characters would have been helpful to keep me interested.

Not having history with the characters was a detriment to the story for me, however the characters were well developed individually. There was enough reference to their personal histories that I felt like I knew who they were. Doyle was interesting, rough around the edges and constantly putting herself in harms way. While that could have easily turned into too much risk, it teetered on the edge of reasonable for me so I enjoyed it.

Lord Acton was a bit elusive but Anne Cleeland did a great job with giving you his intentions even if she wouldn't give you his innermost thoughts. Along with the other characters, it was a well rounded cast of law enforcement and criminals all privy to their own set of moral judgement. As with real life, judgement isn't one person's job.

There were a few twists and turns that were unexpected but all in all this just didn't hit the mark for me. If you have read the first two in this series you would probably enjoy this book. It was well written and the plot flowed nicely.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.

I was a big fan of "Murder in Thrall" so couldn't wait to get my hands on book #2. Police procedurals are my favourite genre & the ones I've enjoyed the most have a couple of things in common: a smart, complex plot & characters that are interesting & fully realized. This series delivers.

DC Kathleen Doyle & DCI Michael Acton are the most compelling pair/detectives I've come across in a while. In this instalment, news of their quicky wedding is out & the reaction from her colleagues is just one more thing for Doyle to deal with. She's pregnant & for her, morning sickness is a 24/7 occupation. She's also worried about the effect motherhood will have on her career. Acton yanked her off the last case when things became a little too hot. As a result, one of her coworkers got the glory & a promotion.

Now, London is in the middle of a turf war between Russian & Irish gangs & the body count is rising. There are rumours it's related to the murder of an Irishman a few months ago (1st book) but Doyle has her doubts & with good reason. She killed the man responsible. After Acton disappeared the body, no one was the wiser.

This aspect of the plot is very complex & has its' roots in the previous novel. The cast is large with many of the characters concealing hidden agendas & relationships. Doyle was not completely honest with Acton during that case & now worries a little white lie has led to murder. After all, she's the only one aware of his "condition".

Most of the characters have returned. Williams is now a DS & strangely disproving of Doyle's marriage. Munoz, pissed about that & his promotion, continues to hone her ambition while hunting for a wealthy boyfriend. And DCI Drake is still the king of smarm. My favourite new character has to be Reynolds, Acton's house keeper/butler. He is immediately thrown into dramatic circumstances but maintains a stiff upper lip & delivers droll, understated lines that are hilarious.

There are several subplots involving these characters but the two main story lines are the police investigation & our newlyweds' relationship. In terms of the investigative angle, it's almost impossible to summarize. This author plays the long game & seeds of current events were planted in the first book. Names that were casually mentioned & affiliations that seemed insignificant are suddenly in the spotlight, putting a different spin on what you thought you knew. 

It also bleeds over into Doyle & Acton's home life. These are two people who led solitary lives 'til now & they're still feeling their way in this marriage thing. Doyle is young, smart but naive in many ways. Her Irish heritage "gifted" her with an internal lie detector which comes in handy on the job but can be overwhelming in social situations. She takes her Catholic faith seriously which leaves her conflicted over some of Acton's activities. But she never doubts he loves her deeply.

As for Acton, well...he's crazy for her. Literally. He's admitted his Section 7 status, meaning that when it comes to Doyle, he's just this side of creepy stalker guy. In this book we get a closer look at his pathology & it's not pretty. Even he wonders if therapy might not be a good idea. After one particular scene near the end that made my jaw drop, I began to agree with him.

He's a fascinating character. Wealthy, respected & sophisticated, he & Doyle might as well be from different planets. Social status alone should guarantee the relationship is a disaster & even Doyle's priest has his doubts. What makes it work is their mutual understanding of what it's like to have a secret that makes you an outcast. Separately they are insular people adept at maintaining a facade. Together, they just about make one functional person. 

And before it's all over, Doyle will realize it's not the criminals in her day job that are the most deadly.

Just as an aside, in the first book each chapter opened with a short passage in Acton's voice & I missed those here. It was the only time we got to hear his unfiltered & unguarded thoughts & gave the reader great insight into his little problem.

Overall, this is an engrossing & satisfying read. It's darker than book #1 & the continuing character development made me even more invested in these people. I would not recommend it as a stand alone as knowledge of past events is necessary to truly understand what's going on in all aspects of the story.

Because of how it ends, I'm almost afraid to find out what happens next. But I also can't wait.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Kensington for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kathleen Doyle a 24-year-old 1^st year Detective Constable with Scotland Yard is beyond surprised when the great and brilliant Chief Inspector Acton requests her presence for a murder investigation. Doyle’s not a bad detective, but her greatest strength is in interrogation. Call it intuition, a bit of psychic ability or whatever you want she can sense what others are feeling, so she’s practically a human lie detector. She and Acton never openly discuss what it is she can do, but he has no qualms in using whatever is at his disposal to close cases. And in the 3 months of working together they’ve closed an impressive number of cases. But does he have an ulterior motive for calling her from the lowest tier to the exalted ranks? And will they solve this next string of murders when it begins to look like one or the other of them is the next target?

I liked the premise of this story and thought it would be a regular mystery with a murder or murders to solve before the end. What I got was so much more. Told from Doyle’s POV the inner workings of her mind are delightful. Her Irish way of speaking, her view of the world and how she thinks of Acton are all so fascinating that the book fairly flies along. On top of that, there’s Acton and his actions. Very unusual and mystifying. And finally there is a murderer running around killing people in a seemingly unconnected yet connected fashion and Doyle and Acton are hard pressed to link the murders together. The ending was a surprise. I didn’t see that coming. I loved this story and I’m looking forward to reading more stories featuring Doyle and Acton.