Customer Reviews

Fade To Red (Berkley Sensation)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At the risk of sounding sexist, I have found many mysteries written by women to be involving, but more romantically melodramatic than hardboiled (by the same token, some male authors tend to be hardboiled without any balancing emotionalism). This book, the first I've read by this author, hits a near-perfect balance between hard-edged and sensitive situations. I enjoyed it very much, enough so that I shall seek out the author's other mysteries.

The voice message from her sister Traci sounded like she was frightened, something her younger sibling never is. Return calls only get Traci's answering machine. Desperate to learn what happened to Traci, Lindsey Metcalf flies from Columbus to Seattle, but Traci has vanished. The cops feel that Traci skipped town to avoid jail time on a drug charge. Since there is evidence that Traci was seeing former cop Michael Striker, Lindsey visits him. However, he blows her away telling her to go home. Michael has his own problems as he faces ten years in prison for assaulting the suspect who murdered his partner.

A friend on the force informs Michael that someone broke into Traci's home and attacked Lindsey. Unable to stay on the sidelines, he comes over to see if the Midwesterner is okay and offers to search for Traci though he believes the latter is dead. Lindsey soon learns the truth about her sister's dangerous life in the sexual underground while falling in love with her champion who reciprocates, but knows his prison time insures nothing can happen between them.

This is an exciting private investigative romance with a major touch of amateur sleuth to get the tale off the ground. The story line is action packed and never lets up from the moment Lindsey arrives in Seattle. Though the epilogue following the climax is too simplistic, readers will take immense delight with the lead couple as they tour the shadiest part of the city. Fans will demand a Buckeye romance starring Lindsey's bossy spicy business partner Carissa soonest.

Harriet Klausner

Even though she and her sister, Traci, have drifted apart somewhat, Lindsey Metcalf is protective of her; and when Traci vanishes, Lindsey is determined to find her. Unfortunately, Traci has led a shadow life, hidden from her family, but one the police know all about. That makes her disappearance more a convenience than anything else. Her only hope is a former cop with little to lose. Michael Striker has two weeks of freedom before he faces a likely jail sentence for assault. Helping Lindsey might not be the best way to spend that time, but it's the right thing to do, so he does it. Diving into Traci's world is full of unpleasant surprises Lindsey didn't want to find, but she finds something more than that; love with Michael. Yet, how can she hope to have a happily ever after if the man she loves is in jail, or she's dead?

*** With the ultimate good/bad boy hero and a tense, edgy plot you will be glued to the page of this thriller. Linda Castillo is emerging as a guaranteed winner for romantic suspense. ***
Amanda

Well I'll start by giving a summary about the book then delve into why I only gave it three stars.

Lindsey Metcaff travels to Seattle to locate her missing younger sister Traci. Traci left a message on her answer machine and had not been heard from since. Upon arriving in Seattle she discovered Traci's house ransacked and a message on her answer maching from a guy named Striker. Lindsey discovers Striker is a an ex-cop and Private Investigator awaiting trial on charges of Felony Assault. She and Striker team up to find out what might have happened to Traci. They soon discover that Traci was involved in a world of sex and perversion. While investigating Traci's disappearence, Lindsey and Striker become romanitically involved. I won't say anymore since that will ruin the ending and will instead go into why I thought the story only deserved three stars.

The story was good and had potential but I could never warm up to the female lead, Lindsey. Time and time again she refused to believe the evidence in front of her. No matter what was told to her or shown her about her sister Traci she refused to believe anything bad about her sister. Even when she was shown a movie showing her sister engaging in group sex, and rather happily I might add, she believed that her sister had been drugged and forced to do those awful things. After awhile it just got to be annoying. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a police detective and know that families always refuse to believe the bad in their children or siblings but this was alittle much. It just made it very hard to believe she was the intelligent woman that the author was trying to depict. For some reason this story didn't really flow like the rest of her books but give it a try and see what you think.

