Customer Reviews

Hunter's Way

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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Gerri Hill time after time creates fresh powerful thrilling stories intertwined with heart-pounding romances and Hunter's Way is no exception.

Tori Hunter is an arrogant, abrasive Homicide detective who alienates every partner she has ever had. In the middle of a series of murders, Samantha Kennedy transfers from the Assault division and is paired with Tori after she blows through another partner. Even though Tori is considered a nightmarish partner, Samantha stands up to her. While Samantha challenges her attitude, she respects Tori's strong instincts as an effective detective. This bodes well for their relationship as they pursue a serial killer who may be targeting the gay and lesbian community. As their professional partnership develops, their strong attraction for one another is undeniable. Their only obstacles are Sam's boyfriend and Tori' very tragic past.

Hill is a master at building her characters' professional and personal relationships slowly, effectively absorbing them into the main storyline. We get to know Sam and Tori well as the plot progresses. We understand Tori's total immersion into her career as her horrific past unfolds. We see Sam struggle with her lack of passion for her boyfriend while she is discovering new and powerful feelings for her partner that cross the line of professionalism. Tori`s and Sam's characters grow as their partnership intensifies. They learn to trust each other as they encounter dangerous situations, and this aspect of the partnership is very different for Tori. For the first time in Tori's career she has a real partner, and for the first time in her life, she has a friend who cares about her. Tori also wrestles with inappropriate feelings, especially because she believes Sam is straight. But as the violence in their daily lives continues, they are forced to face their attraction to one another.

Hill weaves a romance that leaves this reader breathless while crafting a police procedural that is thorough and easy to follow. The stages of tracking down a serial killer are interspersed in the story, moving it along smoothly. The dialogue throughout is on fire with passion. The tenderness in the story embraces the reader and is overpowering. Hill's pacing is even with no abrupt starts or endings. Even though we learn the killer's identity two thirds of the way through the story, the ending is a surprise. There is more to Hunter's Way than we suspect.

I never thought I'd be able to read one and enjoy it, but I did. It didn't dawn on me until well into the book that one character was "tall and dark-haired" and the other was "shorter and blond". It's a well-written if pedestrian mystery. Anyone who reads mysteries on a regular basis will figure out "who dunnit" fairly quickly, but the interactions of the characters are fun to read.

This is a great example of how an uber-Xena should be.

I'll definitely be putting Ms. Hill on my watch list.

At last I've found a writer who can write a decent mystery while at the same time adding a decent romance thread to the story. Hill is expert at slowly unraveling the mystery - and doesn't with hold key clues from the reader - and building the tension as the killer kills again and again. She is also an expert at building the sexual tension between the two key characters of the book.

Another talent of Hill's is to introduce minor characters and keep them in the story so that the interaction between our heroines and the minor characters develop over the course of the book.

In Hunter's Way, I'm not sure that I believe that Hunter would change from being a curmudgeon to a teddy bear in only a couple of months, but hey, Hill was able to make me believe it was possible as I was reading the book.

I'm trying to convince myself not to buy everything Hill has written all at once so I won't get to the point of having to check Amazon every day to see if her latest book is being published. Surely, I have more restraint than that. However, all her books are sitting in my Amazon cart as we speak.

Hunter's Way, a thoroughly engrossing read, hit all the right notes for me. The quality of writing is above average, as is the mystery/crime plotline, which is handled well giving us enough twists and turns along the way and, happily, the book is populated by a cast of fairly believable characters who don't hover too close to the usual stereotypes.

If I had to put my finger on the pulse of what makes this one work, for me, I'd say it was because the story's titled protagonists, Hunter, is this wonderfully flawed, all-too human cop with a past that illumines her from within. Add to that mixture, Samantha Kennedy, and her complicated unravelling life, you have two characters that slowly find they have chemistry, giving life to—at times—a deliciously erotic love-story that finally finds fruition by the end.

