Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
A serial killer is targeting gay men, preying on them in popular bars and parks. Assigned to the case, rookie cop Pat St. James feels all too close to the victims. He's gay and firmly in the closet at work. The fact that he's sent undercover as a gay man is a stroke of irony.

Pat and his fellow cop, Hank, are hanging out in bars, trying to get a lead on the killer. At the same time, Pat's looking for Mr. Right ~ juggling three men, hoping he'll find the perfect match for himself. He picked up Bill at a bar, Dean's a longtime friend ... and in yet another ironic twist, his partner, Hank, is also gay and on the list of possible beaus.

As the killer continues to rampage, strangling and raping his victims, Pat has to focus on his work and hope that his personal life survives the stress. But when his hopes and dreams for happiness overlap with the investigation, Pat may be headed for big trouble.

BOOK REVIEW:
With the higher echelons in the police department coming under pressure for results, and just as the special team seems on the brink of a break-through, everyone is given the night off. This I found impossible to understand. It's also difficult to believe that an officer with so little experience would be given an undercover role as well as be allowed to make as many operational decisions as he does.

While I felt sympathy for St. James, a gay rookie in the homophobic environment of the police force, some of the other characters, Dave Flanders the training officer and Benton one of St. James’ friends were two-dimensional. The author failed to make these people seem real, they came across as caricatures of a stereotypical homophobe and a flaming queen).

Although I tried to like the story, and did find some enjoyable aspects (the fast-paced conclusion and St. James' search for identity) , ultimately the book was let down by poor editing. Information was unnecessarily repeated and minor issues of place and timing were confusingly presented. Often the dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural. I feel if these things were addressed and made smoother, it would make for a more satisfying read.

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