The Double

Darke and Flare #2

by Parker Avrile

What if your new boyfriend was caught on video fleeing the scene of a murder?

A killer captured on video has Flare's face and Flare's DNA...

When ex-cop Darke Davis agrees to try again with former undercover FBI special agent Flare Greene, he has no idea of the explosive secrets lurking in Flare's family history.

Deadly secrets that could tear them apart before they get their second chance.


This male/male romantic suspense mystery novel includes twists, turns, and twins you won't see coming. For readers looking for a true-to-life thriller with gay heroes who won't let you look away.

THE DOUBLE is a 392-page romantic suspense mystery novel which includes a troubled ex-cop, a former FBI agent, and the secrets an adopted son must face when a long-lost twin emerges from the darkness and deception of their past.

The Darke & Flare mystery series features gay male/male romantic and sexual relationships in a modern out-and-proud setting. There are no cliffhangers, and the killer will find justice in this standalone novel. As with any good mystery series, it's possible to read the books as standalones. However, if you prefer to read them in chronological order, please start with Darke Accused, book #1 of the Darke & Flare series.

Genres: Mystery, M M Romance

394 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2018

Reviews

[Fritz42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice being back with Darke and Flare. Now that there are no secrets between them, they both have to start building back the trust in each other. But there are definitely forces working against them, and this time it seems to be a dark secret in Flare's life that could be the culprit.

I enjoyed the first half of the book where the two of them worked to strengthen their relationship. The second half of the book, where the "case" started to unfold more and be revealed got a little convoluted to me and took a small part of the enjoyment away from me.

However, I will definitely be returning to read the third and final book of this trilogy. There are too many loose ends that need to be tied up.

[Qin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only the literary chops (viz. the beautifully crisp and lucid writing, and the lovingly crafted characters of Flare's parents) testifies that this book comes from the same hands that penned the first entry into this series, for it was an utter cesspool epitomized in Mrs Avrile's lazy acceptance of blatant contradictions in the space of a few lines: "Darke tried to sit up straight. Tried to project size and strength. Tried to project the fierce blue lightning of those sapphire eyes. Trouble was, his skin was mushroom-white everywhere except the faint blue circles beneath those striking eyes" ~ "I brushed a hand over Darke's forehead. No fever. Still, I couldn't help but worry when I looked at his gray complexion", to name but one of the dozen or so instances I spotted down. The copy editing, too, could have done with a little more tender loving care, given that typos (mostly inappropriate words) were rather more numerous and less mild than in Lost Diamond. Almost the entire cast behaves in irrational, if not crazy, fashion, none less than Flare's former boss, whose obsession for flushing out Tyler and his millions out of hiding quickly gets stale (for all that is is not a mere plot convenience, as I strongly suspect). Flare and, to a lesser extent, Darke no longer resemble their former selves, the ex-FBI behaving as your run-off-the-mill, rich civillian ignorant of procedures and sleuthing while the ex-con turns into an heroic grinch whose detective work happens off-page and who somehow chances upon the truth only to fall into a fresh trap. The pacing goes from smooth in the previous book to clunky and unbalanced here; long static sequences are suddenly jumpstarted by hostage situations, cars and planes exploding, drug cartels meddling into the mystery of Flare's twin and Russo's killing, unexplained hit jobs, boat cruises and a few daring murders, the entire lot happening with barely any foreshadowing, while the very meandering plot struggles to accommodate all of these complications and to parse them into the layers they are supposed to belong to, causality-wise. It is never a good thing whenever a story strives to cover too much heterogeneous ground, just because the author was too lazy or complacent to understand that they had cast their net excessively wide (Mrs Avrile does not even spare us kid pornography as a way for one of the villains to make money and build powerful Kompromat). Apart from the irritating use of dei ex machina in the form of a seemingly all-powerful hacker-slash-investigator, who keeps popping around when the trail threatens to got lost sight of, and of Flare's former FBI supervisor, Launce Lawrence, who lurks in the background until his intervention was needed to propel the plot forward, the strongest proof that this was not a deeply thought-out murdering mystery comes from the ominous fact that the agency of the quest into Flare's origins is most poorly and weakly contrived - I kid you not, in the very beginning the lad sees Darke's kid charges in Mexico and is out of the blue reminded of his father's ominous statement when he was a tyke 'I got the wrong kid'. This walk down memory lane pushes him into crossing back into the US just in time to get framed for the murder of a shady banker, putting things into movement. The action scenes were cleverly and effortlessly written in the first book; they now are the very opposite of picturesque, cortesy of too brisk, if not breezy, a narrative which summarizes the action instead of showing it off in bright colors and lavish details. This was pushed to the point that Mrs Avrile often has to backtrack and retcon some of these scenes, by weakly attempting to explain away minute but recalcitrant details like the poisoning Darke got while he was taken hostage by the secondary killer or the strangely glossy lady who questioned Flare as soon as he crossed back into the US never to get seen again in the remainder of the book. Last but not least, the OTT element was disgustingly prevalent between those covers, from the nigh preposterousness of the creation of Flare and his siblings down to the outrageous layers of the mob side-aspect; I was reminded of bad, late-night TV movies with their silly complications and laughable resolution. I cannot be sure I will pick up the last book, given the minimal heat between the protagonists, the weakening of their chemistry, and the uninteresting loose ends which Mrs Aprile strongly implies she will iron out in it.

