Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

J.J. Graves Mystery #3

by Liliana Hart

Can ghosts really talk?

J.J. Graves is about to find out when her past comes back to haunt her. But before she and Jack can resolve her past, they need to deal with his.

Six years ago Jack was left for dead during a SWAT raid he commanded. He never speaks of what happened that day, but he doesn't have a choice after someone starts murdering his men. According to the FBI, Jack is either next on the list, or he's the one behind it all.

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Contemporary, Thriller, Fiction

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2013

About the author

Liliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts).

Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex.

Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.

Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.

Enjoy the Adventures!

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never given the phrase Dead Man Walking much thought.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel takes off right after the events of the last book. Jaye has just found out that her father isn’t really dead and he’s looking for the boxes she took from their family cabin, boxes that contain a LOT of secrets. So not only does Jaye have her father and all his criminal activities to cause problems for her, it also seems that Jack’s S.W.A.T. past has come back to haunt him and he together with Jaye, the FBI and a woman from Jack’s past will have to figure out what is going on because it seems that Jack is the next target.

As always I loved Jaye. She’s such a great heroine with her dry wit, her sarcasm, how good she is with dead and injured bodies and how tough she is. She seems to have recovered from the events that happened before and I’m very glad to see she’s back to her old self.

“I love you. And unless something has changed you love me too. This is just the natural progression of things. I’ve never said I love you to a woman before. Never wanted to spend my life with anyone or even think about marriage. Not until you.”

I loved Jack in the previous two books and although he had his very sweet moments in this one, especially how much he loves Jaye, he did upset me too. His reaction to the news of her father not being dead was more that of a cop than that of a friend and fiancé and it pissed me off.

He looked at me with a half smile on his face. “I believe that true love exists. And I believe there are souls in this world that are meant to be together in this life and anything that comes after. After all this time, I’ve finally got you where I want you. There’s nothing in heaven or hell that could keep us apart.”

As for the romance I love how comfortable these two are together. Their years of long friendship has given them that deeper depth to their relationship and it’s always so lovely to see how well they know each other. I loved seeing Jack determined to take the next step, wanting to marry Jaye as soon as possible and it was funny and sweet seeing him convince her of this ;-) The sexy times were quite frequent and sexy and I love how they can’t keep their hands off each other. My only complaint was the drama caused by his ex. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t bad or made me think that Jack felt anything for this woman, but It felt unnecessary and overblown, especially seeing that it’s been six years since he last saw this woman and per his own words and later her own, they never would have lasted and although they dated a year, he never loved her. So why did she try to get between them in the first place and why was he upset when he saw her??? Anyway, luckily it wasn’t dragged out and it didn’t really form a big part of the plot.

As for the plot there was one VERY big issue that bothered me. A lot. In the first book it was mentioned that Jack’s entire S.W.A.T. team was killed and he himself wounded six years ago, but in this book suddenly only one team member was killed back then and now the others were being killed by some unknown villain. That is one pretty huge error to make. Other than that the story-line was suspenseful and I did like meeting one of Jack’s surviving team mates. I also liked that Jack’s FBI friend Carver played such a huge role in this book, he’s very funny and I love the banter between him, Jaye and Jack.

Then there’s Jaye’s father and all his secrets. Things are really just getting more interesting and I’m really interested to know if he’s really the bad guy or not…… Hopefully things will be revealed in the next book.

I love this series, especially Jaye and although this book was a bit disappointing at times, I still enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read the next one. Highly recommended to all RS fans.

[Kjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wise person recently said "Sometimes you just want to read!"

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that JJ and Jack are having sex every twenty pages or so, I am getting a little bored with them. But I am not really the target audience for sex scenes - I always think an extended description of mind-shattering sex only brings the plot to a screeching halt, and that happens a lot in this book. Part of that is that all these sex scenes are ancillary to the plot - now that our main character has her man, it feels voyeuristic and a little pointless to go over all their hot sex again and again. But, if you are into that sort of reading, then it is another reason for you to enjoy this book, and don't listen to me on that score. Anyway, the mystery and action in this volume come from Jack's past, with a little bit more from JJ's past thrown in for good measure. This was smart, since Bloody Mary is supposed to be in such a sparsely populated county - how much heinous crime could we really expect to find homegrown? Bringing in some action from Washington, DC gave us some back story for why our characters are so brooding and damaged while also adding some needed zing to the action. I only wish Hart could spent as much time crafting a realistic conversation as she does a diverting sex scene!

[Norah Una Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so obsessed with this series. Jack & JJ are my babies. ❤

If you love a good crime book with an amazing romance and sarcastic-ass characters - this series is your best option. I adore, just adore, JJ and how real she is. We get to really know her and relate to her and her fears and problems. And there's Jack... Sorry but I just keep imagining Scott Eastwood as Jack and I keep getting hot and bothered.



