Serial Killers and Closets...

Title: The Killing Room by Gerri Hill
Publisher: Bella Books
385 pages
Genre: Lesbian Romantic fiction

Synopsis: Denver Detective Jake McCoy is trying to recover- both physically and emotionally- from the shooting death of a young boy that also left her injured.   She soon finds herself rehabbing at her cabin in the mountains, soaking in the remote natural springs - which is exactly where psychologist Nicole Westbrook vacations and soon stumbles across her...

When Nicole leaves the next day , the two women know little more about the other than her first name - yet they are now lovers instead of strangers.

When Jake returns to Denver, a serial murder investigation soon leads her to Nicole. As the investigation develops, their physical attraction threatens to compromise the case.  Nicole finds herself struggling to remain in the professional closet that she's been hiding in for so long - a place where an out cop like Jake McCoy simply does not belong.

Review: As far as lesbian fiction goes Gerri Hill is one of my favorites.  Her writing is exciting and keeps you engaged.  There is always much more to the story than just the relationship between the two main characters.

When Jake returns to work following an injury she catches a case that points to a serial killer targeting female abuse victims who are all clients of the woman she met while convalescing  at her cabin in the woods. No matter how hard they dig Jake and her partner Ricky can't seem to catch a break.

Nicole is trying not to take the death of her clients personally but the coincidences are piling up and the target may not be her clients but Nicole herself. Relying on Jake to help keep her safe isn't so easy for Nicole who is deeply closeted but finds herself drawn to Jake despite all of her friends warnings about having a relationship with someone so open not to mention "beneath" her in status.

This story has many layers...the murder mystery, the lure of new romance, the psychological aspects of abuse victims, the ending of relationships, the bond between friends, fear of being out ruining a promising career, and the pain and loss involved in not living an authentic life.

All of the characters have a story and personality that make them feel real, not like stiff chess pieces moving around a board.  The play between Jake and her partner Ricky is completely amusing, they are like a married couple bickering and sniping at each other in a playful and fun way. I think thats what I like about Hill's writing her characters come to life and you become invested in their lives.

Comments

  1. I've always meant to read this one -- thanks for the the review. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment