Due to family and career obligations, I rarely have the time to read a book in one sitting. But for The Negotiator, I made time. It’s a real page-turner and a solid love story to boot. I’ve already moved on to the next book in this series and plan to read them all. I think Kay David may be a new find for me and I am very pleased.

Beck Winters is the negotiator for Destin, Florida’s SWAT team. He’s been specially trained to intervene in a hostage situation, the main focus being, Everyone gets out alive. It doesn’t always work out that way, as Beck knows, but his latest call has him certain he can do just that, if only the man holding the gun would talk directly to him and not through the poor woman he’s holding hostage.

Fourth grade teacher, Jennifer Barclay, is the one held at gunpoint when a stressed out school janitor takes her and her classroom hostage. He was fired by an insensitive school administrator, and now his truck’s been repossessed. All he wants is his job and his truck back. He’s angry and confused and has turned to violence to try to solve his problems. Because Jennifer has always been kind to him, he feels she can help him. But he has a rifle and a room filled with terrified children. He wouldn’t hurt any of them, would he? Jennifer is certain he wouldn’t, but then again….

The situation ends badly and Jennifer blames the police, especially the man whose voice she heard on the phone – the man who promised her everything would be okay. The man whose soft and placating voice painted one picture in her head, while the reality of the man turned out to be totally different. The voice on the phone reminded her of an older, kindly man. But Beck Winters, with his cold blue eyes, broad shoulders, and detached demeanor get Jennifer’s insides all churned up. When he shows a real interest in seeing her again, she wants no part of it. Or does she?

While Beck is divorced, Jennifer has never married. Each have bona fide reasons for staying single, yet they can’t keep their hands off each other. Where can this relationship possibly go? While we know about Jennifer’s past, Beck’s family history is left a mystery. Jennifer’s father had a mean streak a mile wide and she blames him for her brother’s death. Her mother has Alzheimer’s and lives in a rest home where Jennifer’s best friend, Wanda, is a nurse. Her mother’s illness weighs heavily on Jennifer since her mother rarely knows her when she visits.

As for Beck, he is haunted by his failures. Or what he perceives are his failures. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t always get everybody out alive. Lately, he’s felt strung out, the tension of life-and-death situations he must face daily are taking their toll. In Jennifer’s arms, he finds comfort, but what can he offer her? A lifetime of waiting by the phone, waiting for him to come home, waiting to find out if he’s dead or alive? She deserves so much better than that.

The Negotiator gives the reader an inside view of how SWAT cops do their jobs. While not graphically portrayed, the violence and suffering are infused into the story with a deft hand by the author. The story is neither over-written nor under-developed. Had it been a little longer with another love scene or two, this would have been a true keeper for me.

I don’t fall in love with too many heroes, but if I ever met Beck Winters in real life, I’d most certainly be a goner. He’s sexy and smart, and the real deal. A man of few words, but boy, do they count.

If you’ve not read Kay David, you might begin with The Negotiator. It’s a good read indeed, and I surely do recommend it.