These books are full of action and awesome mysteries. And, of course, some damn good slow-burning romance. Oh, yeah. One of my ultimate ships.



Yeah, if that's not enough for you I don't know what is. Check out this series! The first book is even free on Kindle.

[Jes · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books are starting to get annoying. The sexual banter between Jack and JJ is just stupid. Every time they talk, it’s like the author is doing her best to remind us that they both get laid on a regular basis. Very very irritating.

The plots are becoming more and more ridiculous and I don’t think the whole thing about JJ and her parents is at all compelling.

I might go to the next book just to see if the wedding is worth it, but I’m in zero hurry...

[Debbie "Buried in Her TBR Pile" · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Own in The J.J. Graves Mysteries box set.

JJ is visited by someone in her past she thought was dead and Jack's past comes back to haunt him somewhat. Kudos to the author for not letting past partners of JJ and Jack to break them apart - both are mature in how they handle this - it is the past and they love each other - that simple. I read this one straight through and immediately picked up box set 2 to read book 4. So far, I'm loving this series.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

300 hundred pages of intense enjoyment! Volume 3 in the JJ Graves mystery series did not disappoint! Liliana Hart is an incredible author who has the ability to build the action in her writing while keeping the characters realistic and approachable. She left me hanging again at the end of this one so all I can say is she better get busy on volume 4. I'm not good at waiting!

[JMV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love JJ & Jack. If you like a good msytrey mixed with some sarcasm (not to mention some good romance) this series is for you.

[Dan Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable series, though this one has violence and sex, made me uncomfortable...as books have no pictures. Easy to listen to book with enjoyable characters.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars!

So, here's the thing. The first half of this book I was kind of annoyed because:
1. There are continuity problems that seem to be plotline based. In the first two books,Jack was said to have come back to Bloody Mary to heal himself from a huge deal that had gone wrong for his SWAT team, leaving him the sole survivor. Yet here, in the third book, the only one that had died on his team during that same case that went wrong was his "best friend" and the others were alive to conveniently participate in this storyline.
2. The sexy love scenes really need to stop or at least be lessened. It's so weird when there are these long mushy scenes in between brief glimpses of a decent storyline, fighting for all its worth, to be seen. It was like this really bizarre R-rated Harlequin romance starring a budget Kay Scarpetta with a much less realistic love life.

BUT!! Around the halfway point in this book, or thereabouts, the storyline started winning the fight against the trashy romance!!
I really enjoyed the ensuing adventure and very solid story. I'm also really enjoying the mystery surrounding Jaye's family/past as it is seeming to unfold with every new book.
I'm looking forward to more of this series, with more like the second half of this book: Lots of adventure/mystery WITHOUT nauseating, bordering on pornographic at times, romance that prevailed in the first half of this book.

[Arianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too much sexual content. I really enjoyed the plot and definitely an interesting book, just wish there wasn’t so much sexual explicit detail in it. Could also use without the blaspheming of Jesus’s name.

[Tyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing like Bloody Mary. There is nothing like J.J. Graves and Jack Lawson. There are a couple that match each other in every way. Their witty banter, sexual escapades, and murder cases make them unique. They can make you laugh one minute, feel all hot and bothered the next, and have you solving the case along with them.

This case wasn't local. It pointed Jack's way physically as well as emotionally. I loved how J.J. through it all was always by Jack's side. It didn't matter what was happening or how things were going down. She was there watching her man's back. The focus was mainly on Jack and his past in SWAT but there were other moving parts in the background. Those moving parts haven't been explained fully and there are many other questions up in the air. I'm not wasting any time. I'm diving into the next book, Down and Dirty.

[Lindap · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.50 / 5 Stars

I really like J.J. and Jack's characters and their relationship....

In Dirty Rotten Scoundrel members of Jack's former SWAT team that took down the bank robbers who killed 22 patrons & employees are being picked off one at a time. The only 2 left are Wolfe and Jack. Wolfe is missing and Jack, who is also being hunted, is now on the investigation team in Bloody Mary along with the FBI and DOJ. J.J. being the town coroner/undertaker is elbow deep in all of this, too.

Who is killing his old team and why? Who's bankrolling it? How many are involved and how deep does it go? On top of that, J.J.'s father really isn't dead and keeps popping up to give pertinent information.

I am so ready to move on to Down and Dirty book #4!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner in a series that has convinced me mysteries can be fun... and addictive! I especially love the relationship between J.J. and Jack. They are turning out to be one of my all-time favorite couples - and that is saying something considering how many books I read!

In this installment, the suspense and mystery ratchets up as it becomes personal. Someone is trying to kill Jack and no one knows who or how to stop it. It is a bit of a stretch that J.J. Is included in all the action but hey - we are so invested in the outcome of both the mystery and the romance that that small question can easily be overlooked. Bring on the next chapter!

