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The Night Wars #1
The Hanged Man's Ghost
Detective Fynn Adder is embarking on the case that will change his life forever. The ghosts of murder victims are leaving him clues, his drinking problem is out of control, and no matter how nepotistic the Chicago Police Department might be, there are some forces his family’s reputation can’t save him from.
Just a few years ago, Fynn’s longtime partner Robert was murdered and the case went unsolved. As he gets deeper into a new investigation, it becomes apparent that somehow the two cases are connected. To make matters worse, it’s clear to Fynn that forces beyond this world have come into play.
Forces like Internal Affairs agent Daniel Voight, who’s determined to make dirt stick to Fynn any which way he can. The only real bright points in Fynn’s day are when he’s with Jack, his unfortunately straight partner. Fynn is going to have to pull himself together--because if the dead don’t kill him, his family will.
Just a few years ago, Fynn’s longtime partner Robert was murdered and the case went unsolved. As he gets deeper into a new investigation, it becomes apparent that somehow the two cases are connected. To make matters worse, it’s clear to Fynn that forces beyond this world have come into play.
Forces like Internal Affairs agent Daniel Voight, who’s determined to make dirt stick to Fynn any which way he can. The only real bright points in Fynn’s day are when he’s with Jack, his unfortunately straight partner. Fynn is going to have to pull himself together--because if the dead don’t kill him, his family will.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2012
12 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Missouri Dalton
45 books78 followersMissouri writes urban fantasy/historical/and paranormal fiction with queer characters and strong personalities. They are a recent transplant to the PNW, finding the rain delightful and the mountain air particularly inspiring.
Missouri currently lives with their wife and several cats, while filling the house with antiques in hopes of acquiring a ghost.
Missouri currently lives with their wife and several cats, while filling the house with antiques in hopes of acquiring a ghost.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
May 13, 2019
Only three stars. That kinda rots. I'll talk about why later.
***LATER***
I love series books that allow me to immerse myself in their made-up world. I adore mysteries that enable me to feel that Bad Guys lose, fail, get punished. I am a complete pushover for gay guys as main characters, a sucker for paranormal stuff that makes common sense, EAGER to see bisexual men in relationships...this book, in short, should light every fire in my mental hypocaust.
And it didn't.
I made forty (40) Kindlenotes, which is either Very Very Good or Really Really Bad news. This time it was both. This is a first novel, and begins the ongoing Night Wars series. There's a downside to revising first books, as was done for this one after its first publisher disappeared. The later books add to the series canon; that can require first-book additions. The author says in the Author's Note that the changes are minor. I wonder if one result of this is the strange choppiness of the narrative. As my most WTF-inducing example, why is Fynn's father "Da" sometimes and "Pops" others? In general, people choose a name for their parents and stick to it. My sisters and I called our mother by different names, but never by each others' name for her. (I called her Mama, Sister Old called her Mommy, Sister Middle called her Mom.) It's not A Rule to have your characters do this, but it's a distraction from the story when they don't. I don't like to have to take a moment to wonder who is being addressed.
The feeling of being popped out of the narrative also comes when details arise and disagree with each other but are never reconciled. An example of this is the first murder. The body has three bullet holes, the witness says four shots were fired with great confidence, which attitude is pointed out by the author. And nothing ever reconciles the mismatch. That's frustrating to a seasoned mystery reader accustomed to watching for clues.
A more macro-level issue for me is the damn-near real time narration of (particularly) the first third of the book. Fynn goes to a bar, sits on a stool, talks to the bartender, reaches for his wallet, gets out his money, pays the bartender, gets off the stool, goes out the door...you get what I'm talking about. It's purely a taste thing, not everyone is annoyed by this, but it isn't a narrative strategy I'd encourage anyone to use. Stage directions in a play aren't usually this detailed.
LOTS of coincidences and unsupported knowledge in here. How does Fynn know where his rescued almost-suicide is? Why is that individual's boss sitting there holding the kid's hand? And what astonishing luck that Fynn's in the same hospital, given that the city of Chicago fairly *bristles* with hospitals and people are triaged to different ones based on injury not on proximity. (This is true for all major metropolitan areas.) The sheer amazing stunning convenience of the existence of some blackmail materials used to manipulate Fynn is unaddressed. Why would these materials exist? In whose possession were they, how did they end up with the blackmailer, and WHY DOES NO ONE ASK THESE QUESTIONS in a POLICE STATION where chain of custody is an ingrained data point to be investigated?!
The latter issue is, I suppose, dealt with by the nature of the series: Paranormal. As in magical, as in manipulating the material world accepted. But this event occurs before the outing, so to speak, of the book's true nature. I can't accept that a cop, especially a senior cop like Fynn's boss, wouldn't bring this up despite the...spooky...nature of the blackmailer. He wants to save Fynn, a good cop from a cop family, from disgrace and dismissal.
Now for the biggest problem I had, and one that came close to closing the book to me for good: Jack, Fynn's cop-partner, serves a fresh-out-of-rehab drunk a drink, *overcomes the drunk's objection to being served a drink*, and proceeds to ply the drunk with four more.
BIG. HONKIN. NO-NO.
It's especially upsetting as this is the same person who expresses loving, tender concern for Fynn's recovery before and after this occurs. It's never mentioned again...like that's realistic!...Jack never asks forgiveness or makes amends. This would be a huge, huge issue in an alcoholic's trust inventory. As would the relationship between Jack and Fynn after this occurs. Not cool. Not realistic.
I hate smoking so I hate the mentions of Fynn lighting up. Personal peeve.
Anyway, from all the above, the question arises: Why'd you bother? What kept you reading, since this isn't a one-star rage review? Because the world the author's building appeals to me, like Charlaine Harris's paranormals appeal to me. I love the world-unseen-by-muggles trope. I grew up gay! In 1970s Texas! Of course I love unnoticed realities, I lived in one. And I understand viscerally the desire of the inhabitants of that world to be left the fuck alone to live as they are. The urgency of adopting a cover story. The skill at verbal deflection. The sensitivity to vibes, to the initiate's gaze identifying Our Own. This book strums my strings the right way in this regard.
I enjoy the Catholic parents of a gay kid making absolutely no waves about his sexuality. Their overbearing controlling behaviors are utterly unrelated to Fynn's man-lovin' just to his whoring around and drinking. Any parent of an addict will look at that and say, "that's exactly it, I love my child and want the self-destruction to stop!" Note the silence about gayness. Refreshing to see religious people portrayed as loving, nurturing, supportive parents. (If a tad on the meddlesome side.)
And last, most importantly, in fact crucially to my pleasure in the read, is the fact that the author dropped two...two!...w-bombs. One of which I felt was appropriate to the situation and was cheekily funny.
Anyone who can make ME, the arch-wink-hater, approve of a w-bomb, is a wizard and deserves a chance to make my eyeblinks focus on their work.
***LATER***
I love series books that allow me to immerse myself in their made-up world. I adore mysteries that enable me to feel that Bad Guys lose, fail, get punished. I am a complete pushover for gay guys as main characters, a sucker for paranormal stuff that makes common sense, EAGER to see bisexual men in relationships...this book, in short, should light every fire in my mental hypocaust.
And it didn't.
