Tony Costa, a Memphis homicide detective, is once again standing over a body of a young man who has been brutally killed, the third one to date. This in itself is bad enough, but each victim looks very similar to Tony’s boyfriend Ryan, giving Tony a horrible feeling of doom. Tony and Ryan’s relationship remains hidden, at Tony’s. Tony isn’t sure what his feelings are, but their reactions to each other are combustible and very hot. Things begin to spiral out of control when Ryan, an undercover cop, is asked to go undercover as the bait to find the killer. This is Tony’s worst nightmare come true, and nothing he says or does sways Ryan’s decision. The job is to go into a well established gay bar, The Paradisco as a twink, a submissive ready for anything. Tony decides to go and gets an eye full of Ryan flitting around being grabbed by everyone he comes in contact with. Ryan sees Tony’s jealous reactions, and he begins to hope that Tony has deeper feelings for him than he thought, just friends with benefits. Will Tony and Ryan find the killer in time or will Tony’s nightmare come true?

Ms. Kersten has created an action packed story with a driving plotline that captures the reader from the opening chapter. The reader gets the feelings of terror that the victim of the third attack right before he dies and how much Tony is terrified for his boyfriend. Tony has many issues about coming out to himself, and others that cloud how he reacts until the situations forces him to confront and acknowledge them. The love between Tony and Ryan is as beautiful as Ryan’s willingness to give Tony the space he needs to realize his feelings, even though it costs him dearly. Thanks go to Ms. Kersten for another awesome story.

Reviewed by: Teresa