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Unsettled tensions from the last case come to a head as Seong-Jae reveals his secrets — but will it be enough to repair the fractures in his relationship with Malcolm?

Especially when their only promising lead on the Golden Ratio Killer's identity falls apart, along with any hope of returning home to Baltimore and to their life together.

When their primary suspect turns up dead...

...after attempting to kill the daughter of another suspect.

The Golden Ratio killer's strange web of deception, double-backs, and doppelgangers grows ever more tangled, and as those twisted threads ensnare Malcolm and Seong-Jae, they find themselves pulled ever further apart. Not even Malcolm's patience may be able to save them, their relationship a painful casualty of their job.

That doesn't mean he won't try.

But Malcolm's desperate attempts to hold them together put them in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And that unfortunate coincidence?

Might just end both their lives.

Audible Audio

First published January 14, 2020

38 people are currently reading
408 people want to read

About the author

Cole McCade

65 books1,530 followers
Slender. Angry. (Part) Asian.

Yeah, that about sums me up.

Hi. I’m Cole. Xen. Whatever you want to call me; both are true, and both are lies. My pen names are multitudes, my nicknames legion. Tall, bi/queer, introverted author of a brown-ish persuasion made up of various flavors of Black, Asian, and Native American. I’m cuter than Hello Kitty, more bitter than the blackest coffee, and able to trip over cats in a single half-asleep lurch; I’m what happens when a Broody Antihero and a Manic Pixie Dream Boy fight to the death, and someone builds a person from the scraps left behind. Beardless, I look like the uke in every yaoi manga in existence; bearded or not, I sound like Barry White. About half my time is spent as a corporate writer, and the other half riding a train of WTFery that sometimes results in a finished book. Romance, erotica, sci-fi, horror, paranormal; LGBTQIA and cishet; diverse settings and diverse characters from a diverse author.

Sometimes I shout about things on the internet. Usually intersectional feminism and marginalized voices, and whomever’s punching down in those directions today. Sometimes human sociology, the psychology of sex and gender, and my own gender non-conforming arse (he/him, by the way). Sometimes I get really mad at Stephen Hawking and nerd out all over the place about hairy black holes, and believe it or not, that’s not a terrible pun or even worse innuendo.

That’s it. I’m a huge dork. My humor’s so dry it could empty oceans. I’m a native Southerner from the New Orleans area with zero Southern accent; I’m a mess of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual influences; I have two cats. I wake up at daft hours of the morning to go running. I crochet terrible, lumpy things that never really turn into anything. I’m older than you think I look. I’m much more shy than my fury makes me sound (signifying gods only know what, but probably nothing). Recently I decided, at 36, that I needed to restart my life and move cross-country, so I tossed 75% of my possessions in the trash and randomly trucked it to Seattle. I’m in love with books and music and technology, and they war with each other for dominance and sometimes come together in a beautiful confluence. Most of the physical books I own are strange, obscure, out of print, overseas imports, or any combination of the four. Most of the physical books I used to own were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, and have been replaced with the infinite library on my Nook. My wallet has a dangerous attraction to anything with pages; it flirts and teases and gives its all, until there’s nothing left but emptiness and ruin.

There will always be things you don’t know, and I won’t tell.

But ask me late at night over live music in a seedy bar, and you might just get an honest answer.

...or you can poke me via:

* Email: blackmagic@blackmagicblues.com
* Twitter: @thisblackmagic
* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/xen.cole
* Website & Blog: http://www.blackmagicblues.com
* Tumblr: http://thisblackmagic.tumblr.com/

And there's my Xen Sanders SFF / Horror profile:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

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5 stars
442 (51%)
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320 (37%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
Profile Image for Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus.
1,120 reviews1,058 followers
October 23, 2021
4.5 stars

Freaking loved it!!! ❤❤

Wooooo!! It was nice to take a break from the gore. Honeymoon stage was soooo sweet.🥺🥰🥰

Okay maybe I overreacted a tiny bit.🙈😭 Mal can keep dating Seong-Jae, they are so good together Gaahhh!!🤩🥰 Daddy Mal can keep doing wahtever he is doing. 😋😍

Silas! I am afraid of what he is going to do. His background was heartbreaking. 😪😪 Reading a child's POV is the most heartbreaking thing ever. 💔💔

By the end of this book I started to tell myself.