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some issues with Flare in this book. He didn't seem to have any clue about basic police procedure, or investigative techniques; for a former Special Agent with the FBI, that just didn't seem believable. I get that he may have been emotionally invested, but I would have liked for Darke and Flare to be more collaborative in their investigations.

Having said that, I did enjoy both the romance between the MC's that they are having to rebuild after the events of the first book, as well as the mystery to figure out who really killed Russo. I do have to say that I was surprised by the number of times the ends justified the means for so many of these characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Holly Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Double" is romantic suspense with a hard boiled, noir-ish feel. The characters are complicated, damaged people who have made some really bad choices in the past. Now they have to learn how to live with the consequences. Meanwhile, the 3 is a roller coaster, with more twists than the MacArthur Maze. Avrile is a master of suspense. This book is entertaining and insightful. While it is the middle book in a trilogy, I read it as a standalone. Usually the middle book in a trilogy sags, or has too much, or too little, backstory. "The Double" didn't have these problems and stood alone just fine. I now have to read the other books, though, because this one was so fine. Well done, Parker! I received an advance reader's copy of this book, and my reviews are always honest.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Beamers to Airboats and everything in between.
I loved this story and the two guys who continued their story Flare Greene and Darke Davis. Odd names but easy to remember. We had Mexico, San Diego, Miami and the Everglades oh and a no name island out beyond the horizon. Crimes, murder, money laundering, drugs, lawyers, bad guys, good guys, homeland security, border patrol and cartel. Everything was tied up in the end which I really appreciated. I think I saw one error where it and is were reversed but nothing else. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the continuation of Flare and Darke’s adventures.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rebecca Voelker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to attempt to read this book without reading the first Darke and Flare book. After reading the first few pages, I decided to go back and read Book 1. I really glad I did - I enjoyed it and I think it help me to enjoy this book more. After many twists and turns, most of the questions regarding Flare's past were answered but there are stories still a few issues that could crop up in book three. I can't wait to read the final book! I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I did not predict where the plot took me with all the doubles! Nor the craziness of Flare's parents. A better read / follow-on from Darke Accused .

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He has been seen on camera fleeing a crime scene and even his DNA is found but he says he did not do it. Has he a identical brother? Will he be found guilty? Can he be saved? See if they can get the real culprit

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tom Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I double dog dare anybody to try to figure this thing out before the end . I got so confused that I had to go back and reread one chapter again . Can't wait to read the third book .

[Philip]

If you enjoy thrillers with a gay theme then this is a must read for you. The plotting is intricate, detailed and yet utterly believable. So much happens, and I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. A resolution doesn't even seem to be a remote possibility, and yet in the end all the plot details are thoroughly explained and the conclusion is convincing and satisfying. A big plus too is that the book is beautifully written. An amazing read and you have to admire the mind that could think all this up in the first place!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.