Really found this novel to have a very interesting catch to it. As a former child therapist and having worked with many sexually abused children and adults who suffered such as children, I liked the character's self assessment in her life. She worked to be healthy and productive. When she meets the deeply troubled detective, she manages to find the relationship possible. And he can be aggressive but also aware of her needs. That was a lovely bit of sub plot. Contrast that with the bizarre brutal murders. Wow! Takes your breath away.

My first Linda Castillo novel, Dead Reckoning, was fun, suspenseful and sexy. When the book jacket description of Fade to Red referred to 'a seductive trap,' I took it at face value. I wish I hadn't.

Castillo is a fine writer and has a flair for creating sexual tension. I plan to read more, on the assumption that the torture theme of 'Fade' isn't likely to be topped by an even more repugnant plot device. The bad guys here are producers of "snuff" films which feature on-camera torture culminating in the victim's death. So much for the 'seductive trap.'

Mercifully, the author reminds us that snuff films depicting actual murders are an urban legend. Law enforcement agencies have investigated many such films, and have yet turn up a real murder. Low-tech special effects, poor lighting and a lot of fake blood create an illusion that's effective enough to satisfy the sickos who like these films, without risking a murder rap for producers out to make an easy buck. The villains of 'Fade to Red' are the exception to the rule. For reasons that are never fully explained, they've decided that it would be more trouble to fake their movies than to kidnap and murder a succession of young women. Presumably, they also have a fool-proof way to dispose of the bodies; that part of the scheme is never addressed.

I enjoyed the budding relationship between Lindsey, who is searching for her vanished sister, and her rough-on-the-outside ex-cop, who reluctantly agrees to help, even though he has only two remaining weeks of freedom before he goes on trial for attacking and nearly killing the suspect in his partner's murder.

I do wish the author hadn't felt compelled to describe that murder, too. It was even more gruesome than the knife-torture deaths of all those would-be starlets. It certainly wasn't necessary. I already felt sympathy for the hero, Striker, whose outrage over his partner's murder caused the single, tragic outburst of violence that ended his career and resulted in a felony assualt charge.

Sometimes it's enough to describe a crime as brutal, without providing the play-by-play. If I wanted to read another Hannibal Lechter sequel, I wouldn't be shopping in the Romantic Suspense section.

In a word: Yuck.

On my scale of 0 to 9 this book was traveling along a a 9 pace. Fun and a fast read.
Then about 70% into the story it seemed the author wasn't sure where to go next,
So here comes several chapters of explicate sex adding unneccessary pages.
Some may like the sex chapters, I don't need all the action spelled out in
graphic detail. I have a good imagination. So on my scale I gave it a 6 or 7at best.
First book of this author not sure if I'll try another or not.
The other disappointing thing was all the type'o errors and the faded text through out the eBook.
Extremely poor editing caps not correct and words left out of sentences making it necessary to
re-read to get the correct point.

I thought this book was very well written...in fact, a little too well written for me. Some of the scenes described were very graphic, and they just weren't images I want in my mind. For someone who loves a good mystery and great detail on murder scenes, definitely read this book. I gave it 4 stars, because it's well written, but I won't be purchasing any more of this author's books. It's just not my style.

I will agree with the first review, this story is a little more romanticly involved than I like. I didnt feel like the author actually got to know her characters until well into the middle of the book. The leading male, once he finally emerged beyond the shell the author held him captive in was quite endearing, but unfortunately I spent most of the read not knowing too much about him, as far as his emotions. One thing I can give the author, the first love scene between the lead characters was hot...well worth drudging through the first half of the book! Notice how the address of the sister goes to 353 to 3553? I really think the book was padded, it felt like we were being told things that the author had clearly stated in previous chapters.
All in all, I would not read again.

i love this book - the characters, plot, etc.... one thing bothered me though. the word "jolted" must have been in there a hundred times. other than that, the book was great. keep it up linda, just want the redundant words or phrases.