Reviewed by Anabela.m
TITLE: Cryptic
SERIES: Puzzles Book 1
AUTHOR: Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga
PUBLISHER: Self-published
RELEASE DATE: August 17,2021
LENGTH: 148 pages
BLURB:
Derek “Crash” Wheeler never really wanted to make detective. He was a good marine and a great beat cop, but now he has to deal with cases like the one that just landed in his lap. Multiple deaths. Probably a serial killer. And if that isn’t bad enough, now he has a crazy ex-profiler calling and texting, acting like he knows exactly what’s going on.
Matthew Herrera has more than one clue about Derek’s case. He worked on a serial murder case once that took everything away from him, and while the perpetrator went to jail, Matthew knows the case isn’t over. This murderer likes to play games, and he doesn’t work alone.
Racing against time, Derek and Matthew have to learn to work together to solve this case, and they find they have a chemistry they can’t deny, even if it feels selfish to indulge. People are dying out there, and it will take all their skills to work out this puzzle before it’s too late, or before one of them becomes the next victim.
REVIEW:
This was an intriguing story. Not only there was a gritty serial killer case to solve, but also a broken hero/knight in shining armor romantic pairing that won me over.
Dr. Matthew Herrera was still healing after a twisted killer ruined his life years ago. He had completely shut himself from the world, until the imprisoned killer seemed to somehow help another siccko kill in New York. Reluctantly, he traveled to the city to help detective Derek Wheeler, hopefully in time before someone else got murdered.
Initially Derek and Matthew could barely stand each other, but that soon changed when they had to practically work together twentyfour seven. The story played a lot on the protagonists’ insecurities. Derek felt utterly inadequate for solving the case and Matthew had his demons and anxieties, so they both had to hunt for clues feeling completely afraid of not being good enough. When it became clear that Matthew was the killer’s target, it awakened Derek’s protective and nurturing sides. Before long, the tension between them became sexual, although, when they eventually had sex, it felt more like a means to escape their reality. Not a romance, just two terrified men who used each other for release, a way to experience something beautiful amidst the ugliness around them.
The investigation part of the story was interesting. The police and Matthew had to figure out what the victims had in common, how the mastermind killer communicated with his minions and possibly anticipate their next move. It was a thrilling experience that had, in my opinion, a rather anticlimactic conclusion. The killer actually revealed himself and also got shot to death, and so many questions were left unanswered. This being the first book in a series, I imagine the authors ended the book that way just to keep the readers wanting more, which definitely worked in my case. Things between Matthew and Derek were left with a hopeful ‘I want to see you again’, so there’s also a possible romance to look forward to. So, bring on book two.
RATING: 