I made forty (40) Kindlenotes, which is either Very Very Good or Really Really Bad news. This time it was both. This is a first novel, and begins the ongoing Night Wars series. There's a downside to revising first books, as was done for this one after its first publisher disappeared. The later books add to the series canon; that can require first-book additions. The author says in the Author's Note that the changes are minor. I wonder if one result of this is the strange choppiness of the narrative. As my most WTF-inducing example, why is Fynn's father "Da" sometimes and "Pops" others? In general, people choose a name for their parents and stick to it. My sisters and I called our mother by different names, but never by each others' name for her. (I called her Mama, Sister Old called her Mommy, Sister Middle called her Mom.) It's not A Rule to have your characters do this, but it's a distraction from the story when they don't. I don't like to have to take a moment to wonder who is being addressed.
The feeling of being popped out of the narrative also comes when details arise and disagree with each other but are never reconciled. An example of this is the first murder. The body has three bullet holes, the witness says four shots were fired with great confidence, which attitude is pointed out by the author. And nothing ever reconciles the mismatch. That's frustrating to a seasoned mystery reader accustomed to watching for clues.
A more macro-level issue for me is the damn-near real time narration of (particularly) the first third of the book. Fynn goes to a bar, sits on a stool, talks to the bartender, reaches for his wallet, gets out his money, pays the bartender, gets off the stool, goes out the door...you get what I'm talking about. It's purely a taste thing, not everyone is annoyed by this, but it isn't a narrative strategy I'd encourage anyone to use. Stage directions in a play aren't usually this detailed.
LOTS of coincidences and unsupported knowledge in here. How does Fynn know where his rescued almost-suicide is? Why is that individual's boss sitting there holding the kid's hand? And what astonishing luck that Fynn's in the same hospital, given that the city of Chicago fairly *bristles* with hospitals and people are triaged to different ones based on injury not on proximity. (This is true for all major metropolitan areas.) The sheer amazing stunning convenience of the existence of some blackmail materials used to manipulate Fynn is unaddressed. Why would these materials exist? In whose possession were they, how did they end up with the blackmailer, and WHY DOES NO ONE ASK THESE QUESTIONS in a POLICE STATION where chain of custody is an ingrained data point to be investigated?!
The latter issue is, I suppose, dealt with by the nature of the series: Paranormal. As in magical, as in manipulating the material world accepted. But this event occurs before the outing, so to speak, of the book's true nature. I can't accept that a cop, especially a senior cop like Fynn's boss, wouldn't bring this up despite the...spooky...nature of the blackmailer. He wants to save Fynn, a good cop from a cop family, from disgrace and dismissal.
Now for the biggest problem I had, and one that came close to closing the book to me for good: Jack, Fynn's cop-partner, serves a fresh-out-of-rehab drunk a drink, *overcomes the drunk's objection to being served a drink*, and proceeds to ply the drunk with four more.
BIG. HONKIN. NO-NO.
It's especially upsetting as this is the same person who expresses loving, tender concern for Fynn's recovery before and after this occurs. It's never mentioned again...like that's realistic!...Jack never asks forgiveness or makes amends. This would be a huge, huge issue in an alcoholic's trust inventory. As would the relationship between Jack and Fynn after this occurs. Not cool. Not realistic.
I hate smoking so I hate the mentions of Fynn lighting up. Personal peeve.
Anyway, from all the above, the question arises: Why'd you bother? What kept you reading, since this isn't a one-star rage review? Because the world the author's building appeals to me, like Charlaine Harris's paranormals appeal to me. I love the world-unseen-by-muggles trope. I grew up gay! In 1970s Texas! Of course I love unnoticed realities, I lived in one. And I understand viscerally the desire of the inhabitants of that world to be left the fuck alone to live as they are. The urgency of adopting a cover story. The skill at verbal deflection. The sensitivity to vibes, to the initiate's gaze identifying Our Own. This book strums my strings the right way in this regard.
I enjoy the Catholic parents of a gay kid making absolutely no waves about his sexuality. Their overbearing controlling behaviors are utterly unrelated to Fynn's man-lovin' just to his whoring around and drinking. Any parent of an addict will look at that and say, "that's exactly it, I love my child and want the self-destruction to stop!" Note the silence about gayness. Refreshing to see religious people portrayed as loving, nurturing, supportive parents. (If a tad on the meddlesome side.)
And last, most importantly, in fact crucially to my pleasure in the read, is the fact that the author dropped two...two!...w-bombs. One of which I felt was appropriate to the situation and was cheekily funny.
Anyone who can make ME, the arch-wink-hater, approve of a w-bomb, is a wizard and deserves a chance to make my eyeblinks focus on their work.
February 6, 2012
This Book Is Gonna Be My Baby's Daddy
If this book was an R&B singer and was up on the stage singing...
Let me do that swirl I do
My Awesome will impregnate you
My mighty swimmers breakin' through
Even though I put in just the tip
My turgid sword made the condom rip
With the force of my masculinity
and now I'm your new baby's Daddy.
Oh, oh oh oh oh oh!
...I would be front row center, screaming and wearing three pairs of panties so that I could throw more than one pair up on the stage.
Yeah, this book was that cool.
Fynn Adder is a detective in the Chicago Police Department who comes from a long line of detectives. A few years ago, his life partner was murdered and Fynn became what he calls a "functioning alcoholic". The one bright spot in Fynn's days? His partner Jack; his very straight partner with whom he's in love.
So, now you're thinking that this is the quite common gay-for-you cop story, right? That's what I thought it was going to be. I was so very wrong.
The first reason why this story is anything but common is the character of Fynn. Fynn is one sarcastic, self-deprecating, funny, witty dude. The story is told in first person which can get old in some books but not in this one. Fynn's head is a wonderfully fucked up and quirky place to be. Missouri Dalton did a great job of making Fynn someone who you know has some serious problems but I never once doubted that he was going to overcome them. Even at his absolute lowest point, Fynn was strong.
Making Fynn an alcoholic was a risky, risky move. I have to say, though, the author handled it realistically and didn't glorify the situation at all.
I loved Fynn. LOVED him! And that's important when you spend almost 300 pages in someone's head.
The second reason why this story breaks the mold is how the whole ghost/paranormal plot line is handled. There's alot of paranormal out there but I have yet to read a book where it was dealt with the way Missouri Dalton dealt with it. It struck me a little more real than other books because when the crazy shit starts going down it turns into a serious FUBAR situation. It snowballs into something that's out of Fynn's control and gets seriously messed up at one point.
Also, the bad stuff that happens in this book isn't glossed over in any way. Bad stuff happens, people die, people fight and more than one person gets hurt. I was not expecting that.
The third reason why this book had me glued to my Kindle was the relationship between Fynn and his partner Jack. Their friendship was strong. S-T-R-O-N-G! I was so into the bond that Jack and Fynn had. Jack cared about Fynn so much and stuck by the man through absolutely everything. Jack cared about Fynn when Fynn didn't care about himself. And Fynn. Fynn loved Jack and Jack's daughter more than he loved himself. Now, for all of you who hate the idea of kids in books, the daughter does not make that many appearances and she is in no way a cutesy kid.
The fourth reason why this book was so great was the fact that the sex was all fade-to-black. I know, I know! Weird thing for me to say BUT a whole bunch of sexin' would have ruined this book. Even with the sex being fade-to-black there was enough information given and enough emotion that I still got more butterflies in my stomach then I do with some books that have alot of sex. Good job, Missouri Dalton, good job.
Now, this book does get amazingly insane at one point but the whole situation is so insane that all of the absolute craziness? Well, somehow it fit. When things so screwed up start happening there are going to be repercussions that out of the ordinary. Any niggles I might have had with some of what went on in this book overpowered by the fact that I was so damn entertained by the story.
