Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  A Shot in Darkness

SERIES:  Vasquez Inc

AUTHOR:  Lou Sylvre

PUBLISHER:  Changeling Press

LENGTH:  193 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 22, 2021

BLURB:

A Scotland honeymoon promises joy for a Dom and his sub, but a criminal’s revenge may prove deadly.

Sure the danger that dogged their steps in Los Angeles has finally passed, Brian and Jackie seal their hopes for a new beginning with a New Year’s Eve kiss. Though Brian’s trauma at the hands of criminals has left its mark, they do their best to leave troubles behind and enjoy a Scotland honeymoon. The ancient city of Glasgow offers nightlife, historic sites, long walks through snowfall, great Scotch Whiskey, a cozy fireside — and a blazing hot private encounter with a cool, cool ghost.

But every time somebody wins, someone else loses. When Brian helped State Department cop Jesse Douglas take down a crime ring, a rogue FBI agent lost everything. She blames Brian, and with the help of false identities and very good skills at disguise, tracking him and Jackie down in Scotland poses no problem. When a final encounter in the Highlands turns deadly, the key to keeping Brian alive lies in Jackie’s hands. With everything he loves at stake, can he call up love, courage and confidence in time to take that single, vital shot in darkness?

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the seventh book in this series and as such, builds on the previous stories.  It’s not recommended to read as a standalone.

Brian is still in the hospital – as a result of the bullet he took in the blow-up at Vitners and getting the human trafficking victims out.  But luckily he’s not being prosecuted and the State Department is letting him go.  The corruption in the local law enforcement, the feds and potential the judiciary are too much to come out, so this is the way to sweep it under the rug apparently.

At New Year’s everyone once again assembles at Kaholo’s place in Nebraska.  Even Jesse, their State Department contact joins Sonny and Luki and Jackie and Brian and Josh and Ruthie and Jade.  Brian and Jackie have hardly seen each other since their spontaneous wedding over Thanksgiving so they really need the time together.  Brian gets a call offering him a potential job – once again in the UK – but he’s not sure he or Jackie is ready for that or even wants it.  Jesse has been forced to take a sabbatical and he’s going to visit family in Scotland.  Jackie and Brian decide it’s a good idea for a honeymoon and to help them make a decision about potentially returning.

Parallel to Jackie and Brian’s plans, the corrupt FBI agent who managed to get away from the Vitner sting is hatching her own plan for revenge.  When she stumbles on Brian and Jackie in Glasgow, he gets added to her list.  She hasn’t gone completely unnoticed though and Jackie and Brian and Jesse are a bit nervous.  But they continue their plants to visit Jesse’s aunt in the highlands.  While they all remain vigilant, she still manages to penetrate their sanctuary.  And there are some surprising return characters as well that help to save the day.

Whew!  This one was a nail biter for sure!  Just when we think Jackie and Brian might get a break, someone else comes after them.  There are still some sexy times for these two and they seem to be getting on a more sure footing with each other, but they do have to deal with a lot of danger again.  They of course support each other in every way, and I really enjoyed their time with their family and when they did have the chance to be out of the clutches of some crazy murderous revenge seekers.  I have really liked the mystery arc of this series, but I’m hoping that if there is another book, that Jackie and Brian get some quiet time 😉  This committed couple deserves a break 😀  Highly recommended!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Changeling Press

Amazon