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Detective Defender
"Someone knows, Martine. And they're coming after us."
Martine Broussard has never forgotten the terrible night years ago that drove her and her best friends apart. Now a vengeful someone is brutally killing each woman involved. Martine has one chance at survival—and that's the one person she distrusts most! And the passion flaring between them is anything but safe…
Rule-breaking New Orleans detective Jimmy DiBiase wastes no time putting Martine under his 24/7 personal protection. His bad-boy ways caused them to fall out years ago; now all he wants is to guard her and end this nightmare. With every lead they follow, every secret they can't hide sparks a hunger neither can resist—even as a killer's vicious end game turns desire into a devastating trap.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2017
18 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Pappano
192 books126 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 12, 2017
2.5 stars
There was a serious issue with the hero's likability.
There was a serious issue with the hero's likability.
July 11, 2017
Good second chance romance mixed with some pretty intense suspense. Martine is surprised when she gets a phone call from an old friend she hasn't seen in twenty-four years. Pauline wants to see her and tells her that someone is killing their group over a teenage prank. Martine is reluctant to believe it until Pauline ends up dead also. Jimmy is the lead detective on the case. He and Martine have a history together, one that he regrets and would like to change.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Martine is still angry at Jimmy over the fact that he had still been married when he made a pass at her. She's made her feelings known every time they encountered each other over the year, which was fairly often, as Jimmy's partner is her best friend's husband. But she can't deny her relief at his presence now. Jimmy has had a bad boy reputation for a long time, especially with the ladies, but now he's ready for something different. He just has to convince her that he has changed. Martine remembers how attracted she was to him before she found out he was married and discovers that she still is. She's wary of trusting him again. I loved their conversations as Martine begins to see and accept that Jimmy has changed for the better. His protectiveness and sensitivity showed her a side of him she had never seen before. Their attraction simmers away as Jimmy sticks close to her until it finally comes to a boil. One of the things that I loved about them is that both are mature enough to talk about the things that caused their problems and work through them. I loved seeing how their coming together made him realize how deep his feelings for her really were. Martine also accepted her feelings for him but wasn't ready to risk telling him. Nearly losing each other in the final confrontation opened their eyes to what was important. I loved their big moment in the end, especially Martine's final line.
The suspense of the story was very good. Martine's first contact with Pauline brought back the memories of the event that had driven them apart. Martine could see Pauline's fear and wanted to help, but Pauline ran before she could. The discovery of Pauline's body and what was done to it gave a good indication of just how creepy and evil this killer was. I wanted to shake Martine the first time she talked to Jack and Jimmy for not telling them everything and loved that they both knew she wasn't. She wasn't fully convinced she was in danger until her first contact from the killer. Several people became possible suspects, and just as I would settle on one, something else would make me lean towards another. As the tension built, I kept waiting for the killer to find a way to get to Martine in spite of Jimmy's efforts to keep her safe. The final confrontation provided a couple of surprising twists, including who ended up taking down the killer.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Martine is still angry at Jimmy over the fact that he had still been married when he made a pass at her. She's made her feelings known every time they encountered each other over the year, which was fairly often, as Jimmy's partner is her best friend's husband. But she can't deny her relief at his presence now. Jimmy has had a bad boy reputation for a long time, especially with the ladies, but now he's ready for something different. He just has to convince her that he has changed. Martine remembers how attracted she was to him before she found out he was married and discovers that she still is. She's wary of trusting him again. I loved their conversations as Martine begins to see and accept that Jimmy has changed for the better. His protectiveness and sensitivity showed her a side of him she had never seen before. Their attraction simmers away as Jimmy sticks close to her until it finally comes to a boil. One of the things that I loved about them is that both are mature enough to talk about the things that caused their problems and work through them. I loved seeing how their coming together made him realize how deep his feelings for her really were. Martine also accepted her feelings for him but wasn't ready to risk telling him. Nearly losing each other in the final confrontation opened their eyes to what was important. I loved their big moment in the end, especially Martine's final line.
The suspense of the story was very good. Martine's first contact with Pauline brought back the memories of the event that had driven them apart. Martine could see Pauline's fear and wanted to help, but Pauline ran before she could. The discovery of Pauline's body and what was done to it gave a good indication of just how creepy and evil this killer was. I wanted to shake Martine the first time she talked to Jack and Jimmy for not telling them everything and loved that they both knew she wasn't. She wasn't fully convinced she was in danger until her first contact from the killer. Several people became possible suspects, and just as I would settle on one, something else would make me lean towards another. As the tension built, I kept waiting for the killer to find a way to get to Martine in spite of Jimmy's efforts to keep her safe. The final confrontation provided a couple of surprising twists, including who ended up taking down the killer.
February 24, 2024
A good story with some very unique twists. The killer is ruthless. The heroine is ingenious.
January 4, 2018
After twenty-four years of radio silence, Martine Broussard once more sees Pauline, one of the four friends who'd abandoned their home town after a night gone awry. That same night Pauline is killed, her heart removed. The primary detectives on the case are Jack Murphy and his partner James "Jimmy" DiBiase, the man Martine loathes most.
But it's that same man who brings her comfort, offers his shoulder for her to lean and cry on, and vows to keep her safe no matter what, especially after they learn one other friend out of the four had ended up like Pauline.
I loved this one. As it happened with her short story A Family for Christmas, this one also had a mature, adult feel. There was no juvenile behavior (unless you count the hero's nonchalant, womanizing mask—which the heroine learns is really just a façade), the "misunderstanding" (if you want to call it that) was put to rest without much ado, the two communicated...The hero and heroine actually acted like adults, appropriate to their age.
And their romance was a real treat to behold. It progressed slowly, realistically, and as they got to know one another (well, as Martine got to know the depths of Jimmy's character) so the reader got to know them, root for them, and wish them the best.