So, here I am impatiently waiting for the second installment in this series. Missouri Dalton has created an interesting world and I plan on visiting it each time she writes a new book centered around Fynn and Jack.
Bring it on, Missouri Dalton. Bring. It. On.
If this book was an R&B singer and was up on the stage singing...
Let me do that swirl I do
My Awesome will impregnate you
My mighty swimmers breakin' through
Even though I put in just the tip
My turgid sword made the condom rip
With the force of my masculinity
and now I'm your new baby's Daddy.
Oh, oh oh oh oh oh!
...I would be front row center, screaming and wearing three pairs of panties so that I could throw more than one pair up on the stage.
Yeah, this book was that cool.
Fynn Adder is a detective in the Chicago Police Department who comes from a long line of detectives. A few years ago, his life partner was murdered and Fynn became what he calls a "functioning alcoholic". The one bright spot in Fynn's days? His partner Jack; his very straight partner with whom he's in love.
So, now you're thinking that this is the quite common gay-for-you cop story, right? That's what I thought it was going to be. I was so very wrong.
The first reason why this story is anything but common is the character of Fynn. Fynn is one sarcastic, self-deprecating, funny, witty dude. The story is told in first person which can get old in some books but not in this one. Fynn's head is a wonderfully fucked up and quirky place to be. Missouri Dalton did a great job of making Fynn someone who you know has some serious problems but I never once doubted that he was going to overcome them. Even at his absolute lowest point, Fynn was strong.
Making Fynn an alcoholic was a risky, risky move. I have to say, though, the author handled it realistically and didn't glorify the situation at all.
I loved Fynn. LOVED him! And that's important when you spend almost 300 pages in someone's head.
The second reason why this story breaks the mold is how the whole ghost/paranormal plot line is handled. There's alot of paranormal out there but I have yet to read a book where it was dealt with the way Missouri Dalton dealt with it. It struck me a little more real than other books because when the crazy shit starts going down it turns into a serious FUBAR situation. It snowballs into something that's out of Fynn's control and gets seriously messed up at one point.
Also, the bad stuff that happens in this book isn't glossed over in any way. Bad stuff happens, people die, people fight and more than one person gets hurt. I was not expecting that.
The third reason why this book had me glued to my Kindle was the relationship between Fynn and his partner Jack. Their friendship was strong. S-T-R-O-N-G! I was so into the bond that Jack and Fynn had. Jack cared about Fynn so much and stuck by the man through absolutely everything. Jack cared about Fynn when Fynn didn't care about himself. And Fynn. Fynn loved Jack and Jack's daughter more than he loved himself. Now, for all of you who hate the idea of kids in books, the daughter does not make that many appearances and she is in no way a cutesy kid.
The fourth reason why this book was so great was the fact that the sex was all fade-to-black. I know, I know! Weird thing for me to say BUT a whole bunch of sexin' would have ruined this book. Even with the sex being fade-to-black there was enough information given and enough emotion that I still got more butterflies in my stomach then I do with some books that have alot of sex. Good job, Missouri Dalton, good job.
Now, this book does get amazingly insane at one point but the whole situation is so insane that all of the absolute craziness? Well, somehow it fit. When things so screwed up start happening there are going to be repercussions that out of the ordinary. Any niggles I might have had with some of what went on in this book overpowered by the fact that I was so damn entertained by the story.
So, here I am impatiently waiting for the second installment in this series. Missouri Dalton has created an interesting world and I plan on visiting it each time she writes a new book centered around Fynn and Jack.
Bring it on, Missouri Dalton. Bring. It. On.
June 6, 2012
Added: I started the second book, then realized I'd forgotten everything about the first book, which I read in... February. D'oh!
Very good paranormal m/m romance about a Chicago police detective with a drinking problem and a crush on his straight best friend. When he realizes he can see ghosts, his life spirals quickly out of control. Sloppy proofing and a storyline that needed to be reined in just a bit kept this from being a five-star read.
Very good paranormal m/m romance about a Chicago police detective with a drinking problem and a crush on his straight best friend. When he realizes he can see ghosts, his life spirals quickly out of control. Sloppy proofing and a storyline that needed to be reined in just a bit kept this from being a five-star read.
June 11, 2012
PNR with a gay man as the main character. No explicit sex, for the squeamish out there.
This one started with interesting ideas -- and then threw in more ideas, and then more ideas, and then a few kitchen sinks for good measure. The author just didn't know when to stop, and didn't know how to connect all those ideas into one good cohesive whole.
I liked the way the main character started out -- alcoholic, burned out Chicago cop, still grieving over the unsolved murder of his lover, family with a 4 generation history of being Chicago cops -- oh and for a change in PNR/UF, the guy is a practicing (although far from devout) Roman Catholic. Then he starts seeing ghosts, then a whoooooooole lot of things just happen to start happening to him all at once (I won't spoil the paranormal stuff), then some more people get killed, then his partner gets shot, then he wrecks his motorcycle, then he's finally driven over the edge and spends three months in a mental hospital, then after he's been sober for several months and out of the hospital his own partner gives him whiskey and talks him into drinking it (!!!!!!!), but somehow this does NOT trigger a relapse into more drinking (!!!!!!!!!!) -- and this all happens before the book is even half over. Then lots more stuff happens.
I mean, come ON. There's a lot to be said for relentless action, but take a breath some time! Plotting and characterization requires more than just a bazillion things happening!
So, overall -- not really a very successful attempt. There are possibilities here, but IMHO the author needs to develop a much more disciplined and well-thought-out approach to telling her story in order to achieve anything close to the potential of her foundational ideas.
This one started with interesting ideas -- and then threw in more ideas, and then more ideas, and then a few kitchen sinks for good measure. The author just didn't know when to stop, and didn't know how to connect all those ideas into one good cohesive whole.
I liked the way the main character started out -- alcoholic, burned out Chicago cop, still grieving over the unsolved murder of his lover, family with a 4 generation history of being Chicago cops -- oh and for a change in PNR/UF, the guy is a practicing (although far from devout) Roman Catholic. Then he starts seeing ghosts, then a whoooooooole lot of things just happen to start happening to him all at once (I won't spoil the paranormal stuff), then some more people get killed, then his partner gets shot, then he wrecks his motorcycle, then he's finally driven over the edge and spends three months in a mental hospital, then after he's been sober for several months and out of the hospital his own partner gives him whiskey and talks him into drinking it (!!!!!!!), but somehow this does NOT trigger a relapse into more drinking (!!!!!!!!!!) -- and this all happens before the book is even half over. Then lots more stuff happens.
I mean, come ON. There's a lot to be said for relentless action, but take a breath some time! Plotting and characterization requires more than just a bazillion things happening!
So, overall -- not really a very successful attempt. There are possibilities here, but IMHO the author needs to develop a much more disciplined and well-thought-out approach to telling her story in order to achieve anything close to the potential of her foundational ideas.
September 7, 2015
3.5 Stars actually!
March 17, 2012
“Bleeding blue for the city” is what Fynn calls his family tradition, meaning that almost every single member of his family – except for his mother – works in Chicago law enforcement, like their ancestors did before them for four generations. The family tradition surely came in handy lately to keep IA off Fynn’s back, because since his life partner was murdered a few years ago, Fynn turned into what he calls himself a “functioning alcoholic”. Not to mention his habit of hooking up with random men, another one every night, and his frequently showing up for work hungover and late. It isn’t as if Fynn was a bad detective, he still fastens on his cases like a pitbull on a bone until he’s caught his killer. But he’s spiraling downward, he knows it, yet can’t make himself care, despite the efforts of his partner Jack (who Fynn has a huge crush on even though Jack is straight, married and has a daughter) and Fynn’s family.