I will not start liking Joshi! I will not start liking Joshi! 😭😂😆

Onto the next. 🤸‍♂️🤸‍♂️
Profile Image for Lisazj1.
2,072 reviews193 followers
January 16, 2020
4.5 stars. Despite the investigation, this one moves a little slower than usual. But it's necessary. Mal and Seong-Jae needed to step out of the madness for a bit and focus on themselves. And it's so, so good. The banter between them had me grinning with my whole face, like a fool, LOL. The intimacy they share is one of my favorite things, ever. The way, tiny bit by tiny bit, Seong-Jae is opening up to Mal. And he's trying. Also, though Mal himself is not perfect, he's as damn close to perfect as they come. <3 *swoon* I love them both so much.

I can't make up my mind if what's going on with TGRK is all pre-arranged...or if the killer is playing with everyone, including Sila, and Sila has his own agenda as well. I guess we shall see.

The other storylines are developing with a BANG! Literally. *cries* I can't even think about that now, I refuse. Might as well wait til next month. I already have ideas though. *not thinking, NOT*

Also, I know I've said it before, but really, our guys can't catch a break anywhere. I'm thinking I may go side-eye Cole McCade for leaving me with not one but TWO are-you-fucking-kidding-me cliffhangers! Bloody hell, that's cruel. Is is February yet? :(

*Edited* because I forgot to say that Cara is the best BFF for Seong-Jae that could ever be, and I love her! <3
Profile Image for Lau ♡.
575 reviews604 followers
June 17, 2021
“You don’t get to decide if you’re worthy or not. That love someone gives you… it’s theirs to give, and theirs to decide if you’re worth giving it to. () I hope you know that I made that decision a long time ago. That you were worth giving my love to.”


Malcolm’s too good to be true and Seong-Jae’s lack of confidence breaks my heart. I need to go to read the next one because that cliffhanger is not all right! Also, I will never get used to Cole's beautiful writing:


“If Malcolm’s kiss before had been a spell to seal Seong-Jae inside his skin, then Seong-Jae wanted to kiss Malcolm into a bewitchment that would bind them together forever, sealing them in this bond that could not be broken no matter how many times they tripped and stumbled.

So that they would always fall together. And always pick each other back up.”


Profile Image for Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘.
1,314 reviews3,104 followers
July 27, 2021
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Can Sila Die Now?*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

I am super duper tired of Sila. Just saying. I adore the connection between Seong-Jae and Mal. The case itself is starting to become even more boring. Maybe I need a break from this series....



The Characters:
The list is a bit long so I've put it in a spoilers tag.


Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book Seventeen.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Malcolm ‘Mal’ Khalaji.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes, I think so.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Unsure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Unsure...
Rating - 3/2.5 stars.
Profile Image for MarianR.
235 reviews67 followers
May 29, 2021
Oh my. I loved this episode!!!
Malcom and Seong-Jae's love is very beautiful, and just as Mal marvels at falling in love with SJ again, so do I with the series, the characters, the writing style...💕.

"You don’t get to decide if you’re worthy (to love) or not. That love someone gives you…it’s theirs to give, and theirs to decide if you’re worth giving it to.” Malcolm traced one curled knuckle down Seong-Jae’s jaw, then pressed his lips to his temple. “I hope you know that I made that decision a long time ago. That you were worth giving my love to."

*faints*🥰.

Seong-Jae-"Never give away that you are awake until you are certain your surroundings are safe, and a competing predator is not observing you for weakness.”
Malcom-“…I wasn’t aware we were on an episode of Animal Planet.”
“Wild Kingdom, thank you, and we are.” Seong-Jae bit down lightly on Malcolm’s shoulder. “And I am hungry, and a carnivore, and you are made of meat.”

SJ, you are so adorable🤣❤️.

When I read chapter 9, I did not know what to think, it is very intense to read how a person can see things from a perspective that disturbs you.

"Mama had told him to hide in the cupboard.
Mama had told him to hide in the cupboard and not make a sound, not move a muscle, not give himself away until it was safe to get out and run. Because there was a man outside in the dark. A man in a mask."

The secondary characters, oh, I love them, I care about them. Everyone has their stories to tell and I'm here for them.

Reading Mal and SJ while on a date was so beautiful and fun. Everything was going very nice, so of course, I said "something bad is going to happen" and this happened:

"They both watched as the man, rather than taking his seat again, moved down to the absolute front of the theatre, below the first row, and positioned himself to stand in front of the screen."

And I was so scared!! Just imagining that it happening to me makes me uneasy!☠️☠️. The best series I have read this year. On to the next book💞.
Profile Image for Layla .
1,468 reviews76 followers
September 17, 2022
Reread

“Those are going to keep going for a half hour before your terrifying two-hour reel of nonstop horror starts. Want to make out until then?”
“Malcolm.” Seong-Jae snorted and swatted his arm. “Behave yourself, for once in your life.”
“No,” Malcolm said, and settled to lean against Seong-Jae’s side.
Seong-Jae only rolled his eyes.
But he was smiling, subtle yet warm.

God help me.... THEY ARE SO ADORABLE I CAN'T
.......................

Me being a Chandler...

Can I BE anymore in love with SJ and Malcolm?
No..no I can't.

Fin
Profile Image for Rina Pride.
362 reviews105 followers
August 25, 2024
Caramba!!! O final desse livro é para matar ansiosos ( sorte que estou lendo agora e já tem os próximos lançados 🙏🏼)
Profile Image for Ariana  (mostly offline).
1,680 reviews96 followers
January 16, 2020
4,5 stars

Wow.
Malcolm and Seong-Jae talk.
And it’s good talks, too. No, it’s better than good, it’s awesome actually.
Because it brings back some lightness between them and some of their banter. It was a relief to have a little chuckle with and about them again.

And they do find a place of quiet and peace (even if it’s small) until …
well, until that cliffhanger Mr.McCade throws at us.
Thank you very much! It’s done in true style (of course, what else!), and then everything is blown open with the events in the last 15 or so percent of the book.

And YES, I AM tearing my hair out thinking about what’s going to happen next.
Not even talking about the ongoings with Min Thze and Anjoulie. I mean WTH???

I must admit I could have done without the f/f sex scene, it simply isn’t for me. Saying that, I really do feel for Gabi and have a funny feeling someone is going to have her heart torn out.

Being in Sila’s mind freaks me out every single time. He is on his way to create even more havoc, I’m sure. I dread to think what happens when two evil minds join forces.

I think that's exactly why Malcolm and Seong-Jae’s little bubble of peace and lo- lo- …. feels so brutally fragile.

Can this get even more tense?
(Pretty sure Cole McCade can pull it off!)
Profile Image for Reem.
359 reviews
May 26, 2024
description

SUCH A GREAT EPISODE. WHAT IS THAT CLIFFHANGER? this case is getting more and more interesting ohmygod, I don't know what to say or how to feel. and that Sila pov chapter??!!!!!!! ALSO, WHAT THE FREAK, MIN ZHE NEEDS HIS HAPPY ENDING💔
Profile Image for oshiiy.
415 reviews56 followers
June 10, 2021
4 stars ⭐️ Holy shit!! The ending was brutal. Wow, something bad is going to happen in the next episode.

