Fade to Black
Grade : B+

Lately I’ve been very hesitant to pick up a romantic suspense novel because the last several I’ve read have been pretty bad. Usually it’s due to a TSTL Damsel in Distress heroine paired with a macho alpha male and a poorly written suspense plot. I was so pleasantly surprised, then, to discover a real gem in Fade to Black, and Leslie Parrish (aka Leslie Kelly) is an author I plan to follow.

Special Agent Dean Taggert recently transferred to the FBI’s Cyber Action Team (CAT) to get away from all the violence of working the rough Baltimore streets. Unfortunately, one of his cyber-savvy coworkers has just discovered one of the most horrific crimes Dean has ever seen: a man known as “the Reaper” who videotapes himself committing horrific murders and posts them on a secret Internet site. The investigation leads Dean to the small town of Hope Valley, Virginia, where he’s hoping to discover the identity of the Reaper’s first victim.

Sheriff Stacey Rhodes moved back to Hope Valley to take over for her father when health complications forced him to resign as Sheriff. Stacey jumped at the chance to move back to the sleepy little town after working for several years as an officer with the Virginia State Police. Stacey is still haunted by memories of what she encountered as a first responder to the massacre at Virginia Tech, and views working in Hope Valley as a chance to recover and take a break. But her tranquil world is shattered when Dean Taggert shows up with the video of the gruesome murder of Lisa Zimmerman, a young woman Stacey used to babysit. Stacey agrees to assist the investigation in any way she can, and right now all the clues are pointing to one of Hope Valley’s residents as the serial killer.

Fade to Black is a trifecta of good romantic suspense: good characters, good romance, and good suspense. Stacey is a tough, intelligent, and very competent woman who loves her family but isn’t a pushover. Dean is a delicious hero: he’s a strong, confident, devoted father (recently divorced) who is completely turned on by a strong, capable woman. Dean is my favorite kind of alpha hero: he’s strong and capable without feeling the need to assert dominance or control over Stacey to “prove” his masculinity. Stacey and Dean approach their attraction to each other as two mature adults, which was a refreshing change of pace from the frequent denials and emotional flip-flopping commonly found in romances.

The mystery and suspense were very good, keeping me thoroughly intrigued and often on the edge of my seat. In fact, so much page space was devoted to the suspense plot that I ended up feeling the romance plot had been a little shortchanged; still good, but not as great as the suspense. Which brings me to what is really my only complaint: when I read a Romantic Suspense novel, I expect the romance to either be the main storyline, or at least an equal storyline to the suspense. Instead, Fade to Black read like a Mystery/Suspense novel with a strong romantic theme, which is the reason I didn’t give it a DIK.

On a side note, because this is one of my pet peeves, I want to point out that when officers are searching a building with their weapons drawn, they do not point their guns upwards—that only happens in Hollywood. In reality, officers point their weapons at the ground; unless, of course, they are pointing them at someone. An error like this always pulls me out of the action and makes me grit my teeth, but I realize that most readers won’t even blink at this. Like I said: pet peeve.

So, to sum up: Fade to Black is really quite good. I tore through this book pretty quickly; not wanting to put it down. If you’ve been looking for romantic suspense that’s worth the read, I highly recommend you give it a try. What’s even better is that Fade to Black is the first in a series by Ms. Parrish. Here’s hoping the rest are just as enjoyable.

 

Reviewed by Katie Mack
Grade : B+

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : July 1, 2009

Publication Date: 2009/07

Review Tags: FBI

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Katie Mack

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