Karen Rose - Beneath Dark Waters

Public prosecutor J.P. "Kaj" Cardozo has only lived in New Orleans for six months, and he's already working on a high-profile celebrity sexual assault case that's made headlines all over the country. But when his son becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt as a threat to Kaj, he is desperate to keep him safe and turns to a private investigative firm famous for their protection services.
A veteran Marine, Val Sorensen is glad to have found a new career with Broussard Investigations. Her latest assignment as the bodyguard to ten-year-old Elijah Cardozo reminds her why--Val is a kick ass guardian with a tender heart. Through her duties, Val grows fond of the boy--and his handsome father.
But when the high-stakes investigation reveals an explosive network of crime through a revived drug gang, lingering deep-seated corruption in the NOPD, and a group of murderers-for-hire targeting Kaj, Elijah, and his star client, they're all left scrambling for safety...

Comment: This is the 28th story in the long romantic suspense series by Karen Rose. Not all books are sequential, not all books feature the same characters of course, but there's a thin connection that wraps up all the stories somehow. Fans who have read the series from the start find this notion quite appealing, myself included. Still, for someone who wants a smaller reference, this book follows the events on Quarter to Midnight, book #26.

After the events we saw on the previous book, in which Burke Broussard's team joined forces with the NOPD to catch some bad guys, the adventure continues when an attempt on kidnapping ADA Kaj Cardozo's son fails. Kaj hires Burke for his son to have bodyguard and that's how he is able to spend more time with Val Sorensen, someone he finds attractive and the impressions seem mutual. Something is going on because why target this little boy unless it has something to do with the most sensational case Kaj is working on, but if it is so, how is that related to the two minors who tried the kidnapping? While everyone is investigating, some new information about Val's deceased brother comes to life, but is is the link that solves the case?

It feels very tricky to try to summarize the book or the blurb without explaining a bunch of stuff, which only makes sense, obviously, for those who have read the previous books. I mean, a new reader will find this to have the process of any other romantic suspense book, there's a beginning and a middle and an epilogue, but so much might be lost, so many references would feel pointless if that happens. I understand, after all investing in so many books can feel tiring, but reading in order does make more sense here.

As always, I was quite taken by the story and the evolution of things. The plot doesn't take too long to happen, a week if I remember correctly, but the emotional connections between some characters feel sweet and worthwhile. I'd say the issue is that a week seems too fast for these strong bonds to take shape and the characters face very adrenaline induced situations, but the author somehow makes it seem that these decisions and feelings are the only possible outcome.

Kaj and Val, as often happens to this author's protagonists, face huge issues, mostly emotional as expected, and they still seem stronger to have faced it, as if going through a huge event somehow strengthens the bond. I will confess I would have liked their romance to have more sexual tension perhaps, or more time to settle while the story is ongoing. I don't mind the fast paced plot but perhaps instead of things taking a week, they could take longer and the personal relationships could develop further.

Another personal preference for this to become possible would be to reduce the huge amount of pages in which we have the villains' POV. I get it, it makes it easier to see what is happening and how some characters reach this or that conclusion, but it takes away so much of the reader's attention from the good parts, which to me are the personal relationships and the romance, and the good guys achieving their tasks. Yes, I know this is relative, not all readers prefer what I prefer, but in the end all those villains' pages don't really matter after all.

The plot isn't that complicated when all the pieces are put together. I would not say this is the author's most ingenious plot - others were a lot more spectacular - but it does provide interest in knowing what would happen next and how would the protagonists finally connect the dots on some things. The themes are, as always, censurable and with a lot more complexity than what one would imagine. In fact, some situations didn't have to be this tricky, but it does add drama and adrenaline like I said.

I still felt engaged, despite my personal preferences, and I was looking for to have scenes with the good guys and seeing them becoming friends and doing all kinds of positive things. Another thing, if I think about comparing to the early books in the series.... the stories are a lot more complex and the good characters more and more understanding. I get it but no one is that perfect... still, I will keep on reading these books for certain.

Grade: 7/10