Long and Short Reviews

A Killer's Agenda by Anita Whiting
Samhain Publishing
Contemporary - Paranormal - Suspense/Mystery
Full Length, Sensual
Review by Heliotrope

Can a psychic investigator disprove an accidental death before she and her lover are next to die?

Brad Norton doesn’t believe his aunt’s death is the accidental shooting the police claim it to be. His instincts tell him there’s a more sinister explanation. In order to get to the bottom of it, he’s going to need professional help.

Pairing up with Alex Leahy, a clairvoyant private investigator, wasn’t exactly in his plans. He didn’t expect the fiery redhead to take over the case and get under his skin so quickly, but things happen fast when Alex is around.

Still, they can’t plan a future together with a killer on the loose. When their investigation intensifies they bring him out of hiding. The danger grows to an entirely new level, however, when attempts are made on their lives.

With six deaths already confirmed, it’s a race to stop their man before Alex and Brad are next on the list.

♥ ♥ ♥

I liked this book – I was really rooting for the hero and heroine, who were well-drawn and likeable, I love the basic plot of damaged hero, psychic heroine, a serial killer and deadly secrets. Oh, and did I say I really liked the cover art by Ann Cain?

Ms. Whiting has crafted a good plotline and is well able to carry her readers with her as Brad and Alex travel to various crime scenes in their journey to find the truth. You can't help but be pleased when these two let down their guard and show their growing love for each other.

I did hesitate in the opening paragraphs when hero Brad and his cousin Kevin were discussing their belief that Kevin's mother, Brad's beloved Aunt Ellie, had been killed not in a random drive-by shooting, but by a serial killer. This seemed at first to be a bit of a giant leap, but the author quickly shows that the cousins had lots of reasons to be concerned.

This certainly isn't one of those books where the reader can guess the mysterious villain's identity by chapter three; instead the author is careful to drop only a few clues as we went along, making the final denouement quite a surprise – at least for this reader!

Ms. Whiting is good at building believable characters and I'd like to have seen her brush up a couple of the minor characters, such as the Irish housekeeper with her extreme brogue, but this was more than made up for by the remaining cast of characters. Alex has the kind of family we'd all wish to adopt – handsome brother Alan and delightfully sassy sister Anita, along with their loving and good humored parents. This poses a nice contrast to the hero's rather distant relationship with his father.

But don’t get too comfortable with all these nice people – Ms. Whiting takes us on a twisted journey through greed, malice, lies and murder and introduces us to some interesting folk along the way before we stand side by side with Alex and Brad to face down a psychopathic killer who will stop at nothing – not even the murder of a child – to get what he wants.

To whet your appetite even further, it's not just the hero and heroine who declare their love for each other by the end of the book. And if you want to know who the other couple are, then you'll just have to read A Killer's Agenda!

It is, in fact, a charming story with very likeable protagonists, a good cast of supporting characters, a 'voice' which will make you smile, a choice of nasty characters for the villain, some sparky sex and a cleverly woven plot. Add to that a very satisfying ending and it’s a book that will please lovers of romantic suspense.