Advance Review Copy generously provided by the publisher, Diversion Books, in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

If Angus Green is going to make it to a second case, he’s needs to survive the first one.

Angus wants more adventure than a boring accounting job, so after graduating with his master’s degree he signs up with the FBI. He’s assigned to the Miami field office, where the caseload includes smugglers, drug runners, and gangs, but he starts out stuck behind a desk, an accountant with a badge and gun.

Struggling to raise money for his little brother’s college tuition, he enters a strip trivia contest at a local bar. But when he’s caught with his pants down by a couple of fellow agents, he worries that his extracurricular activities and his status as the only openly gay agent will crash his career. Instead, to his surprise, he’s added to an anti-terrorism task force and directed to find a missing informant.

It’s his first real case: a desperate chase to catch a gang of criminals with their tentacles in everything from medical fraud to drugs to jewel theft. With every corner in this case—from Fort Lauderdale’s gay bars to the morgue—turning to mayhem, Angus quickly learns that the only way to face a challenge is to assume that he’ll survive this one—it’s the next one that will kill him.

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Rating:     ??????.5

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Review:

Hang on a sec. Gotta carefully set aside my Romance Reader/Reviewer hat — don’t wanna put it somewhere my dog’ll eat it. Bastard eats everything.

Now I gotta dig around the top of the closet for my Mystery Reader/Review hat. Stick with me, it’s cute!

Where the hell did I put that thing?

Therrrre it is.

Sorted.

So! I haven’t had the pleasure to read Neil S. Plakcy before receiving this book, the first in a new series. And, gotta say, that for the most part, I really liked it.

I um…was hoping there’d be romance. But, alas, there wasn’t. Not really. Maybe, possibly (I hope) the next book in the series will skirt closer to some romantical plot lines. The foundation is there with a viable (scorching hot) love interest. I’ll keep hoping.

This book falls firmly into the Mystery camp. And, that’s cool too! Totally. I like a juicy mystery from time to time. It doesn’t aaaalll have to be sexy times.

From view of the starring character, Angus Green (COOL name) who’s’ a newbie FBI agent, we dive into a few mysteries centering on one primary suspect and a handful of other potential baddies. Murder, theft, drugs, jewelry heists — and I may be forgetting one or two things but they all add plenty of intrigue. Angus signed on to the Bureau to be more of an accountant/desk jockey type Fed but winds up running all over South Florida in his first field assignment — because he’s got an inside track to the gay scene his uber-hetero contemporaries can’t seem to crack.

I was WILDLY interested in all the FBI business because it fascinates me endlessly. And, I can tell Neil S. Plakcy did some serious research, at least as far as I toss out my own meager knowledge.

As far as the mystery aspects, gotta say I’m not sure it was super mysterious. I feel like an abundance of details diluted the whodunit factor. We get an early inkling that’s cemented rather quickly as to who the bad guy is, but we don’t exactly know all his motivations or all of his dastardly deeds until they’re uncovered piece by piece. But it sure was fun to witness Angus figuring it all out using some unconventional methods that might not’ve been exactly by the book.

Angus, as the main dude, was spectacular and super entertaining. He’s a little geeky because he’s an accountancy-type data guy, but give the guy a Case File and Glock and release him into the wilds of Gay Miami and he proved himself to be a worthy field agent. Amusing, thoughtful, intuitive, and engaging.

There are a host of side characters, and the ones I really wanted to know we only get snippets of and aren’t so fully fleshed out in my mind. Being that Angus was so consumed with this case, maybe we’re not ready yet for more dirt on his long-suffering roommate or the hunky bouncer, Lester. I wanted more interaction and depth with them. I’m greedy like that.

Listen, that Romance hat of mine is never far from my reach *caresses reverently*. Angus and Lester get it on at least three times. YES, I COUNTED. But it’s all…not even fade to black…it’s basically lights out. Fade to black is fine. I get some authors just don’t want to go there with some characters or story arcs. I get it, and I don’t always have to have full-on hyped-up sex-scenes. (HUSH, I don’t!) But gosh, I wanted to feel more of an emotional connection to make me relate a smidge more to Angus as a person, not just the Fed.

BUT! This is definitely a solid and entertaining read with several laugh-out-loud moments and gripping action scenes. And I’m definitely interested in seeing where book two leads.

Purchase Links:

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