Digital Velocity

Ethan and his partner, Larrick, act on their own with an anonymous tip concerning a woman who lives alone. Their investigation leads to the discovery of the woman’s mutilated corpse, an unexpected fire fight, and a bullet to Ethan’s leg, but at least he gets one of the perpetrators. In the hospital, his many brothers give him trouble about getting hit, but his best visitor was Lexi, the author of the many tips he’d been receiving. Young and technologically savvy, she pulls at Ethan’s heartstrings, who hopes she’ll keep her word and stop by later when he is at home so they can rehash the information she has. Through her trips within the dark net and some illegal sleuthing, Lexi becomes Ethan’s best informant to finding the sick twisted mind who killed the woman who saved Lexi from a life that was little better than a death sentence. With Lexi and his brothers to help, Ethan and Larrick believe they have a chance to find the sick twisted psychopath, but when Lexie is tagged as the next victim, Ethan knows time is almost up to save the one he cannot live without.

Garrett has successfully mashed thriller and romance genres, reigning supreme in both. The steamy scenes between Lexi and Ethan help to redeem the ruthless horror of Garrett’s psychopath’s creativity. The opposites of dark murder and graphic lovemaking keep the page sturning quickly. Dialogue between the brothers and the two officers, Larrick and Ethan, helps to liven up the story a bit with some humor and good-natured needling common among family and close friends. Infrequent chapters authored by the serial killer give insight to his cruel mind and motives, though very little in the way of identification – Garrett keeps the killers’ identity hidden well into the final explosive pages. Though there are some confusing transitions and questionable police procedure, forgiveness is found in the ability to keep the story flowing. Many will root for Ethan and Lexi to stop tiptoeing around their feelings and just act on them, but when they do, the fireworks fly, and it is well worth the wait.

This could be James Patterson, Lee Child, and Tess Gerritsen rolled into one, but the dark, twisted methods used by the serial killer could surprise even those readers. Finding that the first four books, plus a prequel to explain Lexi’s past, are already out and available, may set many on a reading spree.