Oh God, they TALKED. Thank you for finally communicating everything!!!! Malcolm is so thoughtful with Seong-Jae. He is the perfect person Seong-Jae needed in his life. No matter what happened between Seong-Jae and Malcolm before, it wasn't an obstacle to discuss the things that happened with each other.
I'm TOTALLY fangirl over Malcolm and Seong-Jae. They are sooooo cuteeeeee!!!

Not a fan of Joshi :(
Profile Image for Karen.
1,860 reviews91 followers
February 14, 2020
HOLY HELL!!! This series is going to be the death of me!!! full review to follow soonish...

Simone we need to talk we so need to talk. I know you warned me but really WTF!!!!!!!!

So at the end of episode three I was standing at the edge of a cliff...

I'm pretty sure that I'm now tumbling over said cliff...so if anyone has a minute...maybe you could throw me a rope...please!

Seriously, there are cliffhangers and then there's 'Holy hell, what just happened here? and did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?'

Seriously if I thought I was standing at the edge of a cliff after the last episode I have taken a headlong tumble over the edge on this one and now I have the quandary of explaining why without giving anything away...good luck to me.

Here in 'Hard Angles' things take some dramatic changes Seong-Jae finally confides in Mal and plans that were set into motion in the previous episode are revealed while still other plans are only beginning to play out. Most importantly though is the fact that, that cliff has gotten a whole lot steeper. There were a couple of things that I have to admit I did not see coming and the ramifications have the potential to be not only disastrous but downright deadly.

Initially in this episode events play out that make Mal, Seong-Jae & Joshi think that they're going to be able to wrap up their case and capture a killer...or at least that's what they thought until their suspect turns up dead.

Best of all in the midst of all the chaos we get to see Mal & Seong-Jae take a break from the madness that is their life to just be two men in lo...eeerrr...who really, really care about each other spending some time together and yes there's also some steamy, smexy alone time for these two as well.

As for everyone else well...Sila's in the wind as is the rabbit head wearing serial killer, Min Tze and Sade are even more estranged and Anjulie's got a mystery of her own building not to mention that things between her and Gabrielle have definitely moved onto shaky ground, Adelaide's set her sights on a beat cop but it remains to be seen if she'll follow through on things...so many things going on here and at the end of it all...well, I leaned way, way over the edge of that cliff and damned if I could see anything.

I'm thinking that things are going to step up with the next episode and that's ok, as long as events happen to let me take a step back from that cliff I'm standing at the edge of because I'm feeling more than a little anxious about more than a few things and I'd like to catch my breath for a few minutes before the end of season two but just for a minute or two since...It's only a matter of days until the next episode is released...oh please, oh please oh please!!!

*************************

An ARC of 'Criminal Intentions: Hard Angles' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Deborah.
3,836 reviews496 followers
September 26, 2020
4.5*


Wow another great read.

Malcolm and Seong-Jae finally talk. I hate it when they’re at odds with each other.

Things are heating up in Baltimore as well.

Again that’s it the next book is calling me.
Profile Image for Elisa Glendenning (on hiatus).
538 reviews46 followers
January 27, 2021
4.5 Stars

Communication is key!!! Thank god these two are talking again. I highlighted the hell out of this. Seong-Jae has more than redeemed himself, even though I was still a little sad for Malcom. Cole McCade is such a tease. I already want to go back and re-read all their scenes together, but after that cliffhanger - I need to know what happens next ... RTC
Profile Image for Bev .
2,222 reviews481 followers
July 11, 2021
Winner winner chicken dinner! Shoo, the previous episode had me worried about where this season was going, but I'm thrilled to say McCade brought his A game with this one. Absolutely loved it and Seong-Jae is back in my good books.
Profile Image for ~✿ Tala✿~ .
164 reviews43 followers
May 30, 2021
“All that mattered was this.
Them.
This thing he needed to last forever, this endless miasma of lusciousness and pleasure and an emotion that threatened to crack his rib cage when he wasn’t enough to hold it, his flesh only mortal when this fire was so much more, far beyond.
His flesh was burning, his heart the flame.
Seong-Jae, the one who ignited him”


Saying I’m obsessed with their love and Cole McCade’s writing would be an understatement 😩💕

I'm so so glad that Malcolm and Seong-Jae are more on the same page now and
The ending had me SHOOK for several different reasons!!!!!! I'M SO AFRAID!!! The cliffhanger of all cliffhangers oh my...
Profile Image for Sana⁷.
387 reviews166 followers
July 20, 2023
"You feel like that pretty often, don't you, om-ran? Like you're unworthy of the love people give you."