The second big thumbs-up goes to the suspense angle of the plot. The mystery was intriguing, the red-herrings perfectly placed to keep the reader guessing and playing detective...The final reveal was quite a surprise, yet the motive was a bit of a let-down. I expected more than just a crazy person's crazy motivation.
Speaking of let-downs...The heroine's dipping her toes into the TSTL ocean was the second blemish on this otherwise great story.
But it's that same man who brings her comfort, offers his shoulder for her to lean and cry on, and vows to keep her safe no matter what, especially after they learn one other friend out of the four had ended up like Pauline.
I loved this one. As it happened with her short story A Family for Christmas, this one also had a mature, adult feel. There was no juvenile behavior (unless you count the hero's nonchalant, womanizing mask—which the heroine learns is really just a façade), the "misunderstanding" (if you want to call it that) was put to rest without much ado, the two communicated...The hero and heroine actually acted like adults, appropriate to their age.
And their romance was a real treat to behold. It progressed slowly, realistically, and as they got to know one another (well, as Martine got to know the depths of Jimmy's character) so the reader got to know them, root for them, and wish them the best.
The second big thumbs-up goes to the suspense angle of the plot. The mystery was intriguing, the red-herrings perfectly placed to keep the reader guessing and playing detective...The final reveal was quite a surprise, yet the motive was a bit of a let-down. I expected more than just a crazy person's crazy motivation.
Speaking of let-downs...The heroine's dipping her toes into the TSTL ocean was the second blemish on this otherwise great story.
March 31, 2025
This quote was really something, even for 2017:
FMC: “What did you major in in college?”
MMC: “Football and sex…General studies. Liberal Arts. Not that I’m particularly liberal about anything.”
FMC: “Except sex.”
We have a blonde gal working in a voodoo shop in New Orleans and a recovering philandering cop trying to solve some non-sensical crime that’s very vicious but doesn’t make a lick of sense at the end.
Also he’s secretly rich and grew up on a plantation passed down through generations. So…yep.
———
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (Aug 2017)
Series: ?
LEO: he’s a detective in the New Orleans PD investigating the case. No corruption themes, but he admits to taking extras, job perks, getting out of parking tickets, etc
Setting: New Orleans
BIPOC Characters: nope
Steam/Spice Level: somewhat steamy, but the spicy times stop right after condom application but right before sex? So this is an open door then fade to black?
POV: third past, dual POV
Standalone or Series: standalone, although there are characters from some previous book
FMC: “What did you major in in college?”
MMC: “Football and sex…General studies. Liberal Arts. Not that I’m particularly liberal about anything.”
FMC: “Except sex.”
We have a blonde gal working in a voodoo shop in New Orleans and a recovering philandering cop trying to solve some non-sensical crime that’s very vicious but doesn’t make a lick of sense at the end.
Also he’s secretly rich and grew up on a plantation passed down through generations. So…yep.
———
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (Aug 2017)
Series: ?
LEO: he’s a detective in the New Orleans PD investigating the case. No corruption themes, but he admits to taking extras, job perks, getting out of parking tickets, etc
Setting: New Orleans
BIPOC Characters: nope
Steam/Spice Level: somewhat steamy, but the spicy times stop right after condom application but right before sex? So this is an open door then fade to black?
POV: third past, dual POV
Standalone or Series: standalone, although there are characters from some previous book
August 30, 2017
4 1/2 STARS!
A riveting mystery brings to light an innocent teenage game gone awry that is now leading to murder and mayhem! The characters have a great connection with their own level of angst that gives us a side bit of possible romance to stew about on the side.
Martine Broussard has never forgotten that night long ago that tore her group of friends apart. She's never shared their secret with anyone, but when someone starts brutally murdering the people that were there that night, she's left depending on the one man she despises for help!
New Orleans detective Jimmy DiBiase has been intrigued by Martine for years, but a mistake made long ago left her looking at him like gum on the bottom of her shoe and avoiding him whenever possible. When he learns she's in danger, he'll stop at nothing to keep her safe ... and the close quarters they have to keep while doing so gives him a chance to show her that he's not such a bad guy after all!
A riveting mystery brings to light an innocent teenage game gone awry that is now leading to murder and mayhem! The characters have a great connection with their own level of angst that gives us a side bit of possible romance to stew about on the side.
Martine Broussard has never forgotten that night long ago that tore her group of friends apart. She's never shared their secret with anyone, but when someone starts brutally murdering the people that were there that night, she's left depending on the one man she despises for help!
New Orleans detective Jimmy DiBiase has been intrigued by Martine for years, but a mistake made long ago left her looking at him like gum on the bottom of her shoe and avoiding him whenever possible. When he learns she's in danger, he'll stop at nothing to keep her safe ... and the close quarters they have to keep while doing so gives him a chance to show her that he's not such a bad guy after all!
March 7, 2022
Everything in this book ran smoothly but it wasn’t enough to get my blood pumping. I liked how Martine and Jimmy rebuild their relationship. Throughout the book you can see how much Jimmy have changed. I love seeing character development in books. Overall, a pretty good read.
December 14, 2017
This was a good book if you want to get lost in the intrigue of the Bayou of Louisana
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September 29, 2017"Pappano effortlessly blends romance and suspense in a story that keep readers interested. With strong storytelling and vivid description, Pappano expertly weaves a well-crafted plot filled with equal parts passion and mystery. Martine is a tough, spunky heroine, and Jimmy is protective and headstrong, his toughness matching Martine’s. Martine and Jimmy's chemistry sizzles as hot as the tension between them and will keep readers turning the pages. Pappano’s latest is an exciting thrill of a read" (4 stars @ RT Book Reviews).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews