Customer Reviews

Physical Evidence (The Colby Agency, Book 6) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #671)

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

 

 

The Colby Agency's latest case takes P.I. Alex Preston to Tennessee in "Physical Evidence." Investigating the disappearance of a young woman, Alex is attacked and left with amnesia. Sheriff Mitch Hayden doesn't like a big city investigator coming into his town and asking questions. Alex is the main suspect in the death of his deputy. He doesn't trust her, even if he is attracted to her. Can he keep her from getting herself killed before he can uncover the truth?

I've had varying reactions to Webb's other books, not caring for some of her stories, though her writing was always strong. This is the first one that fell pretty flat. "Physical Evidence" is hindered by a foolish heroine, an obvious villain, and a lack of chemistry between the characters. It's hard to take serious the claim that the Colby Agency hires only "the best" (and Webb lays it on pretty thick, right down to the last line) when they have someone like Alex working for them, who makes many bad choices. Worse, she makes more and more of them as the book goes on. Just when I thought she couldn't do anything dumber than the last thing she did, she does! The ending in particular had me shaking my head. Anyone who has a major clue and the entire truth practically thrown in their face and doesn't even notice is a terrible investigator.

Unlike the author's previous books, I never felt the attraction between the main characters, so the usual sex scene seemed to come out of nowhere. Mitch spends so much time thinking about how he was attracted to Alex before the murder and what happened between them then that the author never really shows how he's attracted to her now. The sex is hot. Everything that comes before it is not. The story is fast-paced, but predictable, and I had the villain pegged within a few chapters. You'd think if I could figure it out so soon, an agent from the incredible Colby Agency could too. No such luck. It's also interesting to note that Alex is only the second female agent we've seen working for the Colby Agency, and the last one got amnesia on her case too (in "Safe By His Side"). Hmmmmm.

Lacking in the white-knuckle suspense of "The Bodyguard's Baby" or the powerful romance of "Personal Protector," "Physical Evidence" is far from this author's best work.

Debra Webb is one of my favorite authors... and while this book wasn't exactly what I expected from her, I still enjoyed it. I'm not sure the hero was matched to the heroine, but both characters are interesting and memorable.

CataRomance Reviews

Debra Webb's Colby Agency books are known for their sizzling sexual tension and slam-bam action scenes--and PHYSICAL EVIDENCE is no exception. But I loved this one because it added a particularly complex mystery. I was right there with the heroine, piecing together clues to uncover both her past (she has selective amnesia) and a series of gruesome crimes. And it never hurts to have an irresistibly sexy hero, either!

Usually you can count on Debra Webb to deliver an excellent read, but every now and then one slips through that is just unworthy. The heroine in this book is supposed to be some smart FBI profiler and sharp investigator, but she makes mistake after mistake until you just want to scream! The heroine gets trapped by the villain at the end, and in my opinion the hero should have just let the villain have her. The villains are so obvious its laughable, the heroine is too stupid to live, and the hero is such a pushover its not even funny. Don't waste your money.