Customer Reviews

Police Business

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

 

 

Hearing-impaired Claire witnesses a murder when she pays an after-hours visit to her father's office. But there's not a corpse in sight or any sign of foul play when the police arrive. Her family thinks she's lost it, until she identifies a notorious assassin as the killer. Desperately afraid that she will be the next victim, Claire turns to the arms of sexy detective A.J. Rodriguez for protection and finds passion for the first time. A courageous heroine and a hot hero with more than just POLICE BUSINESS (4 1/2) on his mind make Julie Miller's latest an irresistible read.

This is the second book in Julie's The Precinct series and stars Detective A.J. Rodriguez who in spite of his emotionally trouble mind is an excellent cop and very caring. Heiress Claire Winthrop is a strong character and is very determined to survive on her own. This book is another of those I label as "can't put it down until the end" books which makes you wonder how the hero and heroine are going to survive.

A.J. is the son of a custodian who once worked for Winthrop Enterprises before he was murdered and was the only murder he has been unable to solve. A.J. had been out on the streets causing trouble when he was younger and therefore understood those causing trouble better than most. At first he did not believe Claire when she claimed to have witnessed the murder of her father's assistant or at least she saw the dead body on the floor with a man standing over it. But when there were several attempts on Claire's life he began to investigate her story more closely and to watch over her.

Claire is hearing impaired due to a tropical fever as a child but in spite of that she is a very determined and maybe too brave. She is adament about what she saw even though the body has disappeared and all traces of a dead body have vanished. Everyone else believes that the assistant is on vacation and she even "calls" to let everyone know she is fine. In spite of the fact that Claire being hearing impaired she is a very believable character and not an object of pity.

I've read a number of the books in The Precinct series by Julie Miller, but I'll admit, I was avoiding this one. I thought that the idea of the deaf heiress heroine seemed too contrived, but I can honestly say I was very pleasantly surprised! Claire Winthrop was not portrayed as a weak person in need of protecting, despite her hearing impaired state (caused by a bought with a tropical fever as a toddler). She came off as a strong, sharp woman, wanting desperately to have a life of her own away from her overprotective father. Her limited hearing ability and superior lip-reading skills made her able to interact with others proficiently. I had liked A.J. since he first entered the series, and I think his personality fits the expression "Still waters run deep". His quiet nature belies his emotionally troubled mind. They made a good pair, and I was still questioning who the "mole" in the family was until the end! Great romantic suspense!

I'd read anything from this author. I'd been waiting for A.J.'s story and wasn't disappointed. This is a hot and suspenseful read. I loved the strong sense of atmosphere the writer conveyed. I felt like I was right in the action.

Claire is hearing impaired and comes from a rich family. She's 23 and still lives with her protective family. But after seeing the face of a murderer, she makes sure that the authorities check out the crime. Yet, when the police arrive to look at the body, nothing is there. This leaves everyone to believe that Claire has made everything up for attention or just isn't feeling ok. The detective that arrives is A.J. Rodriguez. He is much older than Claire and from the working class. At first he doesn't believe Claire but decides to give her case a chance. It was nice how A.J. actually listened to Claire unlike her family and the hearing impairment didn't cause any trouble in communication. It also wasn't too apparent who the second culprit was until the end. After reading so many romance and romantic suspense books, I have become very picky and a little less likely to give a 5 for most books. I enjoyed reading this but just like most other books, especially those from Harlquin Intrigue, I get kind of tired of reading how the characters feel that they aren't good enough for the other character. These thoughts are understandable but kind of irritating for me now since I have read so much of it. Though I was really glad that Claire didn't have too many of these thoughts and took the first step in standing up for their relationship. Julie Miller is one of my favorite Harlequin Intrigue authors and I never hesitate in reading her books. So if I had read this a few months ago, I probably would have given it a 5