I'm not usually fond of the straight girl suddenly finds she's gay scenario, but this one worked. Why? Simply put, author Gerri Hill's deft handling.

Hunter's Way is now firmly fixed as one of my favourite reads.

When I first picked up this book and realized the main character is named "Tori Hunter," I was a little concerned. You see, I live in Minnesota and one of my favorite players on the Minnesota Twins baseball team is outfielder Torii Hunter. Let me put your fears to rest... Tori in the book is NOTHING like Torii on the field... She's much, much more intriguing.

Tori is a homicide detective who has had six male partners in as many years. Her partners either threaten to quit or they are injured on the job, so she gets assigned to someone else. Known as cold and heartless, many of her peers shun the idea of being assigned as her partner.

In walks Samantha Kennedy. Samantha has recently been reassigned to Homicide per her request and is Tori's new partner. Samantha's boyfriend doesn't support this career choice because he envisions their marriage, children and grandchildren. (Note: Her boyfriend is more of a frightening comic relief than a part of the real story. He seems almost seemed like an afterthought on the author's part. Hill builds the tension between Sam and her boyfriend, almost turning it violent when she tells him it's over. However, even that tension doesn't play a pivotal part in the story.)

As Sam begins to break down Tori's rigid exterior, she begins to have feelings for a woman for the first time in her life. Confused, but intrigued, she doesn't resist. Tori can't deny the growing magnetism she feels for Sam and struggles with allowing the other woman in.

Hill is undeniably one of my favorite authors. Her characters seem to spring to life. Admittedly, they are a little "more" than real, but that's what makes her books so fantastic. `Hunter's Way' is a welcome addition to my personal, permanent collection. Highly recommended.

Though I am not an avid fan of this author's work, I have spent many a late night reading her fiction these past three weeks. For whatever reason, I keep coming back for more.

Though the murder mystery elements in "Hunter's Way" were not as powerful for me as they were in "The Killing Room," the unfolding mystery of the relationship between Tori and Sam was superb.

I think this is one of the best, if not the best, character/relationship developments I have ever read. Nothing in the writing forced the relationship to grow unnaturally. Most enjoyable read.

I've often read other reviewers saying, "I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting." I never had experienced that myself, but I did with this book. I really couldn't put it down and stayed up way too late becaue I just had to find out how it turned out: how the murder mystery turned out, how the relationships turned out, how the sex turned out.... I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great read! This book flows smoothly and is a page turner. As a proven romance writer, this author's first attempt at a murder mystery is right on. The romance mixes well with the suspense, neither over-shadowing the other. As much as I love Hill's romances, I wouldn't mind her mixing in an occasional "cop" story. This one was very enjoyable!

As a somewhat "newbie" to reading lesbian novels, I have come across very few that have enthralled and captivated me like Hunters Way. Not only is it believable that a tough, unsociable, distant woman (Tori) could find herself drawn to her warm, thoughtful and full of life partner (Sam), it was completely entertaining to see it unfold....slowly. Not a minute of this read was boring. From page one, it caught my attention and drew me in, giving me the feeling that I knew each of the characters personally.

Gerri Hill can simply tell a story and while this book was full of hot, believable passion, it was also full of drama as the story unfolds. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It will be one of many that I read from this author and she has now set a very high standard of what I expect from a fiction novel.

Oh gosh, this was a fantastic read.

I love cop/PI lesbian novels. This one finds a cantankerous, street smart cop, Tori Hunter looking for a new partner. Tori can't seem to keep her partners. Enter from the Assault Unit, Samantha Kennedy. Tori doesn't like this a bit. But I don't think anybody cares anymore.

Sam has too much on her plate to mess with Tori's attitude. She also has the grace to correct and challenge Tori's one-sided look on life. But she's a good cop and she puts up with Tori and they go on the hunt.

I love a novel which makes the characters more real...starting relationships isn't always golden. It can be a rough ride.

Loved the book...recommend to all who love a good read.