Title: The Scarlet Tide
Series: A Duncan Andrews Thriller 03
Author: Stephen Osborne
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Paranormal
Length: Novel (200pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (11th October 2013)
Heat Level: Nil
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3 – 3½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Duncan Andrews, a private detective who specializes in paranormal cases, is back, along with his usual gang. Robbie Church, his boyfriend, is a ghost. Gina, a centuries old witch, is his best friend. And Daisy, Duncan’s bulldog, just happens to be a zombie. Odd man out seems to be Nick, a history teacher. He’s a normal, living human.
Duncan’s latest case leads him to a rock band in Indianapolis called The Scarlet Tide. It doesn’t take Duncan long to realize all of the band members are vampires. He sets out to destroy them, but runs into trouble with the charismatic leader of the band, Dominic Hunt. Duncan ends up under Hunt’s psychic control, and is forced to examine his relationships with Robbie and Nick, as well as his attraction for Hunt. Can Robbie and Gina help Duncan break Hunt’s psychic grip? Is there any hope the vampire can be destroyed once and for all?
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4256
Review: This story is part of a series and is best read in order. Duncan is asked to find a young man when his boyfriend comes to him begging for his help, discovering the details leads Duncan to suspect that the young man has fallen victim to some paranormal villainy and he takes the case. With the help of Robbie, his ghost boyfriend, and Gina, a witch, he discovers a band who are all vampires. But as he sets out to destroy them, he finds it hard to dismiss his attraction to the Dominic, the leader of the vampires, and his dark allure. Duncan is forced to confront his feelings for Nick, his friend, and Robbie as he tries to resist the vampires call.
Okay this is the first story in this series that I have read but there was enough detail so I didn’t think I had missed anything from the previous books, you could easily pick up any of the books and be comfortable reading them. It was very easy to pick up that Duncan is devoted to Robbie, even though Robbie is a ghost Duncan still loves him, but Duncan feels an attraction to Nick. The relationships are going on in the background as Duncan investigates the missing young man and then the hunt for the vampires, but it constantly lingers in Duncan’s mind.
This really isn’t an easy book to review as although we have a fantastic vampire storyline we also have the complicated relationship between Duncan, Robbie, and Nick, which is really tangled up with feelings, longings, and impossible love. If you have read the previous books then you know how Duncan hasn’t been able to let Robbie go or to commit to anything more than friendship with Nick, but we discover that Robbie might just take the decision out of Duncan’s hands.
The vampire aspect is exciting as Duncan pits himself against them and tries to fight them alone before calling his friends for help. Nick also has some surprises in store for us with a choice he makes. The story is really well written and you get drawn into Duncan’s life very easily, you follow the storyline at an easy pace and there is no confusion as to what is happening. The relationship aspect is complicated and seems to be a long story arc so we will have to see in the future, what is going to happen between Duncan, Nick, and Robbie.
I recommend this to those who love the paranormal, complicated love lives, excitement, investigations, danger, a great storyline and an interesting ending.