High Concept by Whitley Gray

18478288Title: High Concept     

Author: Whitley Gray     

Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Suspense    

Length: Super Novel (363pgs)     

Publisher: Loose Id (10th September 2013)    

Heat Level: Explicit     

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3½ Hearts   

Reviewer: Pixie     

Blurb: Denver homicide cop and shooting survivor Beck Stryker lives to solve the case that left him with PTSD, chronic pain, and killed his co-investigator four months previous. Now his career hinges on his ability to work with the man who shut down his advances two years ago.

After last parting ways with Beck, psychiatrist-turned-FBI profiler Zach Littman never anticipated seeing the detective again. Being sent to Denver to work on a series of killings that have continued after the only suspect died is bad enough. Discovering the detective in charge is Beck leaves Zach gritting his teeth and girding his loins.

The last thing either of them needs is romantic entanglement with a fellow investigator, but danger is a powerful aphrodisiac. The case heats up, and friction between them ignites a fire neither can ignore, first at work and then in the bedroom. As they zero in on the plot behind the murders, the crosshairs zero in on Beck and Zach.     

Purchase Link: http://www.loose-id.com/high-concept.html    

Review: Beck is a homicide detective suffering from PTSD and chronic pain, he was shot and his partner killed while investigating home invasions and he is put back on the case when another home invasion occurs, but this time he is teamed with a FBI profiler, a man who rejected his advances two years before. Zach is sent to Denver to consult on a case, when he discovers who the case detective is he steels himself to ignore his attraction to the man, a man who tempted him two years ago. Working together just fans the flames between them, but they have a case to solve and a murderer to take down.

This is a pretty good suspense with a well-woven crime thread. Beck lost his partner during an investigation, he also lost his closeted lover when the man walked away from an injured Beck, now Beck is suffering from PDST and struggling to manage his pain, but he is more determined than ever to discover who was behind the home invasions. Zach is assigned to work as the profiler on the case, but he has his own nightmares that he fights. Both men find the other attractive but their first meeting is strained, but as they work together, they stop fighting their attraction. Their investigation doesn’t have many leads and it is getting harder for them to believe someone isn’t pulling strings, and getting to the culprit is going to be harder than they hoped.

I really did enjoy this story although there were times I felt like I was missing something, I actually had to check to see if this book was part of a series or had a connection to another book but I couldn’t find any. Why did I feel this way? Well, there were things that happened in both characters pasts and with the way they were first lay down it felt like I was expected to already know all about it, later on it is explained, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling. Okay whine over let’s move on, the relationship between Zach and Beck is prickly at first (over reaction on both parts) but then they finally get it together and give us some hot sex and show us what a great couple they could be. 

The investigation side was very interesting, especially as they connected even the remotest of dots and they set out to track a devious killer. We also get to see some of Zach’s past in full color, and we see both Zach and Beck having to deal with people in their personal lives, Beck his deceased partners wife and Zach his ex-lover. The story is well written and the characters do come to life, other than a few personal bugbears, the storyline was great and the mystery/suspense was brilliant. 

I recommend this to those who love mystery and suspense, crime and danger, getting over the past and moving forward, discovering love and hot sex and a brilliant tense ending.