A DANGEROUS HARBOR [Kindle Edition]

Having checked out the synopsis and read several existing reviews, prior to accepting "A Dangerous Harbor' for review, I wasn't really expecting that it would turn out to be a serious piece of police procedural work, or for that matter too gruesome a thriller story. A `cozy' romantic/suspense novel was what I was expecting and that was exactly what I got.

Whilst the storyline did touch on the many very real and sadly all too prevalent issues of abduction, murder, forced prostitution, rampant police corruption and the ever present power of the drug cartels; which still exist in modern day Mexico; it was dealt with by the author on a very superficial level, which left me wanting to delve more deeply into this troubled society. I wish that there had been a little more indepth knowledge and research, just to flesh out the bare bones a bit more and offer more substance and authority to the narrative, however, it did whet my appetite to find out more.

Despite the fact that `A Dangerous Harbor' did not offer a very sophisticated plotline, the story was very fast paced, complex and action packed, with many twists and turns, which kept me guessing right until the end ... and my assumption as to the identity of the murderer, certainly wasn't the right one.

Our heroin, Katrina Hunter, is a strong character when she wants to be, yet is very vulnerable in her hitherto disastrous private life and is delusional in her belief and hope that she can simply sail away into foreign waters and hope to escape the mistakes she has made in her recent past, which have put her continued career in the SFPD on the line.

Chief Inspector Raul Vignaroli seems convinced that Katrina is the ideal partner to help him solve a local murder, albeit in a location which is predominantly populated by US citizens, any one of which may well be the killer. However I found myself questioning Katrina's committment to her police service career, as she revives past mistakes, begins to let her heart rule her head for a second time and places more importance on her personal life than on her career.

The sizzling sexual tension between Raul and Katrina continually threatens to overpower the murder investigation, with Katrina also waging her own private battle with past relationships and jealousies, and Raul desperately trying to overcome personal grief and tragedy in order to free his heart so that he can move on with his life and love again.

The murder suspects pile up thick and fast and even manage to inject a modicum of humour into the whole story, with their vast array of dysfunctional personalities and hidden agendas. We are introduced to undercover FBI agents, IRS investigators, as well as the murderer themselves, all forming part of a steady stream of slightly larger than life characters, who move from the wings to centre stage, act out their individual scenes, then depart again.

None of these individual characterisations holds up too well under scrutiny and all are a little one dimensional, without a great deal of depth, however with the real murderer being able to remain hidden amongst this melee of self-centred individuals, I certainly didn't spot them until they were eventually unmasked by Katrina.

In conclusion, `A Dangerous Harbor' is a fast paced, sexy sizzler, with a little mystery and intrigue added to the mix, not to be taken too seriously and great as a book to cozy up with on a cold winters evening, or as a summer beach read.

`Katy leaned over and deftly nudged the weedy raft around so that its reluctant passenger was facing her, and then ever so gently, pushed back the wet strands of black hair. Dark wings of brow stood out in stark relief on pale olive skin. It was a girl, maybe all of sixteen, she guessed. "Where'd you come from?" She wondered to no one in particular. As if to answer at least part of her question, the ocean swelled, lifting up the maiden's bier until Kate was looking into slightly open eyes. There were no petechiae, the telltale red dots freckling the cornea and typical of strangulation. "Not strangled, but still..." A frothy red bubble clinging to the nostril and a few more at her mouth said drowned, but not in the water very long as the limbs were still pliant and the skin wasn't bloated or damaged by fish or sea birds.'

Detective Katrina Taylor Hunter, of the San Francisco Police Department, was forced to take a sabbatical after shooting her sister's stalker. While the investigation was going on, she decided to take sail down to Ensenada, Mexico to clear her head and hopefully return to her position on the force. After discovering a floater Katy has doubts about the head clearing part of her trip. Her doubts are confirmed when after spending hours at the Ensenada Police Station she bumps into Gabriel Alexander, a former `love of her life' who is being investigated as a possible connection to the dead girl found by Katy. And to make matters worse, she meets Chief Inspector Raul Vignaroli. Her reaction to him is immediate attraction. One problem...he wears a wedding ring and Katy has no desire to become involved with a married man. So will she be able to handle being around him after he cons her into helping with the investigation? Also, how will she handle her feelings for Gabe, the man she loved so deeply in her younger days?

Following Katy as she uncovers what appears to be a sex slave market being run by not only one of the boat captains but also the drug cartel, will keep you on your sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and guessing. I had several ideas for who the killer(s) would turn out to be but found myself wrong most of the time. I have to say that the real killer, whom is not exposed until the end, surprised me. A Dangerous Harbor has turned out to be just as good as the Lalla Bains books A Dead Red Cadillac and A Dead Red Heart, both written by RP Dahlke. All three will keep you on the edge.