Between Darkness and Light

by P.A. Brown

A shadow man, an enigma. He is a man who has purpose but no goal. A figure who walks between the darkness and the light. Detective Russell Hunter emerges from darkness into fine artist Stephen Fischer, darling of the Los Angeles art world. Can these two unravel the mystery surrounding the death of two of L.A's art critics before Stephen becomes the next victim. The downtown Los Angeles financial center is the heart of this thrilling murder mystery and the unwanted love that grows between a cop with a dark secret in his troubled past and an up and coming world class artist.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Suspense

231 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Pat Brown, writing as P.A. Brown, is the author of the Chris and David police procedural novels featuring LAPD homicide detective David Eric Laine and his lover, computer network engineer Christopher Bellamere. In L. A. Heat the first in the series, David is an uptight, in the closet cop living a life of denial and dark secrets he will protect at all costs. Then his life becomes entwined with Chris who is a suspect in the brutal slayings of young gay men. Neither of them ever expected to find love. L.A. Heat was followed by L.A. Mischief which follow Chris and David as they try to reconcile their vast differences and forge their relationship into one of true love. In L.A. Boneyard, a dark thriller that moves from the bright streets of West Hollywood to the gang ridden streets of East L.A. All the while David faces the temptation of his sexy new partner, Jairo Hernandez.

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
An upcoming artist Stephen Fischer finds a dead woman body in front of his loft penthouse, a vitriolic art critic who attended his show that night. Soon his life is turning upside down when his sometime lover, Danny, who is with him when he finds a body, is also killed and a dark, observing detective with piercing eyes walks into his life.

I enjoy this new story by P.A. Brown. I know that the theme of detective falling for his suspect (or the other way around) is not really something new; but it doesn't mean that it cannot be entertaining. This story is written from Stephen's point of view, but there is enough insight into Russel's life --- Russell is less jaded/hard-edge compared to other P.A. Brown's detective characters but he still has a tragic past. The mystery is also unraveled in a well pace (though I guessed the murderer right halfway through the book) up to the climax when the murdered is able to grab Stephen and ready to kill him as well.

I wonder if this is going to be a series -- because if so, it will be a nice addition to the L.A. Series and Spider/Alex series.

[Yuu Sasih · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's nice to read a good detective novel after my brief hiatus in reading fiction. Actually I picked this for a preambule to read another Brown's mystery novels, since this is the only novel which not stand as series. And after I finished with this, I was more certain to read L.A.Heat and Geography of Murder.

I love the characters. Even though pictured as a gay artist, Stephen didn't too much of a queen or submissive. He was a top, and Russel also, so it's nice to see both of them submitting to the other because the pleasure of being with each other, not because he was being dominated or something. The plot went smooth and in an appropriate pace for me, though the mystery itself wasn't that complicated.

And the plus point for me, the suspense bit in the end was so thrilling. I kept sitting on the edge of my seat during that scene, wondering when Russel will come to save Stephen.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect PA Brown! Hard-hitting, realistic…sometimes just a little brutal…it’s a suspenseful, well-written story. Told from Stephen’s point of view, we get very little physical detail about the artist himself, but plenty of description of Hunter, painted as a private man with the unnerving ability to change from passionate lover to intense cop and back again within seconds. Hunter’s a man with painful secrets as opposed to Stephen who apparently has very few. One immersed in the dream-imaged sphere of the artist, the other living in the crime-laden world of the policeman, they’re opposites who attract and complete each other as they strive to discover the why and who of the murders before another occurs, especially since the next one may be Stephen’s. It’s a tense, thrilling entertaining story, and I knew that as soon I as read the first sentence. Don’t miss it!

[Calathea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read! I liked the romance and especially the development of the relationship between Stephen and Russell. The story spans only a few days, but there's a lot packed into it. The fact that our heroes are not the usual (clicheed) couple of big, strong alpha male and small sub, but are their own unique selves is on the plus side, too.
The crime plot isn't difficult to figure out, but that's no malus because I don't see it as the focus of the story. And there's quite a bit action to be had in the end. :)

[Kassa · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I'm a big fan of PA Brown's police procedural books, I gave up on this one around page 80. The story is kind of silly and totally unbelievable. I just couldn't suspend disbelief enough to buy into how the cop is acting and that the suspect only really cares about how hot the cop is and whether or not they're flirting. When I started rolling my eyes every page I gave up. Too bad since Brown is usually such a solid writer but not for me I guess.

[Ravyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Mostly very enjoyable - lordie knows I love a good police/crime drama-themed m/m romance - but there were definitely some plot points that require a suspension of disbelief. (e.g., main character almost getting shot like 50 times, many of which were "grazing" shots, when the bad guy is supposed to be an excellent marksman. yeah right.)

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the chemistry between the characters. The mystery is only ok but the developing relationship more than kept my interest.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like her books better and better. I think it is a good mix between murder mystery and m/m.

[Tarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars