Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose

review

Edge of Darkness is the fourth book in the Cincinnati series which follows the lives of a group of professionals who form a close friendship with each other while fighting crime in their various guises. Meredith Fallon is a psychologist who we first met in the Vartanian books as a close cousin of Alex Fallon, the main heroine in Scream For Me. Meredith, now living in Cincinnati, made an appearance in the three previous books, as did Adam Kimble, who is a cousin of Deacon and Dani Novak. The relationships are complicated so that’s why it is best to read these books in order.

Meredith and Adam have already had a brief relationship, but Meredith was hurt when Adam began to keep his distance from her and his friends. With this tight group of friends, it is hard to fathom why they would allow a loved one to suffer so badly without offering support, however Adam has been pushing everyone away for reason and it will become clearer when it is revealed. We learn a whole lot more about Adam’s past in this book, including his awful relationship with his father and more about the case he was working on that traumatised him so deeply. I always thought Adam was a very interesting character when he appeared in the background of the previous books so I was intrigued to learn his story and was not disappointed.

Of course, everyone has issues in Karen Rose’s books and Meredith is no exception since her line of work brings her into direct contact with sexual predators who often threaten her life. However, this time it seems more personal and Meredith is already feeling vulnerable because the anniversary of her parents’ death is looming. Close to the edge, Meredith and Adam find themselves drawn irresistibly towards each other and powerless to hold back their attraction.

The rest of the gang also appear at various stages and there are also a few cameo appearances from Alex Fallon and a certain hot detective from Chicago – you’ll have to read it to find out who. Rose also paves the way for her next book with a little bit more attention on Diesel and Dani in preparation for their own star appearance. The Cincinnati series is chock full of characters still to explore so I suspect Rose will be staying around for a while.

I’m not going to say much about the plot since it connects with the previous books in certain ways and to do so would reveal too much, suffice to say there’s a lot of anxiety within the team as they try to smoke out a traitor within their midst and it’s a betrayal that cuts deep for some. I’d also like to applaud Rose for introducing her first prominent gay characters to this series and I really hope she doesn’t cheat us out of their story, although I realise some of her core readers may not appreciate her going there.