There is something to be said about a tortured hero; a tortured heroine can also make for some compelling reading. But when there is something very wrong with just about every single character in a book, well, reading it can be a hard row to hoe. Such is the case with Nancy Gideon’s latest, Bound by Moonlight.

The fourth book in the Moonlight series, Bound by Moonlight continues the story of the turbulent relationship between CeeCee Caissie, a New Orleans cop, and her lover, Max Savoie, a shifter. The book opens with CeeCee and Max attending a charity event despite the paparazzi and the disapproving whispers of the other attendees, in an attempt to whitewash Max’s mobster reputation. These opening pages were so engaging that I wondered why I hadn’t read the first three books. Then things started to implode and I became glad that I hadn’t.

CeeCee is interrupted at the party by a call informing her that another body had been found, possibly the work of a serial killer she and her partner have been chasing. Unfortunately, the supposition is correct, and once again there are few clues, until CeeCee decides to let Max use his shifter senses to examine the body. What he finds is interesting, but no real help, so it is decided that CeeCee will go undercover as a stripper in the club most associated with the young hookers being victimized. This undercover assignment and CeeCee’s disappearing to work closely with her partner, whom she has told Max was once her lover, cause a major rift in CeeCee and Max’s relationship.

It’s hard to know where to begin with all the things that bothered me about this book. First there’s Max. He’s the shapeshifter king, mated to a tough-as-nails cop, head of a crime family trying to go legit, savior of his people, and an extra-special super shifter from legend. Yet, he’s the most whiny, downtrodden, kicked-dog hero I’ve encountered in a long time. He’s always moaning about something. The past, the present, the possible future, it’s all fuel for crying, or clinging to CeeCee, or lashing out like a complete psycho. He’s afraid of the dark, for Pete’s sake. He has a tortured past! But he sure does love CeeCee! He’ll die without her! Co-dependent much?

Then there’s CeeCee with her brand of crazy. She loves Max, she really, really does. Really, she does. Apparently that’s why it’s okay to arrange to meet him when he’s being all emotionally vulnerable (again!) and then falling asleep instead. And maybe that’s why she told him a huge fat lie in a previous book that apparently served no purpose other than to hurt Max (again!) and cause him needless emotional pain. She refuses to call him just to let him know she’s not dead in a ditch somewhere when she’s undercover, while her partner on the assignment calls and talks to his wife, who happens to live with Max, every single night. But then, when Max tracks her down, she jumps his bones and acts defensive that he’s hurt by her silence. Later, the loving CeeCee asks Max to do a massive favor for a guy who, when Max was eight, broke his teeth out by smashing him in the face with a whiskey bottle and then made him drink the whiskey, glass, broken teeth and all. She lovingly informs Max that he’s being selfish for not rushing right out to help the guy. But she does love Max, really! Except that she has a tortured past!

CeeCee’s partner, Alain Babineau, is another piece of work. A dedicated Max-basher, his purpose in the story seems to be mainly that of a catalyst for more Max-style angst. In a previous book, Max rescued Alain’s stepson from a group of zealots (whose existence is a-whole-nother can of worms), in the process outing himself in front of a bunch of cops. Is Alain grateful? Sort of, but not enough to change his opinion that Max should either be jailed or put down, or worse. Alain casually informs CeeCee that she’s pretty much practicing bestiality and that she needs to be at home whelping puppies instead of being a cop. Lovely. All of CeeCee’s brother policemen seem to be either dirtbags or hicks.

These examples are a very few of the crazy, unscrupulous, weak or violent characters who populate this book. The few that aren’t any of these things are mostly wallpaper. In fact, the only character I didn’t despise or pretty much ignore was one old woman who appears a few pages from the end.

Technically this book is okay. It lags a while in the middle while CeeCee and Max are separated and he spends his time moping around and making a life with Alain’s wife and stepson, but for the most part the plot moves along. The mystery isn’t that big a surprise, but it did keep me wondering for a while. Two of the previous books have been reviewed here and they both received a B. I can’t help feeling that my C- might be a little generous.