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the chemistry between the characters, but could wish for a little less of the stereotypical gender related comments / assumptions.

[Linda Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three of the JJ Graves series. Will need to read the next one.

[Adrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This crime series is full of fun, fast paced fun reads. It's a who dunnit involving a coroner/mortician and a cop who was SWAT. It's a combo that works. A neat, quick read.

[Cheri Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mystery solved but always a cliffhanger- fun read!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three in the series takes on Jack's past and more of the mystery around JJ's parents. There are less plot holes in this story, Still rapid fire and charismatic as ever!

The relationship between JJ and Jack is pretty solid, I like that, too much drama kills a series. He does blow one thing out of proportion, she only waited a day. The banter and playfulness between the two is a staple and key thing I love in the series. They are a dynamic couple and I love the way they interact.

The bedroom door is open, but not scorching details like an erotic romance. There is plenty of naughtiness to keep a gal warm and fanning her face! These two have spent so long denying themselves that they have gone combustible!!! To say they go at it like rabbits is an understatement!! But it fits the whole feel of the book.

The narrative is all from JJ's POV, which is fine, but you are left wondering what is on Jack's mind. He is very verbal about his feelings, which helps.

The mystery this time is interesting and takes us into Jack's past. We get a much fuller picture of what his time as a cop in the city. Thank goodness this was more on a solvable level. I like being able to put those pieces together. The story has plenty of action to keep you on your toes.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Laura Faye Smith, who is rapidly becoming a favorite. She has a great way of adding movement into the narration, plenty of energy in the action and smexy scenes. Great voices that are distinct and consistent, you never have to wonder who is speaking. She has a really pleasant tone that holds humor and sass.

Overall, I am enjoying the progression of this series. The underlying mystery of her parents activities grows more intriguing with each book. I love the relationship between the main characters and the supporting cast is engaging as well. These are fun quick reads that I have easily become addicted to!

[Siobhan (tigress5cubs) · Rating 1 out of 5]

What can I say about this that is positive? I was taught to always start with something positive. Ummmm..... I guess I like the characters. Jaye and Jack are cute together even if it is so sweet I need a shot of insulin.

I really wish the author knew her own work. Consistency is a big deal for me. It annoys me when consistency is thrown out the window.

For example, in book 1 it says, "Jack used to be on the S.W.A.T. team in D.C. But he'd resigned after he'd been the last cop left alive when a drug operation went bad. And he'd been barely alive at that. He'd taken three bullets, had a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen and a broken femur. Not to mention the blood loss. By all accounts he should have been dead, but he was here and his friends weren't. He couldn't handle high pressure situations anymore, so he'd resigned and moved back to Bloody Mary."

No. Just no. This last book completely contradicted that. It wasn't a drug operation, it was a bank robbery. And only one member of the team was killed. The other 10 survived. At least until this book they did.

And in the early part of this book, when Jack was telling his story, at first it was a team of 10 that went in and split into two groups of five, but later he said they branched out into groups of 2 and it started as a team of 12.

At the end someone's wrist was broken, but when we saw the character again, the wrist was fine.

There are just so many more inconsistencies, and I am disappointed. I like the characters, but these simple mistakes just ruin the series for me. So, I'm out.

Finally, I've come to accept that Kindle books just do not have the editing that regular books have. There are usually a few mistakes, but this book was littered with misspellings, grammatical errors, etc.

[Kimberlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn over this part of the series. It was well written, and the characters are probably more quippy than ever before. But I've started catching myself thinking about a few things...

We kind of missed out on the relationship tension with this couple. They went from friends to much-more-than overnight. But it's the tension that really makes the reader root for the relationship and the HEA, and that is missing (mostly) in this series.

Jaye's Dad and the whole story with him feels a LOT like the TV show "Bones", where the FBI boyfriend feels morally obligated to arrest the doctor/anthropologist's father, whom she thought was dead (along with her mother) but just popped by to see his daughter while evading the police. So the "Dad" parts of this story flipped to Bones and Seeley Booth in my mind.

I had to skim parts of the murder investigation. I was either distracted or bored with it and just couldn't keep up with the details.

Overall, it is a good book and a great series. I will be recommending it.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man I love JJ AND jack so much!!

The writing was good in this trilogy (one book to go I think?) the first book there were a few typos 'than' instead of then little things like that, whilst annoying you could forgive. Also a couple of names mixed up like referring to the victim as her sister etc. book two was better, still a few obvious typos and a couple of words missing and book three was the same, there were a couple of sentences where I was like wait what? And had to reread.

I love the secondary characters and hope there's. More emphasis put on JJ's parents in book four because I'd like to know what happened and why she hasn't tried to track down her birth parents family.