Quiet... then an audible swallow before Seong-Jae answered, "... yes."

"Except that's the thing. You don't get to decide if you're worthy or not. That love someone gives you... it's theirs to give, and theirs to decide if you're worth giving it to." Malcolm traced one curled knuckle down Seong-Jae's jaw, then pressed his lips to his temple. "I hope you know that I made that decision a long time ago. That you were worth giving my love to."




Do you ever read a book where it seems like not much had happened but at the same time plenty of things had happened? It kinda doesn't make sense, but it's how I feel after finishing this book.

This time no one had died (except for the culprit) and we did not chase after the murderer. We still are deep into The Golden Ratio Killer's case, but still don't know who he is and what his goal is.

But Seong-Jae came back to Malcolm. He came back and explained and it felt like all will be okay again.

But it's not gonna be okay because THAT ENDING WTF HOW DARE YOU MR AUTHOR, HOW DARE YOUUUUU 😭

I expected that something bad will happen, but not this! I know that the world can be small, coincidences happen, but not in that kind of scale, c'mon!! AND NOT ON THEIR DATE HOW DARE YOUUUUU!! 😭

AND WHO THE HELL SILA IS AGAIN, I'M SORRY?? 😮

I'M DIVING INTO THE NEXT BOOK IMMEDIATELY, I NEED ANSWERS!!




Criminal Intentions Season Two - my rating:

S02E01 The Golden Ratio: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E02 In Sequence: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E03 Cold Calculation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4,5/5)
S02E04 Hard Angle: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
S02E05 Deep Spiral: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
S02E06 Divine Proportion: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
S02E07 Triangulation: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E08 Trajectory: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E09 Occam's Razor: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E10 Fractal Recursion: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
S02E11 Convergence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
S02E12 White Rabbit Part I: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
S02E13 White Rabbit Part II: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
Profile Image for Nelly S..
673 reviews166 followers
August 23, 2023
4.5 stars

“His prickly black crow’s scowls and hisses and deflections, told one story… but his lips were always more honest, speaking lies but kissing truths in the way he sighed and went soft and lax with a heated moan that Malcolm felt in his hungriest depths.”
Profile Image for ♥Sharon♥.
985 reviews139 followers
April 8, 2020
Another case of WTF I did not see that coming!

After ‘Cold Calculation’ I needed things to slow down a bit. Cole gave the reader just that in this one. By slow I mean the reader gets a chance to sort through their thoughts about everything that is going on. At least it did for me. :)

The investigation is still developing. There is still a crime scene. There is still the wild goose chase but my heart wasn’t racing and the knot in my stomach wasn’t getting worse. Well that was until the last two chapters. Which explains my opening line.

Malcolm and Seong-Jae needed to work some things out. If they didn’t there is no way they would survive this case. A few baby steps taken and I wish I could reach into the pages and wrap my arms around Seong-Jae. It breaks my heart that he thinks he is unworthy of love. Of Malcolm. But his omr-an thinks otherwise. ❤. There are some pretty great moments between these two. The intimacy is still off the charts!! The things that Malcolm says to Seong-Jae melts my heart. There was a moment where he is trying to reassure him as well as make him blush. Seong-Jae is so cute when he blushes. LOL

”Detective Lieutenant Seong-Jae Yoon. Pain in my ass, breathtakingly beautiful, dryly funny, shockingly intuitive, terrifyingly intelligent, annoyingly pedantic, a brilliant detective, consumingly intense in bed….and who will kill me if I ever call him Scott.”