However, just when Fynn thinks his life can’t get worse, it does. The sister of one of Fynn’s former lovers is found dead, and her spirit demands from Fynn he finds her killer. Then, his dead lover shows up, telling Fynn painful truths. Next, a case of attempted suicide turns out to be a case of demonic possession. And all the ancient, dark vileness seems to be connected to Fynn or indeed aimed at him somehow. But who’d believe him if he told anybody what he thought was going on? They’d attribute it to delirium tremens most probably and put him in an institution. Fynn needs to catch this killer, and fast, because the noose is tightening, and it’s Fynn’s neck that’s in it.
Fynn tells this story from his 1st person POV, and his voice captured me from the first word. Snarky and ironic at times; factual and resigned, or passionate, when it comes to his job; besotted when he talks about Jack. Fynn is a wonderfully multi-faceted character with quirks and habits that made him human, and dear to me.
One thing that stood out with Fynn was his religiosity. He’s Catholic, and although he doesn’t very much live according to the rules of his religion, his faith is an integral part of his personality. He goes to Confession as a matter of course, and his deepset belief in the supernatural as stated by the doctrine of his church helps him deal with the weird course his reality takes once the first ghost contacts him.
Actually, Fynn’s attitude toward the supernatural sets the tune here. The story gives good old-fashioned demon hunter vibes, shot through with a little exorcism and Sidhe lore. The ghosts and demons in here are quite substantial, they have claws and teeth to hurt humans – and others of their own kind. I found the paranormal/ fantasy elements particularly well done, unusual enough to be original while still keeping close enough to the familiar that they didn’t need to be explained down to the smallest detail.
Now Jack, Fynn’s partner, we only see him through Fynn’s loving eyes, and so his portrayal might be hued a little pink. Even so, Detective Jack Winchester seems to be a great person, courageous, confident and loyal to a fault. He and Fynn just made a lot of sense together in every which way. Jack was the only one who always really had Fynn’s back, even when Fynn’s otherwise supportive family failed him; the trust between these two men was palpable.
However, Jack was also one of the small problems I had with this story. He remained a little obscure, particularly about his past, and so when parts of it where revealed, they came as some kind of convenient solution for one of the many plot twists. The same was true for Jack’s wife Cassie, who acted pretty much according to the expected cliché that she was. Tara, Jack’s daughter, on the other hand, was an asset to the story, as was Fynn’s crazy, overbearing, secretive family and some of Fynn’s exes, dead as well as alive.
The plot line went straight and strong for about half of the book up to the catastrophic anticlimax of Fynn’s breakdown after his grueling encounter with a man-eating demon. But after that, the main storyline suddenly fringed out into many small subplots. Not that those weren’t great little stories in their own rights, mind you, but they did next to nothing to forward the main story. I couldn’t help feeling like I was in a computer game, the kind where the player persona needs to solve various minor riddles along their way in order to ascend to the next game level/ be awarded with the next clue. Now I happen to like this kind of game, so I enjoyed these diversions for the most part, but they got a bit much after a while even for me. Less could’ve been more here.
Editing proved an issue here, unfortunately. An ancestor who suddenly went by another name, an incident in a bathtub that became an incident in a swimming pool a few pages later… slips of the pen actually, but they added up in a way that made me more impatient towards the minor things like typos and grammar errors. Too bad for this otherwise well-written book, since I like the author’s style. The writing is detailed through slow parts of the story and becomes dry, concise and clipped through fast-moving parts and emotionally charged scenes, which adds nicely to the dynamic of the latter. Oh, and for those who need to know, the sex scenes are mostly fade to black or outlined with a few words, at most.
Despite some minor niggles, I immensely enjoyed this well-thought out, colorful story. Hopefully there will be more about Fynn, Jack, and the Special Division in the future. I’m looking forward to that.
Originally written for reviewsbyjessewave.com
However, just when Fynn thinks his life can’t get worse, it does. The sister of one of Fynn’s former lovers is found dead, and her spirit demands from Fynn he finds her killer. Then, his dead lover shows up, telling Fynn painful truths. Next, a case of attempted suicide turns out to be a case of demonic possession. And all the ancient, dark vileness seems to be connected to Fynn or indeed aimed at him somehow. But who’d believe him if he told anybody what he thought was going on? They’d attribute it to delirium tremens most probably and put him in an institution. Fynn needs to catch this killer, and fast, because the noose is tightening, and it’s Fynn’s neck that’s in it.
Fynn tells this story from his 1st person POV, and his voice captured me from the first word. Snarky and ironic at times; factual and resigned, or passionate, when it comes to his job; besotted when he talks about Jack. Fynn is a wonderfully multi-faceted character with quirks and habits that made him human, and dear to me.
One thing that stood out with Fynn was his religiosity. He’s Catholic, and although he doesn’t very much live according to the rules of his religion, his faith is an integral part of his personality. He goes to Confession as a matter of course, and his deepset belief in the supernatural as stated by the doctrine of his church helps him deal with the weird course his reality takes once the first ghost contacts him.
Actually, Fynn’s attitude toward the supernatural sets the tune here. The story gives good old-fashioned demon hunter vibes, shot through with a little exorcism and Sidhe lore. The ghosts and demons in here are quite substantial, they have claws and teeth to hurt humans – and others of their own kind. I found the paranormal/ fantasy elements particularly well done, unusual enough to be original while still keeping close enough to the familiar that they didn’t need to be explained down to the smallest detail.
Now Jack, Fynn’s partner, we only see him through Fynn’s loving eyes, and so his portrayal might be hued a little pink. Even so, Detective Jack Winchester seems to be a great person, courageous, confident and loyal to a fault. He and Fynn just made a lot of sense together in every which way. Jack was the only one who always really had Fynn’s back, even when Fynn’s otherwise supportive family failed him; the trust between these two men was palpable.
However, Jack was also one of the small problems I had with this story. He remained a little obscure, particularly about his past, and so when parts of it where revealed, they came as some kind of convenient solution for one of the many plot twists. The same was true for Jack’s wife Cassie, who acted pretty much according to the expected cliché that she was. Tara, Jack’s daughter, on the other hand, was an asset to the story, as was Fynn’s crazy, overbearing, secretive family and some of Fynn’s exes, dead as well as alive.
The plot line went straight and strong for about half of the book up to the catastrophic anticlimax of Fynn’s breakdown after his grueling encounter with a man-eating demon. But after that, the main storyline suddenly fringed out into many small subplots. Not that those weren’t great little stories in their own rights, mind you, but they did next to nothing to forward the main story. I couldn’t help feeling like I was in a computer game, the kind where the player persona needs to solve various minor riddles along their way in order to ascend to the next game level/ be awarded with the next clue. Now I happen to like this kind of game, so I enjoyed these diversions for the most part, but they got a bit much after a while even for me. Less could’ve been more here.
