D.B. Tait

Desperate Deception picks up a few months after the events of Cold Deception, the first book featuring Julia Taylor, who is trying to rebuild her life after spending ten years behind bars. It doesn't matter if you haven't read the first book, as everything that is important to the story line is explained sufficiently in this one. This time round, Julia becomes involved in the investigation into the suspicious deaths of her two neighbors, while also trying to work out the future of her relationship with Detective Dylan Andrews.
As the police investigation expands, Julia and Dylan deal with members of the Russian mafia, sex crimes and missing people.
I've enjoyed this second installment even more than the first because the characters were more fleshed out and felt believable. The plot was tightly woven, kept you guessing and had plenty of suspense. The story is quite light on the romance side, but provides plenty of relationship background so you are rooting for Dylan and Julia to succeed. And added bonus are the truly engaging side characters and the setting in the Blue Mountains.
Overall, a very enjoyable mystery blended with romantic elements. I will definitely be looking out for a third installment.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.… (mehr)

The author of COLD DECEPTION has had many years experience in the Criminal Justice system, and that knowledge shines through in this debut crime fiction offering.

Julia Taylor's release from prison, her struggles to re-establish life and normality, and the way that she balances that struggle with parole responsibilities, the problems with finding a job and the problems in inserting herself back into her family and her community have a strong sense of reality about them.

Julia's crime provides the author with a chance to explore a number of aspects - how will people react to the murder of a peodophile priest? Will the community divide into those nervous and unhappy to have a convicted murderer back in their midst, and those that feel that the victim got what he deserved? Their reactions, Julia's own families acceptance of events, everything is complicated by the way that she had instantly pleaded guilty. The lack of a detailed investigation, of explanations and qualifications means that there is somehow a lack of finalisation, a question mark always hanging over her conviction. Over her.

These aspects of COLD DECEPTION are really fascinating. Julia Taylor is prickly, standoffish, defensive and quite a difficult character for everyone to relate to. There's also something harder, more determined about her since her time in jail (as you'd kind of expect). Her character is really cleverly done. Believable, sympathetic, questionable. She is, although, not best supported by a plot that has some clever twists, but suffers from a few too many predictable elements. Of course, this reader is notoriously twitchy about romance, but this time around, it just felt all too convenient, as did a number of elements. It was just too easy to have the cop that believes in her also be the hunky, gorgeous love interest. The ex-cop who is out to get her is the sleasy, abusive, difficult bloke. The hooker / drug addict with the heart of gold, the "alternative" parental relationship. The drugs. The priest. The sister. And all. Whilst there are a few twists towards the end of this book overall the plot is pretty transparent.

Definitely one for fans of the more romantic, there's nothing overtly wrong with COLD DECEPTION. It's an engaging enough read, that powers along at a great rate. If you are a fan of books where the the bad boy gets it in the neck, the girl is redeemed and there's all that will they / won't they / of course they do between her and the gorgeous bloke (why are they never just nice blokes who look okay?), then COLD DECEPTION is definitely a book that you should be reading.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-cold-deception-db-tait… (mehr)