This book is the first in a series and was suprisingly well written for a novel of its genre. I'm not a great fan of Silhouette romances. The overplayed themes of unresolved love and the great hardships that mysteriously befall protagonists in these kind of novels are very irritating. Rachel Caine succeeds in engaging my interest by focusing on the interpersonal dynamics of a small but well crafted group of characters, headed by the feisty Jazz, never Jasmine, Callender who is the quintessential female P.I. As you would expect, beneath her tough cookie exterior beats the requisite heart of gold of course but I believe Caine carries off the characterisation quite well. The plot is not as predictable as usual, however is not very well crafted and is definitely most unbelievable. But to be honest, if well-plotted suspenseful drama is what you're after, a romance novel is seldom going to keep you enthralled. If you just ignore all references to the Cross Society you'll enjoy the book a lot more!
With regard to romance, the relationship between Borden and Jazz is cute and entertaining and the author has allowed herself lassitude to develop it properly by planning the 'Red Letter Days' series. I'm not so sure about the plausibility of a budding love between Lucia and McCarthy but am willing to reserve judgement until the next installment. I hope to see more from this group of Kansas City misfits. Especially Manny Glickman!