Editing proved an issue here, unfortunately. An ancestor who suddenly went by another name, an incident in a bathtub that became an incident in a swimming pool a few pages later… slips of the pen actually, but they added up in a way that made me more impatient towards the minor things like typos and grammar errors. Too bad for this otherwise well-written book, since I like the author’s style. The writing is detailed through slow parts of the story and becomes dry, concise and clipped through fast-moving parts and emotionally charged scenes, which adds nicely to the dynamic of the latter. Oh, and for those who need to know, the sex scenes are mostly fade to black or outlined with a few words, at most.
Despite some minor niggles, I immensely enjoyed this well-thought out, colorful story. Hopefully there will be more about Fynn, Jack, and the Special Division in the future. I’m looking forward to that.
Originally written for reviewsbyjessewave.com
November 18, 2016
4.5 STARS
This book was great fun and I loved it. When I went to buy book #2 it's not available in digital format anymore and will be released again soon with new publishers! This is driving me insane because they never appear. YET BOOK #4 IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE? WTF?
ARGH!!!!!! I know people have serious issues with their publishers but this is like the 8th book in 2 months that I have desperately wanted to read and can't buy ANYWHERE! Seriously is there some kind of mass exodus from publishers at the moment? Over the last 12 months that number of completely unobtainable books would be approx 25-30 and yes I keep checking for them and they never get re-released. WHY? It's so frustrating. I know I read a lot but this problem is now out of control. It's a pain with a stand alone but it really pisses me off when you've found an excellent series like this. I'm not having a dig at this author either, it's a widespread issue that's become really noticeable over the last 12 months. If things are that bad why not self-publish on Amazon?
OH who's a grumpy boy today, ME! lol, rant out!
Does anyone have book #2 The Night Shift by Missouri Dalton? If so are you allowed to lend it out to me or is it a restricted book? If it is approved for borrowing I'd greatly appreciate it.
This book was great fun and I loved it. When I went to buy book #2 it's not available in digital format anymore and will be released again soon with new publishers! This is driving me insane because they never appear. YET BOOK #4 IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE? WTF?
ARGH!!!!!! I know people have serious issues with their publishers but this is like the 8th book in 2 months that I have desperately wanted to read and can't buy ANYWHERE! Seriously is there some kind of mass exodus from publishers at the moment? Over the last 12 months that number of completely unobtainable books would be approx 25-30 and yes I keep checking for them and they never get re-released. WHY? It's so frustrating. I know I read a lot but this problem is now out of control. It's a pain with a stand alone but it really pisses me off when you've found an excellent series like this. I'm not having a dig at this author either, it's a widespread issue that's become really noticeable over the last 12 months. If things are that bad why not self-publish on Amazon?
OH who's a grumpy boy today, ME! lol, rant out!
Does anyone have book #2 The Night Shift by Missouri Dalton? If so are you allowed to lend it out to me or is it a restricted book? If it is approved for borrowing I'd greatly appreciate it.
March 1, 2012
A very good paranormal M/M Romance featuring a police homicide detective with dependence issues, Fynn, and his straight married partner, Jack. Fynn's life is a mess - his alcohol consumption, smoking and frequent one-night stands has left his partner worried and his family concerned. Fynn knows he's a mess, but finds it hard to actually care about it... Until he is called to the homicide of the sister of a former lover. It's a wake up call in a way, as events conspire to make him realize that perhaps his messy life is not entirely of his own making, and that he's not as alone as he thought.
This story had me hooked from the beginning, and for the most part, didn't let me go. The characters were appealing - Fynn is vulnerable but gains strength as events unfold, while Jack is solid and tough hiding a soft heart. I found the pacing to be a bit uneven, with some events given more time than was really needed, yet others felt a little underdone or rushed, but it's the overall strength of the plot that wins through and makes this novel definitely worth a look.
This story had me hooked from the beginning, and for the most part, didn't let me go. The characters were appealing - Fynn is vulnerable but gains strength as events unfold, while Jack is solid and tough hiding a soft heart. I found the pacing to be a bit uneven, with some events given more time than was really needed, yet others felt a little underdone or rushed, but it's the overall strength of the plot that wins through and makes this novel definitely worth a look.
August 17, 2014
This is one of those..the more you read..the more it slips down a slope of stupid. 
December 2, 2013
So, I really did enjoy this book. I loved that each chapter had a great and seperate title, liked the characters with all their flaws, like the awesome ideas that were everywhere in the book and ensured I wasn't bored once and felt it was like a mixture of A Reason To Believe and Among the Living with a bit of Torchwood or Men in Black thrown in.
A mixture that should have added up to a complete success, though while I was entertained and liked it, for me the story didn't reach it's potential.
3.25 stars and a smiley
I believe the main problem I had with the novel was that it was too ambitious. I felt there was so much going on, so many different murders to be solved, developments and twists to execute, justice to be gained, ... that I didn't spend as much time as I wanted with the different, very imaginative aspects of the story. To fit everything into one novel, the story felt rushed in places. Since our hero like to knit (though I don't), I'm gonna use knitting as metaphor. For me it felt like the author wanted to fit so many elaborate and creative patterns onto the story to make it beautiful and unique that in the rush to get it all on there, a few times the yarn was lost and a few holes were created.
Some of those holes really bothered me and took me out of the story, but it was so clearly created with a lot of love that I'm glad I read it and will give other stories of this author a try.
I would have enjoyed the story more if it had been broken into several books and more time had been spend on the separate events, making them smoother and more credible by filling any holes.
A mixture that should have added up to a complete success, though while I was entertained and liked it, for me the story didn't reach it's potential.
3.25 stars and a smiley
I believe the main problem I had with the novel was that it was too ambitious. I felt there was so much going on, so many different murders to be solved, developments and twists to execute, justice to be gained, ... that I didn't spend as much time as I wanted with the different, very imaginative aspects of the story. To fit everything into one novel, the story felt rushed in places. Since our hero like to knit (though I don't), I'm gonna use knitting as metaphor. For me it felt like the author wanted to fit so many elaborate and creative patterns onto the story to make it beautiful and unique that in the rush to get it all on there, a few times the yarn was lost and a few holes were created.
Some of those holes really bothered me and took me out of the story, but it was so clearly created with a lot of love that I'm glad I read it and will give other stories of this author a try.
I would have enjoyed the story more if it had been broken into several books and more time had been spend on the separate events, making them smoother and more credible by filling any holes.
February 2, 2012
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I've never read anything from this author before, but the blurb sounded interesting so I gave it a go. I have to say that I really enjoyed the overall story. Interesting paranormal world that Fynn gets thrown into. There was ALOT going on here. I did feel some of the changing plot points happened kind of fast. And there's a romance, but I felt that should of been a little more worked up to. And zero on-page sex, it's all fade to black (I definitely would of loved a bit of graphic smexxin with everything else that was going on!)
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and the cover says 'BOOK ONE', so now I can't wait to see what happens next. :)
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and the cover says 'BOOK ONE', so now I can't wait to see what happens next. :)
April 26, 2019
It began really strong and then it fell a bit flat. The characters are really likable and that made me give still 3,5 stars. The plot is okay, it kept me reading and it was kind of interesting.
May 31, 2021
This is one of my favorite tropes, anything paranormal. I loved both Jack and Fynn. Tara and the Adder family were pretty awesome too. I enjoyed the way Fynn's gift worked out to be something positive. The guy went through an awful lot though I didn't feel bad for him at first. Very engaging story with some nasty goulies. Highly recommend.
March 18, 2018
4.5 stars
June 26, 2018
So I liked this book but didn't really enjoy it. Did that make sense? There was just so much going on, it's like the author put in everything but the kitchen sink; there's such a thing as too much isn't necessarily a good thing.
