Innocent Prey

Great mystery about a formerly blind police consultant who is involved with a detective and are in a relationship. Funny comments, cute English Bulldog named Myrtle. A little dry at times but overall well written.

Rachel agrees to help Mason when a judge's blind 20-year-old daughter is kidnapped. The judge asks the chief to investigate quietly which seemed suspicious to Mason and Rachel too. Rachel doesn't want to admit to being psychic but she has all the hallmarks. Apparently her new senses weren't only because she got a serial killer's corneas.

Rachel uses her insight into people to help Mason who has his own cop instincts. They are sleeping together but are still resisting having a more complete relationship. But both of them are becoming unsatisfied with this arrangement. Both of them want more.

While they are busy trying to track down the judge's daughter, they soon realize that this connects to Amy's kidnapping at Thanksgiving. It is also connected to other disappearances of young girls who age out of foster care and then disappear.

As usual, Rachel puts herself in danger to help solve the case and Mason arrives in the nick of time to save her. I liked these characters and really enjoy each new adventure. It is nice seeing Rachel come to realize that she really does believe all the self-help, positive-thinking stuff she writes. I love her relationship with her aged, over-weight and blind bulldog Myrtle. I also like her growing relationship with Mason's nephews Jeremy and Josh.

This series has been growing stronger with each book. I can't wait to see what happens next for Mason and Rachel.

WARNING: If you haven’t read WAKE TO DARKNESS (aka SLEEP WITH THE LIGHTS ON), you may want to wait to read INNOCENT PREY and this review until you do. A lot of the book refers very specifically to information in the previous one and provides a lot of information about them.

Rachel de Luca, blind for twenty years, regained her eyesight after a cornea transplant from a brutal murderer. Along with the procedure, however, came mental visions that related to other crimes. In the earlier books, she began a relationship with Police Detective Mason Brown but both of them shied away from revealing their feelings for each other for various reasons, primarily the fear of rejection.
In INNOCENT PREY, Stephanie, the teenage daughter of a judge, disappeared while trying to navigate walking down a sidewalk by herself.. She had lost her vision a few months earlier and was working, reluctantly, with a woman who was encouraging her to accept the reality of her blindness and learn to live her life under those new circumstances. Against the woman’s orders, she deliberately walked around the corner where she was kidnapped.
Soon other disappearances occur and the body of another girl is discovered. It carried clues to some of the missing girls.
Both Rachel and Mason, relying on their skills and instincts, set out to figure out the link between the missing girls to help determine a motive and where they are being held.
The book is a well-written, fast read that maintained my interest. Once again, however, Maggie Shayne has Rachel using vulgar language. She’s about the only adult character that does and no explanation is given for it. It isn’t necessary, doesn’t fit the character, and isn’t necessary for the plot.

Now that the threats that pulled them together to begin with are over, newly sighted and best selling self-help author, Rachel de Luca, is trying to come to terms with her feelings for Detective Mason Brown, and he’s suffering the same dilemma; both are somewhat afraid to believe. Mason is requested to unofficially look into the disappearance of a judge’s daughter who was recently blinded in an accident. He asks Rachel’s help as she is able to pick up on things that he can’t. What they uncover is larger; a number of girls are missing.

After the prologue the story is told from three points of view. Mason and Stevie, the missing blind girl, are told in third person. Rachel’s is told in the first person. It was kind of funny that it took me a while to notice it, but it works out well.

Rachel is still discovering the world using her sight, meaning so many things we take for granted, such as a sunset, are still a wonder to her months after regaining her sight, and the author makes the reader feel it. She’s also slowly—kicking and screaming along the way—coming to terms with the fact that she has some psychic ability. And she’s becoming more accepting that the self-help stuff she writes is actually valid.

The mystery is done well and the unveiling of the who is somewhat surprising. That one actually has a couple of nice twists to it. There’s a great deal of tension with the story coming from both Mason and Rachel as well as from what the abducted girls are experiencing. And it’s cool to see the growth in Stevie from being a pissed at the world victim to someone who can again start believing in herself.

I really like the characters and their relationships but I have to say that Rachel is dropping too many f-bombs. She is changing too as she becomes more comfortable with her place in Mason’s life and coming to terms with her beliefs and abilities, so hopefully the language will lighten up as the series continues.

You don’t have to read the prior books in order to follow this, although you’d have a better appreciation for both the relationship and the challenges each of the characters has faced if you do start at the beginning.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Chelle:
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

Another incredible installment of the BROWN & DE LUCA series!

I utterly adore this series, and I think that this installment was my favorite yet. The arc is getting so much broader, the characters so much deeper, the story so much more thrilling and sweet. When a murder mystery thriller can make you laugh out loud, gasp, shake your head and grin with delight, you know you've found a keeper. :)

Fans of the series will be both frustrated and relieved at the romance between Rachel and Mason in Innocent Prey. As usual, they dance around the way they're feeling, but it's so obvious, and both know it, and while you want to slap them to wake up and just admit things already, it's also fun to see them fully realize things towards the end.

As usual, the murder mystery is stellar. In an attempt to find a missing blind girl, Rachel and Mason team up to find her and other missing girls and thwart what ends up being a very big, very deep, and very dark operation and cover-up. Rachel's character is finally coming to terms with how special she truly is, and there's a nice preternatural feel to things, as well. Add in Rachel's wit and snark in her Nancy Drewesque amateur sleuthing, and you get many a moment where you will laugh out loud, rail incessantly, and cheer exuberantly.

Bottom line, this is an incredible romantic suspense read with upper echelon writing, characters you will absolutely adore, dialogue you will want to quote long after the book is finished, and a story arc that will leave you wanting more immediately. Good thing book #4 isn't too far away...

Highly recommended!!