Last year I really enjoyed Dirty Little Secrets, which introduced Julie Leto’s kickass heroine Marisela Morales. The bounty-hunter-turned-private-investigator is back to somewhat diminished returns in Dirty Little Lies. The book delivers the expected suspense; too bad the characters have lost some of their spark along the way.

While attending a high-society fundraiser for her employer, investigative firm Titan International, Marisela Morales spots a masked man across the crowded ballroom who’s all-too familiar. She hasn’t seen her ex, Frankie Vega, since he was shot and nearly killed on their last mission together. Now he appears to be back in action, and they quickly escape to an isolated corner for an intimate moment.

Their reunion comes to an abrupt end when Marisela spots a gunman taking aim at the ballroom just before a congressman in attendance is shot. Taking off in pursuit of the shooter, Marisela comes face to face with Yizenia Santiago, a legendary assassin-for-hire. Yizenia’s trademark is that she only takes assignments where justice was denied by the legal system, killing those who never paid for their crimes. For her to be involved, the motive for the congressman’s shooting must be personal. It soon becomes Marisela’s job to find out exactly what that motive is when the congressman’s wife hires Titan to protect her husband. Marisela and Frankie are tasked with digging into an infamous incident in the congressman’s past to learn if someone is seeking some long-delayed justice.

Much like the In Death series, among others, this book deals with a stand-alone mystery while continuing the relationships established in the first book. As such, I really wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read Dirty Little Secrets. This is partly because the book seems to operate under the assumption that the reader is familiar with the characters and their history. Though there are a few cursory explanations of the backstory, they serve more as reminders of what came before than fresh introductions.

More importantly, the characters just don’t seem as vivid and compelling here as in the first book. It feels somewhat like the lead actors have stepped offstage and their understudies are running lines. They’re saying all the right things and hitting the same blocking, but their performances aren’t as lived in and vibrant. The first book was a good mix of character and plot. Here it’s mostly plot, with the character moments squeezed in here and there. As a result, character development is minimal, and some aspects feel clunky and forced. For instance, Titan boss Ian Blake’s infatuation with Marisela simply seems tacked-on and off-putting, really serving little purpose. As someone who has read the first book, I was basically coasting on residual fondness for the characters, though Marisela herself still held some appeal. The most compelling character in the book is one introduced for the first time, the female assassin Yizenia. This is both because the nature of her character is fascinating and because the author actually has to present the character from scratch, so she’s more fully-formed than nearly everyone else in the book.

Unlike the first book, which is pure – but “burning” – suspense, this one is labeled romance, but the relationship between Marisela and Frankie basically amounts to a tiresome cycle of bickering and sex, bickering and sex, with deeper emotions merely hinted at but never explored. In the end, the relationship is left open to be continued in the future. The relationship between Mariela and Yizenia is more effective, with the parallels the author draws between them adding some nice nuances to the story.

Dirty Little Lies is most successful as a suspense novel, which makes sense since the emphasis is more on plot than character. As usual, Leto’s prose is smooth and the story goes down easily. The plot is fast-paced and delivers some taut action and good twists along the way. Best of all, it culminates in an absolutely delicious climax that pretty much made the book for me. Something happens that rarely, if ever, happens in romantic suspense, and while some readers may object, I loved it. I was wavering on what grade to give this book, but the ending sealed it as a marginal B-.

I suspect this review is coming across as more negative than I intended, which would be a shame. Make no mistake, this was a fast read I enjoyed well enough. It’s simply that the very thing I liked the most about the first book, the characters, was lacking here, which led to an inevitable let-down feeling. Anyone who hasn’t read Dirty Little Secrets should definitely do so, whether or not they plan to pick up this one. Meanwhile, those who enjoyed that book can expect to find more twisty suspense, but may find the characters just aren’t quite the same.