Perhaps I’ve become a bit jaded in my reading, but I have to admit I almost didn’t sign up to review Leslie Parrish’s books because of the “A Black CATs Novel” tagline. I think I’ve read too many books with cheesy nicknames, which turned out to be cheesy books. I’m so glad I took a chance then, because I’ve discovered a great author and a fantastic series. The books aren’t a bit cheesy, and the Black CATs nickname makes perfect sense once you know its origins. Pitch Black is the second in the trilogy, and it had me thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. If you’re a romantic suspense fan and haven’t yet tried this series, I highly recommend you do.

After being injured in a shooting that left a fellow FBI agent dead, Alec Lambert’s dream of becoming a senior profiler in the Behavioral Analysis Unit is over. He’s got one last chance with the Bureau: join the Black CATs — the unofficial redheaded stepchild of the FBI. The Black CATs make up the Cyber Action Team that investigates Internet related murders. But Alec soon learns there’s another reason for his transfer: the team is going after The Professor, the serial killer Alec has spent the last 3 years trying to capture.

Samantha Dalton makes her living exposing Internet scams and warning people about the dangers of the Web, both through her “Sam the Spaminator” website and her best-selling book. Since going through a painful divorce a year ago, she’s been living like a recluse. That is, until the day the FBI shows up to ask her some questions about emails she exchanged with a murdered teenage boy the same night he died. Suddenly she’s helping the FBI track down a serial killer, and finding herself intensely attracted to Agent Alec Lambert.

If I had to sum up Pitch Black with a single phrase, it would be this: really, really good. The two main components to romantic suspense are, obviously, the romance and the suspense, and Parrish writes both superbly. With a compelling romance and a suspense plot that kept me guessing until the climactic end, I was completely engaged.

One of the great strengths of Parrish’s writing is her characters. In both Pitch Black and the previous book, Parrish writes mature, realistic characters who aren’t just adults in age, they actually behave like adults too. Sam and Alec know it would be highly inappropriate for an agent to get involved with a witness, so it’s refreshing to have them acknowledge their intense attraction and growing feelings while maintaining their professionalism — instead of acting like hormonal teenagers. Are they perfect? No, they’re not. They feel like real, intelligent people who sometimes make mistakes, but don’t act on reckless, irrational lapses in judgment.

The other great strength in Pitch Black is the suspense plotting. I flip-flopped over who the villain was until the very end, thrown off more than once by a red herring. There were a few times when I was certain I’d nailed the culprit, only to completely change my mind in the next chapter, or even the next scene. Another sign that the plotting is tight: upon discovering the villain’s identity, it made total sense.

Reader warnings: While the murders in Pitch Black are undeniably disturbing, I wouldn’t classify them as gruesome, like the ones in Fade to Black were. Second, Pitch Black definitely works as a stand-alone. You won’t be lost or confused if you haven’t read the previous book. However, you should be aware that the identity of the villain from Fade to Black is mentioned.

It’s safe to say I’m hooked on the Black CATs trilogy. A significant event occurs in Pitch Black that provides the lead-in for the final book, Black at Heart, and oh, what a lead-in it is. You can bet I’ll be at the bookstore on release day to pick up the final installment of this fantastic series.