Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Dead Man's Curve - Review

Dead Man's Curve - by Paula Graves - Review


It is always a good day for me when I get to start reading a new series by Paula Graves. Paula Graves writes romantic suspense that you just have to sit down and read in one sitting. Dead Man's Curve is the start of a new miniseries called The Gates, set in the mysterious Smoky Mountains.  The action leaps off the page in typical Paula Graves cinematic style with non-stop intrigue, heart pounding danger and bad guys that make you get up to check and see if your doors are locked. 

Paula Graves pulls you into her world, where trust is a scarce commodity, and loyalty is earned the hard way. I always really enjoy reading Paula's intrigues, because her characters are real people with flaws, hopes and secrets. Also, she doesn't make her characters rush into the physical side of the relationship, and for me that makes the story so much more believable.

Have you ever looked out into a crowd of faces, and think that you recognize someone? Someone that meant something special to you? 
Dead Man's Curve starts with the FBI agent Ava Trent responding to a kidnapping case, and turns into something bigger. Ava Trent scans the crowd and thinks she sees a ghost from her past. Sinclair Solano meant something to her, eight years ago but he could not be there in that crowd, because he is dead. He died a wanted man, under explosive circumstances, but then things aren't always as they seem. Ava Trent is confident, funny and determined to find out the truth. 

"He had a full lower lip and deep brown eyes, back in her foolish, romantic youth, she'd thought soulful."


There are some characters in Dead Man's Curve from previous series, but they don't overwhelm the story. For fans of the Cooper Justice and Cooper Security series it is a bonus, to get to check in with some familiar faces. My favorite hero, Gabe Cooper from The Man from Gossamer Ridge, finds himself in a bit of a mess in this book.  

I was talking to the book the whole time,"Duck! Get out of there! Kiss her!", which typically means for me it was a winner. The dialogue is crisp and is funny, though the hero and heroine were hardly in a laughing situation. Luckily for me and fans of Paula Graves the next two books in the series, Crybaby Falls and Boneyard Ridge will be available in October and November of this year. 







 



Reviewed by Gayle Cochrane

6 comments:

  1. Fabulous review Gayle!
    I will add this series to my TBR list!

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  2. Terrific review. You have talked about it several times and I know you are loving the series. So glad you posted this.

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  3. Wow, thank you so much! A surprise review, and such a great one! I'm honored.

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    1. It is a fabulous book, so I hope I did it justice. Thanks for stopping by, Paula.

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