June 23, 2019
3.5 Stars - this book was kind of a hot mess but despite that I really enjoyed it. In fact, I probably enjoyed it more than the 3.5 star rating but given the issues it had I just can't rate it higher. Still I was drawn in and very interested in the concept/characters and the plots.
Yes plots - and that's where this book was kind of a hot mess. It had so much going on and it seemed to blast through it all a bit too quickly. There were really 3 big plots in this book all of which were very enjoyable but short changed due to them all being in one book. There was so much more to tell in all of the plots and I think had they been 3 books I would have loved them.
So Plot #1 was the Eustace Green plot - which was the first plot that really introduced the characters and established the Night Shift. There was enough to make this an entire book when you through in the "twin brother" and the establishment of the relationship between Fynn and Jack. In fact, the very sudden relationship between these two was mind boggling. In the beginning Fynn has feelings for Jack but thinks Jack is straight. Jack is married and seems to have a good relationship with his wife. His wife seems to be happy and a good mother in the first scenes. She doesn't like Fynn but that's understandable. Then all of sudden she's cheating, wants a divorce and leaves her daughter behind - HUH? Where did that come from. There is no build up and it's so sudden. Honestly, I thought maybe she was possessed. Jack comes to grips with that so quickly and jumps into a relationship with Fynn at lightning speed. All of this would have been so much better if the author had taken time with the changes and slowly progressed through this and drawing the reader into a slower demise of Jack's marriage and a slower progression of a relationship with Fynn as he helps Jack deal with his broken marriage.
Plot #2: - The missing girls. Another great plot that was very interesting and gave the MCs some time away from each other to work through their new status. Again great idea but it happened so quickly it was over before it really began. There was so much more that could be done with this plot.
Plot #3: - This plot was the circus and had the potential to be my absolute favorite. There was potential for a lot of humor and of course to learn so much more about Jack's background and how he went from growing up in a circus to becoming a cop. So many interesting characters and an opportunity to really understand how the Night Shift works but alas it too was short changed.
My last issue was I really don't understand why they needed Fynn to be drummed out of the "regular" police force the way he was. If he is going to be working with the police occasionally wouldn't it be better if they didn't think he was a murderer/crazy? I don't see how destroying his reputation is going to help him out in the field as a Night Shift Detective. The part just didn't make any sense to me.
I really like both Jack and Fynn but the relationship was under developed and it didn't help that all the sex scenes were fade to black so we didn't get to see that emotional connection between them. It seemed to come out of left field in some ways and therefore seemed instant when there was no need for that.
Finally, there are some serious editing issues with this book. Words that are spelled incorrectly or just incorrect words throughout the book.
So yes this book was a hot mess and yet I couldn't put it down. So despite all of the above mentioned issues I really enjoyed this book and will continue the series.
Yes plots - and that's where this book was kind of a hot mess. It had so much going on and it seemed to blast through it all a bit too quickly. There were really 3 big plots in this book all of which were very enjoyable but short changed due to them all being in one book. There was so much more to tell in all of the plots and I think had they been 3 books I would have loved them.
So Plot #1 was the Eustace Green plot - which was the first plot that really introduced the characters and established the Night Shift. There was enough to make this an entire book when you through in the "twin brother" and the establishment of the relationship between Fynn and Jack. In fact, the very sudden relationship between these two was mind boggling. In the beginning Fynn has feelings for Jack but thinks Jack is straight. Jack is married and seems to have a good relationship with his wife. His wife seems to be happy and a good mother in the first scenes. She doesn't like Fynn but that's understandable. Then all of sudden she's cheating, wants a divorce and leaves her daughter behind - HUH? Where did that come from. There is no build up and it's so sudden. Honestly, I thought maybe she was possessed. Jack comes to grips with that so quickly and jumps into a relationship with Fynn at lightning speed. All of this would have been so much better if the author had taken time with the changes and slowly progressed through this and drawing the reader into a slower demise of Jack's marriage and a slower progression of a relationship with Fynn as he helps Jack deal with his broken marriage.
Plot #2: - The missing girls. Another great plot that was very interesting and gave the MCs some time away from each other to work through their new status. Again great idea but it happened so quickly it was over before it really began. There was so much more that could be done with this plot.
Plot #3: - This plot was the circus and had the potential to be my absolute favorite. There was potential for a lot of humor and of course to learn so much more about Jack's background and how he went from growing up in a circus to becoming a cop. So many interesting characters and an opportunity to really understand how the Night Shift works but alas it too was short changed.
My last issue was I really don't understand why they needed Fynn to be drummed out of the "regular" police force the way he was. If he is going to be working with the police occasionally wouldn't it be better if they didn't think he was a murderer/crazy? I don't see how destroying his reputation is going to help him out in the field as a Night Shift Detective. The part just didn't make any sense to me.
I really like both Jack and Fynn but the relationship was under developed and it didn't help that all the sex scenes were fade to black so we didn't get to see that emotional connection between them. It seemed to come out of left field in some ways and therefore seemed instant when there was no need for that.
Finally, there are some serious editing issues with this book. Words that are spelled incorrectly or just incorrect words throughout the book.
So yes this book was a hot mess and yet I couldn't put it down. So despite all of the above mentioned issues I really enjoyed this book and will continue the series.
October 21, 2017
3.4 Stars
Okay, here's the thing: I liked this book a whole lot more than the rating suggests. It had me engaged, interested, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the characters, I loved the stories.
And therein lies the problem - "stories" as in plural. Honestly, I don't like it when a book is left on a cliffhanger (who does?); but, this was quite possibly THREE books, and if done right nothing would have been so abruptly cut off. See, the main arc of the series (were this to be 3 books, not one) would have been the whole family angle, the Eustace Green plot...with book one covering a large chunk of that and establishing characters & background. Book 2? The dead girls. I feel that was horribly shortchanged as a side gig...and expanding it would have provided some more time to explore the what the actual fuck how did that just jump out of nowhere, really? new relationship through time apart - for both characters to explore their feelings. And to establish the whole Night Shift plot. Book 3? The Circus. I am EVER SO FUCKING GRATEFUL there were no clowns *shudder* but again, with Jack actually coming from carny-stock, this was a wasted opportunity to delve deeper into his background, his family, how and why he became a cop, etc.
I didn't even mind (well, not so much) the fade-to-black sex scenes. However, because we are not given much on the whole new out the blue okay what? relationship between the two MCs, then not providing intimate details like that make me frustrated because I still am not sure what happened. I mean, sure the wife didn't much like Fynn (what woman DOES like the weird best friend secretly perving on your hubby?), but suddenly and without warning she was cheating, leaving, divorcing and abandoning a child - when she'd previously never given any indication of such potential behavior. There were quite a few scenes of her with Tara, and she was painted as a good parent...I can't even rule out that SHE wasn't possessed by a demon or whatnot except that would throw a wrench into the pairing so maybe we'll see in the next installment? (See, even all of that would have been better served if spread out across a book or 2; it wouldn't have seemed so random, so Deus Ex Machina obvious fanservice to put the two MCs together; would have given them time to develop a romance for heaven's sake!)
I don't even know.
However, I am gonna read the next one. Because, like I said, it's better than the rating suggests. I couldn't rate it higher as it is, though. I just hope book 2 is not as much of a mess. (I forgot to check for an editor in my edition; should prolly do that and see if any of it is different in the newly - 2016 - released version.)
Okay, here's the thing: I liked this book a whole lot more than the rating suggests. It had me engaged, interested, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the characters, I loved the stories.
And therein lies the problem - "stories" as in plural. Honestly, I don't like it when a book is left on a cliffhanger (who does?); but, this was quite possibly THREE books, and if done right nothing would have been so abruptly cut off. See, the main arc of the series (were this to be 3 books, not one) would have been the whole family angle, the Eustace Green plot...with book one covering a large chunk of that and establishing characters & background. Book 2? The dead girls. I feel that was horribly shortchanged as a side gig...and expanding it would have provided some more time to explore the what the actual fuck how did that just jump out of nowhere, really? new relationship through time apart - for both characters to explore their feelings. And to establish the whole Night Shift plot. Book 3? The Circus. I am EVER SO FUCKING GRATEFUL there were no clowns *shudder* but again, with Jack actually coming from carny-stock, this was a wasted opportunity to delve deeper into his background, his family, how and why he became a cop, etc.
I didn't even mind (well, not so much) the fade-to-black sex scenes. However, because we are not given much on the whole new out the blue okay what? relationship between the two MCs, then not providing intimate details like that make me frustrated because I still am not sure what happened. I mean, sure the wife didn't much like Fynn (what woman DOES like the weird best friend secretly perving on your hubby?), but suddenly and without warning she was cheating, leaving, divorcing and abandoning a child - when she'd previously never given any indication of such potential behavior. There were quite a few scenes of her with Tara, and she was painted as a good parent...I can't even rule out that SHE wasn't possessed by a demon or whatnot except that would throw a wrench into the pairing so maybe we'll see in the next installment? (See, even all of that would have been better served if spread out across a book or 2; it wouldn't have seemed so random, so Deus Ex Machina obvious fanservice to put the two MCs together; would have given them time to develop a romance for heaven's sake!)
I don't even know.
However, I am gonna read the next one. Because, like I said, it's better than the rating suggests. I couldn't rate it higher as it is, though. I just hope book 2 is not as much of a mess. (I forgot to check for an editor in my edition; should prolly do that and see if any of it is different in the newly - 2016 - released version.)
October 31, 2013
Fynn is a difficult man to understand. He's a cop, he's a recovering (and occasionally lapsing) alcoholic, he's unable to sustain a relationship since the death of his lover and he's in love with his straight, married partner, Jack. In the course of the book Fynn's life gets even worse. He finds himself battling with an unnamed evil that is killing people he loves and he discovers that his own family has been keeping secrets from him. I really enjoyed the paranormal aspect to the story and I look forward to reading more about Fynn and Jack in the rest of the series.
March 14, 2016
WOW, WOW & WOW!!! I love Fynn Adder. This is definitely going onto my favorites shelf. Fynn & Jack are absolutely adorable. But if you're looking for a book that's high on sex scenes this is not the one. This book has an awesome story going on and I can't wait to dive into the next one, but the sex is more inferred than graphically described which is a nice change of pace. On to the next book now.
November 30, 2017
Detective Fynn Adder of the Chicago Police Department is about to embark on a case that will not only make or break his career but also change his life forever. Still reeling somewhat from the loss of his fiance, Robert, a few years ago, he's drinking more than he knows he should and is engaging in meaningless sexual encounters. So when a series of murders occurs that seem to pulling in closer to Fynn, and then when he starts getting clues from the ghosts of these murder victims, it's only a matter of time before everything could go completely off the rails. But as Fynn and his partner Jack start to dig deeper into the case, they learn there is a lot more to the crime spree that than meets the eye. And they uncover an Adder family secret along the way.
There are moments when I was reading this one that I honestly wasn't quite sure where it was going. But it found its way back every time, and every time an additional layer of complexity was added to the story. This is an entertaining read, with a great paranormal element threaded throughout. The relationship development aspect seemed a bit glossed over, but it felt like such a minor point in the story (with an inevitable outcome) that I didn't see it as impacting my enjoyment of the story.
There are moments when I was reading this one that I honestly wasn't quite sure where it was going. But it found its way back every time, and every time an additional layer of complexity was added to the story. This is an entertaining read, with a great paranormal element threaded throughout. The relationship development aspect seemed a bit glossed over, but it felt like such a minor point in the story (with an inevitable outcome) that I didn't see it as impacting my enjoyment of the story.
November 27, 2017
This was a very good paranormal m/m romance about two Chicago police detectives, one with a very serious drinking problem and a crush on his straight partner. Fynn is a very damaged soul and went through a lot in this book. Everything from two ex's being killed, to an IAB investigation, to a stint in the physic ward. What I didn't like is that he is a functioning alcoholic and all of a sudden he is sober. Yes we didn't need to see him going to tons of AA meetings but it was like, okay I'm cured. I would have liked to see him struggle with it a little. Jack was pretty much perfect, other than pushing those shots on Fynn, that was just bizarre. The investigation at the circus was good and we get a small glimpse into Jack's past. I liked that Jack accepted that Fynn was seeing ghosts and didn't just write him off as crazy. I didn't like that there wasn't any sex on page. I need that connection between the MC's, maybe there will be some page action in the other books in this series. Jack's daughter was so cute. I love Fynn's family.
July 2, 2018
This book was a bit of a strange read ....
I loved the first 10% because I absolutely adored the banter between Fynn and Jack.
the next part I found a bit strange and was not so enthusiastic about it - it would have been a 3 stars read
then there was a bit of a break - which felt like the first book was ended and it started the second book. and this second part was a lot better
there were still some things that were missing for me like
nevertheless, I really liked it and I will read the second book as well
I loved the first 10% because I absolutely adored the banter between Fynn and Jack.
the next part I found a bit strange and was not so enthusiastic about it - it would have been a 3 stars read
then there was a bit of a break - which felt like the first book was ended and it started the second book. and this second part was a lot better
there were still some things that were missing for me like
nevertheless, I really liked it and I will read the second book as well
July 16, 2018
Another series for me to get my teeth into. A good introduction to the Night Shift. All sex scenes are basically fade to black which didn't bother me. What I found harder was believing the love between Jack and Fynn - seemed to happen quick on Jack's side. Also couldn't understand Jack forcing whiskey on Fynn when he been one of the ones forcing Fynn to admit he had a drinking problem - seemed out of character and not what someone would do. No mention of alcohol at all once they joined the Night Shift, perhaps he was magically cured.
April 22, 2024
Interesting story line/events, but it was a bit all over the place to be really enjoyable. Felt a bit too chaotic, raised a lot of questions and gave very little answers. A little more elaboration on some aspects would have made a world of difference.
November 1, 2013
This review can be found at The Blog of Sid Love.
When I first read the blurb for this book, I thought the story would be something suspenseful but with a pairing of Fynn and the Internal Affairs guy who was investigating him. Imagine my delight when I started reading and realized it was between Fynn and Jack, Fynn’s work partner. The story features a lot of issues that all boil down to Fynn. He’s the connection between everyone, everything and every time something happens. From people being murdered to finding help for his addictions to even being admitted into a mental hospital.
