Die For Me is my first read for 2020, but I actually read most of it at the end of 2019. It's a pretty hefty tome, weighing in at over 700 pages, and I planned to take my time reading it over the Christmas and New Year holidays, dipping in whenever I got a chance. That didn't work out though, as it ended up being totally unputdownable and I raced through it in just under a week !
As I added the book to my Goodreads list, I noticed that it is labelled as a "romantic suspense". Well, there is a satisfying romantic conclusion with two "broken" heroes coming together, but that is really not at all what the book is about. This is crime fiction in all its glory, with sickening murders and constant will-they-won't-they cat-and-mouse chases, so do not let yourself be put off if romance is not your thing !
I also noticed that this is the first book in The Philadelphia/Atlanta Series and the seventh in the Romantic Suspense category. Goodreads explain : "Karen Rose's books all occur in the same "universe" and have a common set of characters and locations. The author provides a suggested reading order that this listing provides. It should be read in this order because there are spoilers about these stories found in later books. Reading the books in order also helps with understanding the "universe" and the various cast of characters. The city grouping is a secondary listing for those interested in that categorization. It should not be the primary grouping for the series." Well, if you're up for reading the whole series, you should bear this in mind, but I just jumped in here and loved it.
The story begins when a random body is discovered in a field. Detective Ciccotelli (also known as Chick) calls in archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to check that the frozen ground contains no other secrets. Shockingly, she discovers a total of sixteen graves and nine bodies. What have they stumbled across and who are the other graves intended for ?
Meanwhile, a multimedia designer is hard at work creating the newest best-selling video game. Set in a medieval timeframe, he needs to figure out how to show the violence dealt out by all the classic implements of torture and death. Research is the key, but how does he create such realistic screams of pain and why do some of his characters look so much like people who have gone missing ?
It's a long book but the reader is on constant alert, always aware that another sickening death is on the cards and always hoping that the detective will find the killer before he strikes again. Chick is portrayed as a man with a big heart and a big chip on his shoulder, after losing his partner (and romantic interest) in a case several years ago. The scenes of soon-to-be wedded bliss and planning for the future that close the novel on a high note are the perfect antidote to the stories of horror and pain that came before.
I'll definitely be looking out for the rest of the series - there are currently 23 titles available, with the 24th released later in the year, so this will keep me going for a while !
star rating : 5/5
- Paperback: 704 pages
- Publisher: Headline (17 Feb. 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0755385225
- ISBN-13: 978-0755385225
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 3.2 x 19.9 cm
Not sure I would want to start a new series of 24 books, but this one sounds really good. It's not an author I'm familiar with. Will need to google to see if there is anything of hers I've read in the past.
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