Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Rational Faculty
SERIES: Hazard & Somerset: A Union of Swords
AUTHOR: Gregory Ashe
NARRATOR: Tristan James
PUBLISHER: Hodgkin and Blount
LENGTH: 11 hours and 18 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 26, 2020
BLURB:
Three months have passed since Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset faced a madman and lived to tell about it. Three months have passed since Emery Hazard resigned from his job as a detective.Three months can be too long and too short, all at the same time.
On Halloween, a professor at the local college is murdered in his apartment, in front of dozens of witnesses. Then, the killer disappears. Somers is assigned the case and a new partner. While Somers investigates the murder, Hazard struggles to find purpose in his new freedom. Despite his decision to stay away, he finds himself drawn to the case. But he’s no longer in the police force, and in the small town of Wahredua, not all of his former colleagues are happy to see him investigating another crime.
When the sheriff’s son and husband go missing, though, the case becomes more complicated than either Hazard or Somers had expected. And soon, they learn that someone else is manipulating events in Wahredua. Someone who is very interested in Emery Hazard.
REVIEW:
This books starts a new Hazard & Somerset series. Hazard is no longer on the force and Somerset has a new partner. They are . . . adjusting. Not well. Emery doesn’t really know what to do with himself. He’s working on his cooking skills 🙂 Somerset doesn’t know what to do about it either. They are drifting – somewhat apart.
Then there is a murder. Somerset misses Hazard something fierce on the job. His new partner is young – kind of a bro-dude. But a very gay one. They investigate the murder, but come up with a lot of nothing. Then Emery discovers the possible weapon – which doesn’t go so well for Somerset. They have a lot to work on – with the job and with their relationship. Things just keep getting weirder though. There are other things going on in Wahredua that pull Emery in different directions. Are they related? Is someone just trying to distract them from the murder? Of course I don’t want to say too much, because the point of the mystery is for the reader to enjoy the ride and figure out the clues along with Hazard & Somerset 😀
Well, this was a wild and somewhat disturbing ride. Full disclosure – this is my first Hazard and Somerset audiobook. I really liked it. It was a bit gruesome at times, but Tristan James is a fantastic narrator. I really felt the tension in this story through his voice. He did a great job with the whole cast of characters – and there are many to keep track of. The mystery was very well done and kept me guessing. As in real life things aren’t all neatly “wrapped up” at the end. But they will go on to fight another day. I’m excited to listen to the next one and continue this amazing story of these two men who are destined to be together.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Audible