Friday, February 10, 2012

Midnight Fear, by Leslie Tentler

Rating: A, Hot, A bit grisly/multiple murders


"I trusted you, Caity"

The still of the night is once again shattered by Caitlyn Cahill's recurring nightmare—her brother standing before her, gripping a butcher knife, his eyes black with hatred. Two years ago, the former Washington, D.C., socialite defied her powerful senator father and risked the ruin of her family by helping the FBI link her troubled brother to a string of horrific murders. "The Capital Killer" was sent to prison for life…and Caitlyn's entire world fell apart
.
Now, FBI agent Reid Novak is forced to rend the peace Caitlyn has found on a rural Virginia horse farm. A copycat killer is on the loose and slowly toying with Caitlyn—his ultimate target—in a terrorizing cat–and–mouse game. Almost destroyed two years ago by Caitlyn's family, not to mention the Capital Killer's haunting final murder, Reid vows to save the woman he's never forgotten or die trying.”


Our story starts out with FBI agents Reid Novak & Mitch Tierney trying to convince serial killer Joshua Cahill to let go of the woman he in intent on murdering. Josh has severe psych issues. He freaks, slits the woman’s throat, while the agents open fire on him, sending him crashing through a window and in to the Potomic River. He is fished out of there, goes to trial, and is now serving life for all of the murders. He kept a journal, which his sister Caitlyn turned over to the FBI. Their father, a judge, died shortly after Josh went to prison, his wife ended up in mental institution, and Caitlyn ostracized from Washington society. Caitlyn moves out to the country where she now owns the Rambling Rose equestrian facility. They mostly work with disadvantaged children, and Caitlyn loves her job and her horses.

Fast forward two years and we are introduced to a new serial killer, duplicating Joshua’s grisly, torturous form of murder. Reid has been called in to assist with this case since he was involved in the first one. Reid gets in touch with Caitlyn, so she is aware there is a killer trying to duplicate her brother’s profile. Shortly after the heads up from Reid, strange things start occurring in Caitlyn’s life, and the gruesome murders intensify, making it clear that Caitlyn is a target.

During this time, Caitlyn and Reid finally address the feelings they have for one another. Reid is just an awesome hero, a big tough FBI profiler, but he has a very vulnerable side to him. Reid is just returning to work from an illness that he was on an extended leave of absence from the Bureau for. This is the first case for Reid since returning to work. The great part of this book is that Caitlyn and Reid don’t just hop right in to bed. The relationship progresses over time, amidst all the tension and trauma of the murders. And believe me, it is a lot to take in. Caitlyn feels at times like she can’t believe this is happening all over again. The story moves right along, there are several choices for who the antagonist it, but Ms. Tentler keeps you guessing right up to the end. The story is at no loss for interesting characters, and they all help drive the story line. I love a book that keeps me guessing, and on the edge of my chair, with a bit of romance thrown in, and this book was all that and more!

I thought Leslie Tentler’s first book was very good, but this one goes way beyond that, both in the story line and the character relationships. I can’t wait to start the next book in this series, Edge of Midnight.


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