Sunday, October 4, 2020

Suspicious Circumstances - Rita Herron (HI #1953 - Oct 2020)

Series: Badge of Honor (Book 4)

The fire that killed his father

Also devastated her life.

Searching for anyone who might have information about the hospital fire that killed his father, special agent Liam Maverick asks nurse Peyton Weiss for help in his hunt for answers. But someone doesn’t want Peyton to share what she knows. As the threats against her escalate to attempted murder, Peyton realizes she has no choice but to work with Liam to catch the arsonist. With both of them risking everything for the truth, it becomes a daily struggle to stay alive—and to ignore the sparks flying between them that are hot enough to ignite.

Good combination of suspense and romance. The book opened with a flashback to the night of the fire at Whistler's hospital from Peyton's perspective. We see that she knew something was wrong in a case earlier that week, and that she received a threatening phone call about it. It is also clear that keeping quiet eats at her conscience, but fear for her mother gives her no choice.

Five years later, special agent Liam Maverick gets a break in the case of the hospital fire that killed his father. The man that he talks to points a finger at Peyton. When Liam questions her, he is immediately suspicious because he senses that she is hiding something. Peyton is determined to keep her secret, but she knows she needs help when she receives a new threat against her mother.

I liked the development of the relationship between Liam and Peyton. Though he was suspicious of her at first, Liam also sensed that she was scared. His protective instinct kicked in quickly, and he was determined to keep her safe. Peyton was wary of Liam at the beginning because she could tell that he didn't believe her. But when she needed help, she knew that she could trust him. Neither expected sparks of attraction, especially in the middle of such a perilous situation. I loved seeing them grow closer. Liam discovered that Peyton filled an empty space in his life, and Peyton found herself dreaming of a life she'd given up on after the fire. However, there are still some obstacles between them. Peyton kept one other secret from Liam because she was burned by others who knew it. When Liam found out, he was hurt and a bit angry that she didn't trust him. It took a push from his three brothers to make him see the truth. The ending was sweet, and I loved seeing them come together. There was a fun twist to the end of it.

The suspense of the story was intense all the way through. The threats against Peyton picked up right after Liam questioned her. Those threats escalated quickly from verbal to attempts on her life and that of her mother. Once Peyton decided to help Liam, it sometimes seemed there were more questions than answers. Several suspects had means and motive, and there were a few twists before the final confrontation. I was on the edge of my seat as it played out, especially as I did not see part of it coming.


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