Close Enough To Touch by Cade BroganClose Enough To Touch by Cade Brogan is the first thriller in the Rylee Hayes, homicide detective, series.

Mixed race women start dying and Riley gets the case. There is little to no evidence leaving her and her partner to chase down leads on the types of poisons used.

Then the case takes a more personal turn when Hayes meets up with her ex, and the love of her life, Kenzie Bigham and Kenzie is put in danger.

Can the detectives solve the case as bodies mount up, and will they be able to stop the poisoner before Kenzie becomes the target? Especially when the killer is closer than they realise.

Side note: Cade Brogan is the pen name for KA Moll, author of For A Moment’s Indiscretion.

The Characters

I liked Rylee very much. She is smart, serious and reliable. I get the feeling that she would do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe and I respect that.

I loved Rich, her partner. He was a fun addition to the book and an all round good guy.

Joanna was the most amazing killer. I loved getting into her head and I thoroughly enjoyed her inner dialogue around the poisons.

Kenzie was a sweet and typical romantic interest. I would have liked to see a little more depth from her character. Her daughter was obnoxious and I didn’t enjoy any of the scenes with her.

The Writing Style

We get to see some of the story from the killer’s point of view from the beginning which makes for an interesting read. This, though, takes some of the mystery out of the thriller because you know who the killer is.

Like Moll’s other works there is an element of healing old wounds in the book.

The Narration

Emily Beresford does a good job narrating the book. I would like to see her vary the voices a little because in all her books she uses the same two main voices for the characters. This means that characters are not unique if you have listened to her other audiobooks.

The Pros

I enjoyed the touches that we don’t see in Moll’s usual work. Like the recipes and discussion of food.

I loved the detail that went into describing the poisons and how Joanna harvested them.

Moll’s strength lies with creating believable crazy characters. Her narcissist and sociopaths are some of the best I have read. I chalk this up to  her work experience and training.

The Cons

I would like to see Moll break out of the ‘women with a past’ trope and really dig her claws into the psychos.

The Conclusion

If you want a light thriller with a strong romantic interest then this is the audiobook for you. It was a solid piece of writing with good narration and memorable characters.

Excerpt from Close Enough To Touch by Cade Brogan

She tipped back, adjusting her shoulder holstered 9mm. It was a full-sized handgun, chosen because it wasn’t too clunky to hold onto. When she dropped forward, she reached for the last donut in the box she’d brought in for the morning briefing.

“That’d explain why he wasn’t in her address book,” Rich added, “and why none of her neighbors reported seeing him.”

“Yep,” Rylee responded, nodding slowly, “but it wouldn’t explain why she’d shower with someone whom she’d never called  or gotten a call from.” They’d interviewed and checked alibis for all of her recent contacts in a matter of only a few hours. Their victim had obviously been a loner.

Ahh, there you are,  Joanna thought, smiling to herself. Come on, show me where you live, sweetheart. Her upper lip curled. And show me who waits for you–longs for you– to get home. It was stupid, following her. Her mouth opened and her tongue pushed slightly forward. But it was Friday. She sighed. And Monday was so long ago. She bit her lower lip, leaning forward as she licked it, soothing the soreness. You have to do this, she told herself. She had to know where the handsome detective lived so that she could stop thinking about her. God, those eyes, those insanely hot brown eyes, had watched her for hours–watched her as she performed the autopsy. They’d watched her, just her and her alone. She couldn’t respond. But she did respond and it was wrong.

Get This Book On Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 


[tweetthis]Squirrels chatted in the distance as she hunted the main ingredient for her next poison cocktail [/tweetthis]

Bits and Bobs

  • Narrator: Emily Beresford

Cade Brogan Online 

Note: I received a free review copy of Close Enough To Touch by Cade Brogan. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.

If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at 

Just Intuition by Makenzi Fisk