the setup…
Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter is what you’d call the strong silent type. When his mother is injured in a fall, he’s forced to take vacation and come home to Los Angeles. He also decides to make the best of his time off by moonlighting at Troubleshooters. However, his assignment is anything but being under the radar as he’s providing protection services to Jane Mercedes Chadwick, a movie producer whose latest project is controversial and has generated threats serious enough that it’s gotten studio and FBI attention. She doesn’t think it’s necessary and finds the security intrusive, especially since who she is really is a far cry from the image she projects to the public.
the heart of the story…
Cosmo and Jane, on the surface, seem to be polar opposites. Her behavior initially was outrageous, one she created to compete and survive in the male dominated Hollywood world of studio management and producers. It made for some entertaining situations between these two as she tried to rattle the unflappable Cosmo. Their relationship took some time to develop and the delight stemmed from seeing both step out of their stereotypes and discover how much they admired and respected the real man and woman. Typical of stories in this series, there was a secondary storyline that was equally compelling involving the normally buttoned up FBI Agent Jules Cassidy, his ex-lover Adam Wyndham and Jane’s brother Robin who’s the lead in her new film. I learned a lot about Jules through Adam and I ached for him. His new “friendship” with Robin was a nice balm and his restraint made me admire him even more. The threat to Jane was indeed real and created some extremely scary moments, including a devastating loss.
the narration…
Patrick Lawlor & Melanie Ewbank found their rhythm in this story as the transitions were smooth and seamless. I loved their voice interpretations and they moved this long, complex story along nicely. Still loving my decision to reread the series on audio.
the bottom line…
I think I loved this story more the second time around. It’s been many years since I first read it and so much seemed new. But the romance between Cosmo and Jane still was the highlight even though Jules’ relationships was an extremely close second. Everything about this story worked as identifying those behind the threat was equally tough and intriguing. The subject of Jane’s film was about a WWII gay veteran and that provided a opportunity to explore historical and contemporary attitudes about homosexual relationships. It was enlightening and fresh both at the time it was originally published and now. Listening to the story just made it an even better reading experience.
Book Info
- Release Date: January 1, 2015 (originally 2004)
- Series: Troubleshooters #8
- Narrators: Patrick Lawlor & Melanie Ewbank
- Audio Length: 15 hours, 53 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Listen to a Sample!
Blue Mood Café 
Glad you enjoyed it second time round Jo! Fab review 💜
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Thank you, Nicki💜
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I’ve listened to a few books with these narrators and enjoyed them. We can only get a selection of the Troubleshooters series on Audible UK beginning with #6. Would I be able to jump in there, do you think?
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You could skip the first two but definitely not from #3 forward. There are continuing story arcs that begin with that book. And, #6 is the conclusion of one of those story arcs. That’s just unfortunate about Audible UK. I couldn’t get the first five with these two from my library either.
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Ah, thanks. That’s a shame. Seems a bit pointless to offer an odd few.
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There was a publisher change (audio), complicated by a couple of mergers involving the old one and issues with gaining rights of those first five. You’d think after all of these years…
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You would indeed…
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Oooo…another half-nakey cover. Excellent review!
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Thank you, Tessa💜 And this guy only takes his shirt off once!
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I love this series SO much. I wish I was doing a listen along with this.
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Sounds like “fun.”
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This series is new to me and it sounds fantastic. Glad to hear you’re enjoying it so much as a re-read.
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