Fynn Adder is reckless, careless and doesn’t give a damn who he fucks or how much he drinks. He has no concept of self-preservation because, at this point, he’s just going with the motions. He doesn’t pull his head out of his ass until he starts to realize that the supernatural really does exist. I adored Fynn, even at his worst. I can’t say I loved all his actions but I felt so bad for him. I just wanted to hug him and keep him safe from the world. He’s so broken inside and he has a lot of issues. His family keeps secrets from him that hurts him a lot but also leads him to realize why he feels so empty. Jack Winchester is Fynn’s work partner with the Chicago Police Department. Jack is Fynn’s rock. No matter what Fynn does, Jack is always concerned but he’s always there. He gets angry at Fynn’s lack of concern for his own health but no matter what the situation, Jack will stick by Fynn’s side. I loved him but I also loved the relationship that they eventually form. While it’s not the main focus of the story, I could feel the connection between them and I only wished there had been more of it to see!
The story, at times, feels like a hot mess. There are just so many things that happen to Fynn that seems unbelievable and too much BUT they all happen for a reason that becomes clear by the end of the book. As I said, it centers around Fynn but it’s more than just a crutch to move the story along. Things happen because they need to happen and while I had trouble at times keeping pace with how many problems Fynn ultimately runs into, I won’t deny that I enjoyed every one of them… even the gruesome ones. I don’t want to get into too much detail because I think part of the appeal with this story is the fact that you just don’t know what is going to happen before it happens. It’s suspenseful and has some action and starts the foundation of a relationship that was brewing for months, if not years. It’s sweet but sometimes intense. I was hanging on the edge of my seat a time or time and I can’t explain enough how much I loved that feeling.
One thing I had an issue with was the fact that some of the moments that I really wanted to see were glossed over and told briefly about such as when Fynn would confront his family about something, which happened often but we never got to see these fights they got into. Experiencing them and the passion that is mentioned but not shown would have been great, IMO. I had a few other minor issues such as inconsistencies (the story in general could have used more editing) and that the book had so many conflicts that the transition between some of them was a bit confusing.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I had a lot of fun with it. I went into it expecting one thing and got something totally different but overall, I’m glad I read it. Fynn is so broken and Jack centers him. I adored the two together and even though Fynn goes through so much, it made the story why I adored it so much. Definitely recommended for those looking for something easy to read, that’s fast-paced and a lot of fun…. but be warned, the smut is pretty much glossed over :)
When I first read the blurb for this book, I thought the story would be something suspenseful but with a pairing of Fynn and the Internal Affairs guy who was investigating him. Imagine my delight when I started reading and realized it was between Fynn and Jack, Fynn’s work partner. The story features a lot of issues that all boil down to Fynn. He’s the connection between everyone, everything and every time something happens. From people being murdered to finding help for his addictions to even being admitted into a mental hospital.
Fynn Adder is reckless, careless and doesn’t give a damn who he fucks or how much he drinks. He has no concept of self-preservation because, at this point, he’s just going with the motions. He doesn’t pull his head out of his ass until he starts to realize that the supernatural really does exist. I adored Fynn, even at his worst. I can’t say I loved all his actions but I felt so bad for him. I just wanted to hug him and keep him safe from the world. He’s so broken inside and he has a lot of issues. His family keeps secrets from him that hurts him a lot but also leads him to realize why he feels so empty. Jack Winchester is Fynn’s work partner with the Chicago Police Department. Jack is Fynn’s rock. No matter what Fynn does, Jack is always concerned but he’s always there. He gets angry at Fynn’s lack of concern for his own health but no matter what the situation, Jack will stick by Fynn’s side. I loved him but I also loved the relationship that they eventually form. While it’s not the main focus of the story, I could feel the connection between them and I only wished there had been more of it to see!
The story, at times, feels like a hot mess. There are just so many things that happen to Fynn that seems unbelievable and too much BUT they all happen for a reason that becomes clear by the end of the book. As I said, it centers around Fynn but it’s more than just a crutch to move the story along. Things happen because they need to happen and while I had trouble at times keeping pace with how many problems Fynn ultimately runs into, I won’t deny that I enjoyed every one of them… even the gruesome ones. I don’t want to get into too much detail because I think part of the appeal with this story is the fact that you just don’t know what is going to happen before it happens. It’s suspenseful and has some action and starts the foundation of a relationship that was brewing for months, if not years. It’s sweet but sometimes intense. I was hanging on the edge of my seat a time or time and I can’t explain enough how much I loved that feeling.
One thing I had an issue with was the fact that some of the moments that I really wanted to see were glossed over and told briefly about such as when Fynn would confront his family about something, which happened often but we never got to see these fights they got into. Experiencing them and the passion that is mentioned but not shown would have been great, IMO. I had a few other minor issues such as inconsistencies (the story in general could have used more editing) and that the book had so many conflicts that the transition between some of them was a bit confusing.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I had a lot of fun with it. I went into it expecting one thing and got something totally different but overall, I’m glad I read it. Fynn is so broken and Jack centers him. I adored the two together and even though Fynn goes through so much, it made the story why I adored it so much. Definitely recommended for those looking for something easy to read, that’s fast-paced and a lot of fun…. but be warned, the smut is pretty much glossed over :)
October 20, 2012
Fynn Adder has been spiraling downwards since the unsolved murder of his boyfriend, Robert, two years previously. The drinking, apparent blackouts, and numerous random hookups are starting to affect his job as a Chicago detective. His partner, Jack, is worried and frustrated as is his law enforcement-laden family.
A good mystery but what bugged me was the choppy flow of events. The author provides what I would refer to as 'half-assed' explanations for some things that left me thinking..... wtf....were some paragraphs dropped??!
There is no on-page sex; it's a paranormal mystery. I see there is a #2 out that frustrated other readers so will wait until #3 is released (and reviewed). :)
A good mystery but what bugged me was the choppy flow of events. The author provides what I would refer to as 'half-assed' explanations for some things that left me thinking..... wtf....were some paragraphs dropped??!
There is no on-page sex; it's a paranormal mystery. I see there is a #2 out that frustrated other readers so will wait until #3 is released (and reviewed). :)
February 13, 2012
This was an interesting paranormal mystery. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. Fynn is a homicide detective, searching for killers no matter how long he has to keep a case open. The one murder that gets him is the murder of his lover Robert, a fellow officer. He has not been able to solve it. Roberts death turns Fynn to wild and reckless behavior that effect his job. The addition of ghosts to his daily life is NOT well received by him, or his partner Jack. But Fynn persevers, he is determined to solve this case.
February 15, 2012
To be truthful the plot was to full. I liked Fynn, even his destructive characteristic, if we consider Fynn didn't know he was missing a twin brother. But come on the romance between Jack and Fynn could have been better. The way it was written felt impersonal and undeveloped. As a reader I didn't like it. This soup of a plot was to full. To many different events and Ghost. But at least Michael was saved. As a twin I love that part. I would love to read a story about Michael after he woke up.
March 7, 2012
It was good read even if the plot was strange. Fynn Adder the main character has a lot of problems in his life: ex-boyfriend dying, drinking problems, ghost seeing, being in love with his police partner.
As reader we are going true a lot, with him.
From my point of view I did not like the way he get together with his police partner Jack, and there are to may ghost round him. Plots gets to big or to wide.
As reader we are going true a lot, with him.
From my point of view I did not like the way he get together with his police partner Jack, and there are to may ghost round him. Plots gets to big or to wide.
August 15, 2012
I had originally planned to mark this as four stars but since I finished it three weeks ago I keep going back and thinking about the characters and the plot and I. This held some of my favorites. Cranky cop. Silently yearning for the impossible. A good twisty mystery. Some self discovery and awash of paranormal fantasy. I look forward to reading the next one in the series. I can't wait to meet his twin brother!
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