Aussie Book Review: Sinister Intent by Karen M. Davis

Book reviews

8 Aug

Sinister Intent by Karen M. DavisPaperbackReview copy provided by publisherSimon & Schuster AU, August 2013 Synopsis- For eight years Lexie Rogers has been a uniform cop in Sydney’s red light district, Kings Cross. Having survived a violent knife attack, she’s witnessed far more than most cops her age. Now she’s back at work as the newest member of the Bondi Junction detectives’ office and ready to start again.One of her first jobs is to execute a search warrant at a bikie clubhouse, one of the two local gangs in the eastern suburbs. What she uncovers begins a chilling investigation into a vicious world where loyalty is deadly and unwavering and can’t be bought . . . Or can it?Lexie forms an unlikely alliance with one of the bikies, who’s realised his family’s in danger. But what neither of them knows is that Lexie is the one who’s in too deep. She knows too much.And as the stakes get personal, it seems the secret bond she has with a big bad bikie could be the one thing that’ll save her life.Review- When I picked up Sinister Intent, authored by an Australian ex-cop, I knew I’d be in for a great crime fiction read. But as a reader, I got a whole lot more than I expected! In fact, I feel this story fits quite nicely into the romantic suspense genre too, because of the strong romance plot weaved throughout the crime investigation.Lexie Rogers makes a new start as a detective at Bondi Junction, ready to leave behind the fear and trauma she experienced as a uniform cop for eight years that resulted in a serious assault by a bikie. So when she is put on the case to execute a search warrant with her team at one of the two local bikie gangs (The Devil's Guardians and The Assassins), her resolve is severely tested. Still experiencing symptoms of PTSD- nightmares, panic attacks, hyper vigilance- Lexie has to work hard to put on a brave front and convince her new colleagues that she is up to the job.It’s not a great start when she is injured and hospitalised. Soon after, her partner is off work for a month with an injury and so she is teamed up with Detective Sergeant Josh Harrison. There’s an instant attraction, one that both Lexie and Josh try to fight. Lexie, because she doesn’t trust men and Josh because he has a strict rule about not getting involved with colleagues. The murder of a bikie at the clubhouse they searched, puts them all on alert and in the stressful hours of hardwork that follows, Lexie and Josh find themselves unable to keep their attraction at bay. Josh is also quite a well developed character in the story. There’s no time to analyse their feelings when Josh suspects corruption in the police force and Lexie is receiving threatening text messages. The stakes are raised when someone clearly wants Lexie out of the way.From the big bad bikie with a soft side, to his foul-mouthed pregnant girlfriend, to the teenage druggie and the team of police officers, this story is not short of intriguing and believable characters. In fact there was not one moment when I was bored; the pace was consistent, the romance plot completely sucked me in (great chemistry!) and the twist at the end involving the bikie caught me by surprise (just!) and left me wanting more. A great romantic crime debut by Australian author Karen M. Davis, an author I’ll definitely have on my radar for new releases.