Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A Simple Mistake
SERIES: Deadly Mistakes
AUTHOR: Alice Winters
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
LENGTH: 10 hour and 11 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2025
BLURB:
Liam
Weirdly, people don’t react overly well when you’re caught standing over the dead body of a murderer who’d walked free.
It’s not that I thought my fellow homicide detective would rejoice when he saw what I’d done, but is a pat on the back too much to ask for? Maybe a gold star at the very least?
The problem is that the person who caught me is Gabriel, the only person I care for and adore… and he’s prepared to look the other way if I leave homicide and promise to never kill again. Yet when Gabriel gets taken by a serial killer, there’s absolutely no way I can sit back while this parasite takes what is mine.
But what the killer doesn’t know is that I’m coming for him and that I would destroy the world to keep Gabriel safe. After all, who could hunt a serial killer better than another one?
Gabriel
Drawing Liam back into homicide is the last thing I thought I’d ever do, but the killer is picking off my fellow detectives, and the only way we’re going to make it out of this is with Liam heading the case (even if there’s one—or five—coworkers he’d rather not save).
Liam is smart, sarcastic, and the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, and yet I can’t look away—even if he calls my adorable cat Lucy Fur. No one has any idea just how far Liam will go for me, especially not the killer, who won’t realize until too late that the prey he hunts is actually a predator.
REVIEW:
This start to a new series is always something to look forward to with Alice Winters. While this does have a lot of Alice’s trademark sensibilities, it’s a bit darker than some of her other books. That is in now way a criticism and it really works for these particularly characters and events.
Gabriel is a homicide detective and he cares about Liam, his former partner. He respects Liam’s ability to see things no one else does and always find the killers. He’s learned a lot from him, but he draws the line when he discovers the reason why Liam is so good at this job. He can’t look the other way and so Liam agrees to leave the force and have no contact. Liam is really not happy about this because Gabriel is the first person he has felt anything for in a very very very long time.
Liam moves on with his life. He starts a business and is minding his own business when someone starts picking off the detectives in Liam’s old unit. Then he discovers that Gabriel has been take and he’s not amused. In fact he vows to take care of whoever has deigned to touch what is his.
Liam knows Gabriel very well and when he goes to check out Gabriel’s house, he discovers his cat. Lucille Paw us extremely unhappy. She has clawed the bejesus out of whoever too Gabriel and has the evidence on her paws! She also holds the key to Liam finding Gabriel before anything permanent happens to him.
Then the chase is on. There is a lot of intrigue and sabotage and scary moments for both Liam and Gabriel as the killer is not stopping. He’s blackmailing people into doing things they normally wouldn’t do. He’s setting up traps along the way. He continues to pick at Liam but Gabriel is telling him he can’t take he guy out.
Things get pretty out of hand and when the suspect turns out to be pretty well connected and everything ties back to another murder that Liam and Gabriel solved as well as an unintentional find, well it’s clear that they are not going to be able to close this case easily. If Liam can’t take this guy out, it’s not a given that the perp will even be charged, let along punished. Pretty sure that Liam is going to have to take some drastic measures here to assure that Gabriel, his one true love, is safe.
So this book is sooooo good. There were some really terrific plot twists that I just loved. Gabriel is such a good guy. Liam’s backstory doesn’t come out until well into the story. The dual POVs really added to the enjoyment of this telling. Gabriel and Liam come from such different backgrounds. There is trauma. There is definitely some personality disordered thinking. Liam has no idea why Gabriel is the one person he cares for and feels any connection to. He’s definitely detached from most people going so far as referring to them as human as if he is not one of them 
There are plenty of folks in this story who tread the morally gray line in many ways. But Liam has clearly crossed it and is not one to sit by and let things slide when the justice system fails. Together Gabriel and Liam do make and outstanding team.
Greg Boudreaux does an outstanding job of performing this story. Liam’s personality quirks are clearly on display in this audio. He’s definitely a straight shooter Gabriel is a good person and he’s not necessarily willing to overlook Liam’s little issue, but when it comes down to it he definitely trusts Liam with his life. He’s definitely torn between doing what’s right and trying to stay on the right side of the law. When too many things happy though and Gabriel only feels safe with Liam, he’s a bit more, let’s say flexible? I loved their interplay and how they finally confessed their feelings. The flashback sequence/telling of this story was really well done here also and I think worked here where it doesn’t in too many other instances. There is humor in this one – mostly around Liam and his reactions/actions. There are also deeply disturbing and excruciating moments. It’s definitely a dark humor story. Think Dexter in tone sort of. I found this to be a superb combination of narrator and author. I can’t wait for the next book! Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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