Wicked Release

October 5, 2015
Collins’s riveting third Wicked Exposure romantic thriller (after Wicked Exposure) is a nail-biter with plenty of sensuality. The series follows NYPD forensic photographer Jessica Walters’s efforts to find the person who killed her sister, Cass. Jess is now in Portland, Ore., where Cass was living. She’s built up a sensual relationship with Sam, a local police detective, but mostly pursues the investigation on her own. Cass’s secret lover was a rich, secretive dominant known as Master. Jess identifies him as wealthy businessman Elliot Warner and teams up with him to go undercover, seeking to expose the drug ring linked to her sister’s murder. Soon Jess, Sam, and Elliot are thrown into life-and-death situations, where the most unexpected people can be villains. Collins works plenty of red herrings into her hair-raising, erotic tale, keeping readers guessing until the very end. There’s plenty of backstory to allow new readers to easily follow along. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency.

October 1, 2015

Returning to her hometown of Portland, ME, after her sister Cassandra dies, Jessica uncovers a secret life involving Cassandra's rich boyfriend Elliot Warner (also known as Master), BDSM parties, and an underground drug ring. Jess refuses to accept that her sister's death is simply a "robbery gone bad" and, despite the danger it might bring, is determined to get to the bottom of what she knows is murder. Unfortunately, this requires the help of Cass's aloof dominant Elliot and Jess's cop ex-boyfriend Sam. As the plot thickens, Jess uncovers years of dirty work that might even blow open the case of her parents' tragic deaths 12 years earlier. Told from shifting perspectives, the novel provides a well-rounded view of its occasionally convoluted plot but could still be confusing for readers unfamiliar with the previous series title, Wicked Exposure. Suspense is complemented with heady sex scenes and the romantic melodrama of Sam and Jess's fraught, passionate past, her odd attraction to Elliot, and her lingering flame with Cassandra's friend Dane. VERDICT Tight writing and nonstop action promise a classic crime page-turner with thwarted love, kinky sex, and drama at every turn; the cliff-hanger ending will leave readers eager for more. Perfect for fan of thrillers with an added dash of spice.

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