I can't wait to read about the wedding in book four and I hope we get to meet Carvers wife and that Wolfe makes a reappearance :)

Edit: just had to add a potential,plot hole... I'm certain I read in book one that Jack's whole swat team was slaughtered and he was the only one left alive yet in this book they don't get killed on job but slowly killed off one at a time ?

[Literati Literature Lovers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost from the past

Both Jack and JJ deal with ghost from their past. I have accepted that the author has expanded on the back story of JJ parents. I still feel like I missed something in book one, and why JJ felt she needed to leave her life for Bloody Mary. Plus as a ER doctor changed to county coroner JJ is very well versed in crime scene investigation. I do need to suspend disbelief, but the character relationship is what propels these stories. JJ and Jack are really great together and banter is wonderful.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depois do final do livro anterior, quando o pai de Jaye lhe aparece em casa, fiquei mesmo curiosa para saber mais e foi isso que me levou a pegar neste 3º livro. Já se soube algo mais mas soube-me a muito pouco; uma verdade é esta: o pai de J é muito interessante.

O caso policial era interessante e gostei de saber o que aconteceu a Jack na missão que deu para o torto há 6 anos e que quase o matou, mas curiosamente, acabou por não me prender tanto a atenção como pensei que aconteceria.

[J.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was not as good as the previous two.  The sex has become unnecessarily graphic and some profanity added.  Now Jack has PTSD (no sign of it before), which manifests itself in ... his getting angry with J.J.?  Finally, it’s hard to believe a certain individual can show up repeatedly and disappear again in seconds.

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my reviews of the book 5 here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Hafize · Rating 5 out of 5]

seviyorum bu seriyi!!!
umarım devamı çabuk gelir :D

[Lee M Williams]

Very enjoyable and fast moving story. JJ and Jack get more in depth in their characters and we get to see a much closer relationship.

Liliana Hart's medical research become more noticeable and it plays a larger part in the story line.

I still smile when Laura Faye Smith, the narrator, has to read the phrase, "Jack asked." Yes, he is a very inquisitive sheriff and stubborn as a mule. Laura also did a great job with the distinct voices of the other women and agents in the story. I especially liked the soft spoken whispering agent. Kudos also for retaining the same voices for characters that have appeared in the previous books in this series.

Well, as one who is married to a crime and mystery junkie, I have to confess that there are only a few hundred plots to a mystery thriller. She would also admit to being married to one with a pretty decent memory and recall. With those precepts, I must say I've 'seen' this plot and story line before. This plot and story line was a more 'adult' version of an episode on the "Bones" television show. This story includes more torn clothing. Close parallels are to an episode where FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth finds his former Marine buddies are being killed and has to resort to his sniper skills with Temperance as his spotter. BTW- Bones' daddy also comes back from the dead . . .

All in all, this was an entertaining audio read while I work from home COVID style writing reports and generating engineering spreadsheets. I look forward to the next installment.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrel" sees Dr. J. J 'Jaye' Graves juggling a lot of problems. Her dead parents weren't her parents at all. And, the man she thought was her father down the years is still alive. Not just alive but in Bloody Hollow where Jaye runs the family funeral business and is the Coroner for King George County, Virginia.
Then there the small detail of the body dumped in a cave close to family's vacation home in the Poconos. Not forgetting the very large amount of cash, documents and encrypted flash drive she found at the same local.
And, of course, Detective Jack Lawson, her best friend from childhood and lover since just recently, wants to get married.
This time round the main plot centres around Jack and the author seems to have completely forgotten the back story she gave him in the first book:- "Jack used to be on the S.W.A.T. team in D.C. But he’d resigned after he’d been the last cop left alive when a drug operation went bad."
But now he is just one of many who survived and it wasn't a drug bust. Someone is hunting those survivors down and killing them one by one. Out of an original eleven there's only Jack and one other left. It's all pretty unbelievable!
However, as I have said in previous reviews, the dialogue and banter is very well done and I do like the way Jaye's life unfolds as the series continues.
3.5 Stars, brought back to 3 Stars.

[Norma Guillot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just as fun as Dirty Little Secrets and A Dirty Shame.
There were one or two spelling errors, a couple of incorrectly worded phrases, and some grammatical issues.
I'd read in other reviews that Jacks history was altered for this story so I waited a few months to read it and that did the trick- I wasn't bothered by possible inconsistencies between books because Jack's SWAT history was no longer fresh in my mind.
I can't help but imagine Jaye's dad as Temperance Brennan's father from Castle which makes him pretty annoying.
The constant remarks from Jack's friends and colleagues about Jaye were juvenile but not irritating enough to put me off of the series.
I've purchased the next book (I'd say it's worth the $4.99 on iTunes but not much more) and I'm ready to read it... as soon as I check reviews incase I need time to brace for more character inconsistencies.