Wow. I've read several books by Ms Hart (this was #5). Never once have I been disappointed. But I have to say, it appears that her writing actually gets better the further along I go in her series' books. There are several ongoing long term mysteries that continue throughout the Graves series and then the mystery each book focuses on. Isn't that alot to keep track of as an author? It's done so magnificiently, a tidbit of info here, a morsel there. Just enough to keep me following the breadcrumbs faithfully. Brilliant, if you ask me! The mystery in Dirty Rotten Scoundrel was huge - and so exciting! It all had to do with something from Jack's past so it affected his safety, making the stakes high - particularly since by book 3 I am invested in him fully by now. And it was multi-faceted - we had the FBI, police, criminal families, SWAT teams, gangs, charities...everybody was involved in this one. It was SO great! Obviously, this is a book, series, author I would highly recommend. Seriously folks, the first book, Dirty Little Secrets is (I believe) always free on amazon - just try it and see if you're not hooked too! Now that JJ and Jack are having sex every twenty pages or so, I am getting a little bored with them. But I am not really the target audience for sex scenes - I always think an extended description of mind-shattering sex only brings the plot to a screeching halt, and that happens a lot in this book. Part of that is that all these sex scenes are ancillary to the plot - now that our main character has her man, it feels voyeuristic and a little pointless to go over all their hot sex again and again. But, if you are into that sort of reading, then it is another reason for you to enjoy this book, and don't listen to me on that score. Anyway, the mystery and action in this volume come from Jack's past, with a little bit more from JJ's past thrown in for good measure. This was smart, since Bloody Mary is supposed to be in such a sparsely populated county - how much heinous crime could we really expect to find homegrown? Bringing in some action from Washington, DC gave us some back story for why our characters are so brooding and damaged while also adding some needed zing to the action. I only wish Hart could spent as much time crafting a realistic conversation as she does a diverting sex scene!
