Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Couldn’t Cheat Death
SERIES: Paul Monroe Mysteries #1
AUTHOR: A.P. Eisen
NARRATOR: Kale Williams
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2019
LENGTH: 5 hours, 15 minutes
BLURB:
Detective Paul Monroe has little room in his life for anything but work. Maintaining order and solving cases in the town of Thornwood Park keeps him busy. When Jerry Gregoria, a popular bartender and personal trainer is found murdered, there’s no shortage of suspects. It seems Jerry was busy shaking more than cocktails all over town, leaving Paul and his partner with an ever-growing list of men and women who have reasons to want Jerry dead. The deeper Paul delves into the case, the more he finds himself drawn to hotel manager Cliff Baxter, whom he hasn’t seen in years.
Cliff Baxter’s childhood crush on Paul Monroe hasn’t waned since high school. In fact, with the sexy detective conducting the investigation at the hotel, Cliff is more than happy to help. Ever since his last relationship went up in flames, Cliff has made it a rule to never get involved with a closeted man. But after Paul is threatened and things between the two heat up, Cliff decides to make an exception.
With new twists in the case popping up every day and the mayor breathing down the police department’s neck, Paul needs to solve the case yesterday. It takes a crisis for Paul and Cliff to realize what started out as something casual could be everything they’ve both been looking for but never thought to find. But if the killer strikes again, they might never get that chance.
REVIEW:
I’ve been on a mystery binge lately and couldn’t resist picking up this debut novel by A.P. Eisen, I needed something new in my life. And did I ever find it in this book! Now I have a new problem – no more books in this series have been published. Me and waiting are not friends, I’m a very impatient person if there ever was one. Then again, if the follow-up to Couldn’t Cheat Death is as good it might just be worth waiting for.
Paul Monroe lives for his work as a detective with the local police department. His latest case, the murder of a bartender and personal trainer, turns up more suspect than he knows what to do with. And everyone seems to have had a motive to kill the man. During the case he meets Cliff, the childhood friend of his younger brother. A man that’s more than a little tempting for this closeted detective.
Cliff had the biggest crush on Paul when he was a teenager. To his dismay that crush is still there years later. Nothing can ever come of it, after the hurt his previous relationships caused him, he promised himself to stay clear of closeted guys that wouldn’t acknowledge him in public. But their paths keep crossing, and it’s not long before they cross more than paths. But a killer is still out there, and for Paul work has always come first.
I’m always partial to characters that feel genuine. The ones that have issues and problems, and aren’t picture perfect. Both Paul and Cliff fit that description perfectly. They have baggage and fears and wants and hopes. I believed in them, both as individual but even more so in their relationship. There was no instant relationship or “I love you’s” it wasn’t easy and when the book ended they are still not truly solid. Their relationship have just started, and I’m guessing we will see it grow and mature in the books to come.
This book was narrated by the very talented Kale Williams. Right off the bat he captured me with his smooth voice and easy pacing. He made both Paul and Cliff come alive for the listener and brought you into the story with them. He might not have truly distinguished voices for his characters, but the feelings he adds to his narration still makes it a great listening experience, and one that ended way too soon.
Couldn’t Cheat Death didn’t feel like a debut novel. It was well-written with characters and a plot you could believe in. There was no drama for the sake of it, or over used plot devices that made you roll your eyes. It was everything that I hoped it would be, a great and engaging murder mystery wrapped up in a beautiful romance. And I want more!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] reasons to want Jerry dead. The deeper Paul delves into the case, the more he finds himself drawn to hotel manager Cliff Baxter, whom he hasn’t seen in […]