Maximum Security is a romantic suspense series title that’s unusually grim and graphic, which makes it a good choice for anyone believing a series romance can’t be as hard-hitting as a single title. It’s also a good bet for those who can’t get enough of serial killer stories. Which also means this is a book that isn’t for everyone.

Maggie Reyes is the only surviving victim of a serial killer known as “the Surgeon,” who murdered a number of women in New Orleans before turning his attentions to her. A bestselling crime writer and former cop, she consulted on the case until the Surgeon captured her and held her captive, torturing and tormenting her before she managed to escape. In the two years since, Maggie has lived in hiding in a beach house in Monterey, California, imprisoned in her home, afraid to set foot outside.

Billy Corrigan’s sister was one of the Surgeon’s victims, and he remains determined to find the killer who eluded capture two years ago. The FBI computer specialist manages to locate Maggie and appeals to her for help. She doesn’t need much convincing. A new series of victims indicates the Surgeon is slowly making his way across the country toward her. When it becomes clear he knows where she is, Maggie has no choice but to work with Billy to stop him.

This is obviously very familiar suspense material. In fact another of this month’s Harlequin Intrigues is also about a serial killer, the sole surviving female victim, and the renegade FBI agent whose sister was one of the killer’s victims. The book uses many of the usual scenes and elements of serial killer books. It is more realistic than most. The author has clearly done her homework. The main characters engage in long conversations about serial killers, referencing real life names and using more technical profiling terms than romantic suspense books often bother with. The downside is, Ms. Montoya’s sense of realism leads her to give her killer a backstory that is typical to the point of cliché. If you’ve read more than a few serial killer thrillers, it will probably sound very familiar.

The author does give the material a unique spin by having a heroine who never leaves her home. And yet, this is not a claustrophobic story. One neat aspect is the way Montoya uses some creativity to branch the story out while keeping the housebound heroine involved in the action throughout. Another nice touch is that both Maggie and her best friend are Hispanic. This isn’t one of those cases where their ethnicity is mentioned because it plays a role in the story. It doesn’t. It’s simply who they are and helps give them a little more distinctiveness as people.

Readers used to a certain level of bleakness and gore in a series romance should be warned that this story reads more like a shortened mainstream thriller than the usual series romance. The book is awfully downbeat and more than a little depressing at times. Several people are killed along the way, and Montoya shows the killer stalking his victims, including disturbing scenes of what was done to Maggie when he held her prisoner. In one instance, a young woman arrives home to begin preparing for her roommate’s birthday party, only to be slaughtered. So we’re treated to the scene of her roommate coming home, learning the news of her roommate’s death and falling apart in Billy’s arms. Happy birthday! I’ve read single title romantic suspense that was less depressing than that. For better or worse, Montoya pushes the format into gloomier than usual territory.

If I haven’t said much about the romance, it’s because that part of the story really doesn’t stand out next to the suspense. The characters are well-developed. Maggie is a tough heroine who, even while traumatized, continues to fight back. There’s good character growth on the part of the both characters. But the suspense is so grim it’s not a particularly romantic story, although the very last line of the book is very nice and ends the story in a hopeful manner.

Maximum Security is well executed for this type of story. It’s realistic. The characters are strong. The action sequences are taut and gripping. But while I respect how good it is on a technical level, the subject matter and bleak tone will be a problem for some. But Montoya’s strong writing and characterization make for a good example of an author worth watching.