It was great while it lasted but shit got real. And not just with these guys. Back in Baltimore other things are developing that are also setting my nerves on fire.

I’ve already started Deep Spiral!!
Profile Image for Denise.
823 reviews161 followers
July 14, 2023
4.25 Stars

A much needed episode after the heartache of the last one.

It makes my heart hurt with how deep and long-lasting Seong-Jae's trauma is 🥺 He and Malcolm deserve the world and I wish they could escape this awful case and go home. Sila is still the fking devil and I hate him dearly. Also, I'm not sure if the

I still love and appreciate the beautiful writing in this series and the depth that McCade gives to all the characters, not just the MCs. I miss the side characters so much, so it was wonderful to spend time with Cara again.

There is a heavy focus on what abuse is and looks like. As Malcolm says,

"Certain types of abusers will use that against you. Denying they could ever harm you because they’re too weak, too small. Putting their needs ahead of yours because their fragility always means their needs are more important, and if you really love them, you’ll see that. Playing on your need to protect and care for them, even if it means putting themselves in danger to keep you in line.”

There were also multiple cliffhangers at the end about different characters that were just plain evil 😳😫 I cannot wait to start the next book and see what happens, even though I'm sure it's going to be wild (and angsty AF probably).
Profile Image for h o l l i s .
2,723 reviews2,306 followers
August 20, 2021
This was definitely a step up from the previous book because we had c o m m u n i c a t i o n and while a lot of that communication centred around explaining and understanding the complexities Yoon faces, especially when confronted with you know who, I still didn't retroactively forgive book sixteen for being what it was. But McCade does such a good job with the emotional nuances and processing of things.. when the characters stop to actually do so.

Their interactions are getting a tiny bit tired, what with the same shticks and jokes and reactions all the time, but that might be a me problem, with bingeing, not necessarily a series problem. They aren't static, they have so much character and emotional growth, even when sometimes it's slow, but it makes sense to be. The awareness of repetition is likely just a byproduct of my consumption of the content. To someone reading release by release it would just be more comforting, than anything else, I imagine.

Love love loved having Sten interacting with Malcolm and Yoon again, I missed her and the whole dynamic so much, that was definitely the highlight for me.

A little annoyed youknowho's escape was so easy, and wondering about the fate of another, but.. I only have to read on to find out. And so I do.
Profile Image for Rosabel.
723 reviews259 followers
September 29, 2020
FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! I have no time for the next one, I have a life! Mister Cole you can't leave it like this!!!! 😫😫💔

I'll review this tomorrow when I'm not mad as hell... *goes to sulk*
Profile Image for juli✨.
1,177 reviews144 followers
August 30, 2024
[𝟺.𝟻 / 𝟻 ✩]

❝It boils down to fear, I think. For both of us. I’m afraid of losing you, so it makes me irrational when I feel like you’re hiding dangerous things from me again. And maybe I’m being presumptuous, but…I think you’re afraid of losing me, so you hide the things you think could hurt me, or drive me away. And we start the same cycle all over again.❞


Ah, that's more like it. I feel better now, tbh. I abhor when Seong-Jae and Malcolm are fighting, cannot stand it. Luckily they both tried something novel… TALKING. They talked. They communicated. And let me tell you guys, it. was. BEAUTIFUL.


┍━━━━✩━━━━┑
𝙲𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜: 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙸𝙸

𝟷𝟺. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘 ~ 𝟺.
𝟷𝟻. 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 ~ 𝟺.
𝟷𝟼. 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝟺.𝟸𝟻
𝟷𝟽. 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 ~ 𝟺.𝟻
𝟷𝟾. 𝙳𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚕 ~ 𝟺.𝟼
𝟷𝟿. 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝟻.
𝟸𝟶. 𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝟹.𝟻
𝟸𝟷. 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 ~ 𝟺.𝟻
𝟸𝟸. 𝙾𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚖'𝚜 𝚁𝚊𝚣𝚘𝚛 ~ 𝟺.𝟸𝟻
𝟸𝟹. 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝟺.𝟸𝟻
𝟸𝟺. 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 ~ 𝟹.𝟻
𝟸𝟻. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚋𝚋𝚒𝚝: 𝙸 ~ 𝟹.𝟻
𝟸𝟼. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚋𝚋𝚒𝚝: 𝙸𝙸 ~ 𝟺.
┕━━━━✩━━━━┙
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,519 reviews648 followers
January 18, 2020
Whew, what a fourth installment to this season! I absolutely loved it.

I was so so happy when Seong-Jae and Mal talked. Of course it doesn't magically make everything better, but that's not the point. They made the first steps to getting better, to fixing things that need fixing in their relationship and turning toward a direction that would make them stronger.

I was - and still am because never know what can happen - worried that he'd break them up (and yeah yeah McCade said that whole "who knows, it depends on the characters" thing, but come on. As the author you have the power.)

But for me I just don't see these two breaking up? They love each other too much and care too much to let each other go, imo. Yeah they'll have tough times, no doubt about it...but I think they can work through it together instead of apart. And honestly I want to see a couple work through the tough shit together instead of apart, for once.

Since this is like a tv show, I hope it deviates from the "must break the main couple up for ~drama" bullshit. I trust McCade not to do that, though.

Whether or not a break up comes down the line for however long remains to be seen. I just hope it doesn't happen.

And after these two talk, they're in a pretty good place. At least a respite for however long, and they're actually talking to each other, and communicating and it's lovely.

We don't see TGRK in this except for in a flashback, so that was a nice little break, but we also got more Sila which was ughh. Yeah I can feel for him as he was as a child, but as an adult? Nuh uh. He's horrible. Also TGRK's presence was felt throughout this anyway.

And with what happens at the end, we're gonna be down to two suspects, so...wonder when they're gonna find out who it is? If they'll find out sooner rather than later? We still got 9 episodes left for this season, so...wonder how it's going to shake out.

Plus, that cliffhanger? Ah! I know Malcolm and Seong-Jae will make it out alive, but will they come out of it undamaged? I think not. Even with all the horrible shit they see. I just hope they can lean on each other instead of push each other away. Here's hoping.

This season is really ramping up - not that it wasn't already, but just...shit's going down, things are moving along.

Also loved that this had more of a focus on Malcolm and Seong-Jae. I loved that. Also I didn't mind the F/F sex scene, it was pretty hot. Not something I'm very much into myself, but nothing against it or anything like that. It was very enjoyable to read, and I hope Gabrielle and Anjulie can figure something out, because I enjoy these two together a lot.

Can't wait for more, even if it's gonna be painful. Two thumbs up! I love this whole series so so much.
Profile Image for Chris.
2,070 reviews
January 15, 2020
What an intense brilliant read. So cleverly written... I’m loving how the pieces are stacking up with more and more players being drawn in. As always, Malcolm & Seong Jay remain the ultimate ❤️
Profile Image for GeishaX .
381 reviews40 followers
August 4, 2022
Not sure what to think about this installment in the series.
On one side I was happy that Seong-Jae actually talked to Mal. That they resolved some of their problems.
On the other side this book felt like more relationship talk and solving relationship baggage than crime story. I would really like to see them solve the case - or at least getting some steps further.
And again the ending .... does every book in this series have a cliffhanger? It is getting a bit annoying.
Profile Image for melina.
26 reviews
October 28, 2025
That cliffhanger… guess I’m diving straight into the next one 👀
(I always think about reading something else in between, but how can I when it’s this intriguing??😫)
Also, I really liked this episode — they actually cleared up the misunderstanding early for once, so they could just focus on solving the case together instead of keeping secrets.🤭
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