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Zwei vermisste Mädchen, zwei brutale Morde, ein grausames Geheimnis
Als Piper Hadley und ihre Freundin Tash McBain spurlos aus dem kleinen Ort Bingam bei Oxford verschwinden, erschüttert es das ganze Land. Trotz aller Bemühungen können sie nie gefunden werden. Isoliert von der Außenwelt werden sie von ihrem Entführer gefangen gehalten, bis Tash nach drei Jahren die Flucht gelingt. Kurz darauf entdeckt man ein brutal ermordetes Ehepaar in seinem Haus in Oxford. Der Psychologe Joe O’Loughlin, der einen Verdächtigen befragen soll, vermutet, dass dieses Verbrechen mit der Entführung der beiden Mädchen in Zusammenhang steht. Währenddessen hofft Piper verzweifelt auf Rettung durch ihre Freundin. Doch mit jeder Stunde, die sie ausbleibt, wächst ihre Angst. Denn der Mann, der sie in seiner Gewalt hat, ist in seinem Wahn zu allem fähig.

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»Als Robert Stern diesem ungewöhnlichen Treffen zugestimmt hatte, wusste er nicht, dass er damit eine Verabredung mit dem Tod einging. Noch weniger ahnte er, dass der Tod etwa 1,43 m messen, Turnschuhe tragen und lächelnd auf einem gottverlassenen Industriegelände in sein Leben treten würde.« Strafverteidiger Robert Stern ist wie vor den Kopf geschlagen, als er sieht, wer der geheimnisvolle Mandant ist, mit dem er sich auf einem abgelegenen und heruntergekommenen Industriegelände treffen soll: Simon, ein zehnjähriger Junge, zerbrechlich, todkrank – und fest überzeugt, in einem früheren Leben ein Mörder gewesen zu sein. Doch Robert Sterns Verblüffung wandelt sich in Entsetzen und Verwirrung, als er in jenem Keller, den Simon beschrieben hat, tatsächlich menschliche Überreste findet: ein Skelett, der Schädel mit einer Axt gespalten. Und dies ist erst der Anfang. Denn nicht nur berichtet Simon von weiteren, vor Jahren hingerichteten Opfern, schon bald wird auch die Gegenwart mörderisch …

I don't know if there's anything I can say about this one that could do it justice. In fact, I had to give it a couple days to sink in so I could even try - and I'm still pretty sure I'll fail. This is a powerful read and it made me feel a range of emotions from angry to sad, rage, relief, amazement, and just plain heartbreak. It made me forget that I don't even like historical reads.

I should probably have prefaced this by stating that i didn't choose this book, it was chosen for me as part of a reading challenge - otherwise I probably never would have picked it up. I'm so glad I did though. This novel has two parallel storylines, flipping back and forth between 1941 & 1951, which is a difficult feat to pull off effectively, but Kilney does it flawlessly. 

It starts in 1951, where we meet John Oakes, a seasoned war veteran plagued with severe PTSD (known as shellshock in this time period.) He's a simple man whose only desires are to find someone to share his life with and to quiet his nightmares. He's a student at UC - Berkley, studying Political Science and pursing his PhD when he first meets Kurt, a janitor at Berkley, who tries very hard to remain invisible in order to survive each day - trapped in nightmares of his own. They run into each other when John discovers beautiful piano music as he's walking the halls to avoid going home to restless sleep, and eventually brought together with the help of Kurt's only friend, Jules.

As the story unfolds, we're transported back to 1941 in Austria, where a gay Kurt is 20 years old, and just finding himself. He's always been a gifted pianist and begins rehearsing for a concert where he meets his first love, Peter. The relationship they begin is forbidden, but also so very addictive. Peter is vibrant and full of love, things Kurt has never been exposed to in his sheltered life and he can't help but cling to them and Peter with everything he has.

There is so much depth and breadth to this story that I couldn't possibly be able to cover it all in this review and including any spoilers would dampen the powerful impact on how the events of the past influence those of the future. Both men are traumatized by their pasts. But with great effort, together they are able to put those ghosts to rest and find the peace they so desperately crave. This is one of those novels where you truly feel that the ending is deserved and earned.

I can't say enough about this book. It is not a pleasant read, nor should it be. Some things can never, and will never be acceptable. Looking through Kurt and John's eyes, we get an up close and personal look at one of the worst times in human history. And while it may be fiction, it both felt and affected me as if it were real. Big fat, ugly tears at times. I'm not a history buff, so I can't truly comment on the veracity of the events, but it does appear that it was heavily researched and handled with a deft and delicate hand.

I have always loved romances with damaged characters, I'm sure I've said that once or twice. I think you will find though, that this book will give you new meaning to those words. Even if you don't like historical fiction/romance, I highly recommend you give it a try. There are a few stories that demand to be told, and this is one of them.

Painfully beautiful.

More Prophet and Tommy! These two together are explosive and S. E. Jakes does a great job at bringing them to life. They are hotter than hell together and I was so happy to finally get them back on my kindle - even if they tried to melt my screen.

I still adore Prophet, he's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. I really enjoyed this story, but for some reason, I didn't find it as gripping as the first one and I can't quite pinpoint why. There was what's coming to be known as classic Prophet humor - because he deflects everything with sarcasm (the whole alligator scene was a riot); there was also a little more romance in this one than the first; the boys trying to work on more of their problems as a couple, and coming to terms with feelings they're hesitant to name. And whereas the last one ended with a cliffhanger of sorts, this one seemed more hopeful. Overall, it was good, but for some reason it didn't reach great for me. That doesn't mean I'm not salivating at the next chance to read more from them though, far from it.

So, if you haven't tried this series, I highly recommend it - especially if you're a fan of the ever popular Cut & Run Series by Abigail Roux.

Mind blown. Review later.

Excellent series. I'm sad that it's over.