Devious (A Bentz/Montoya Novel)

Lisa Jackson is my favorite author. No “dead” areas with too many pages of description, thoughts of one of the characters, or just plain filler to increase the size of the book. The books that are co-authored with sister Nancy Bush are great also.

This one was a powerhouse of a novel so much going on and happening to keep you off track. I thought I had it figured out but was way off base and was super surprised when we find out who did it. I don't think I will look around and priests the same again! Lisa Jackson creates a story and characters that drag you into the story and make readers only want more.

Love all her books I start them and I can’t put thendown

I've read the previous six books in this series, so I was completely up to speed with the recurring characters (Bentz & Montoya). Overall, I have enjoyed this series. For the most part, the previous books all had decent story lines and good enough mystery/suspense elements to keep me interested. I thought this book fell flat in those departments, though. The H and h (Slade & Valerie) were likeable enough, though I personally found Slade to be more likeable than Valerie. Valerie's character was written in such a way that she really came across as being high strung and bitchy. I don't think that was really the intent, but it was the result. The "thing" that occurred between Slade and Camille (Valerie's sister) a couple of years prior to the start of the story was really overblown from Valerie's perspective. While I totally understand why she got so upset at both of them (I would have, too), she ultimately chose to believe her lying, slutty sister instead of her own husband. Given Camille's track record, I didn't think that was the smartest reaction from Valerie, especially given the extremes that she took things to. Since this book is billed as a romantic suspense, I expected more of a focus on Slade and Valerie. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a focus on those two in the book. Sure, they are together a lot as the search for the killer is underway, but throughout most of the story, their relationship is still in a fractured state, so there's lots of squabbling and bitchiness going on. Not what I like in my fiction. There is also too much focus, IMO, on Cruz and Lucia. Neither of them plays any kind of a pivotal role in this book, so those side stories just detracted from what should have been more of a focus on Slade and Valerie. From a romantic standpoint, this book is a dud. The mystery/suspense elements were okay, but not great by any means. There were several threads that were just left hanging, which is one of those things that always bothers me (unless a book is billed as being part of an ongoing saga that you know will pick back up in the next entry of the series). The Bentz/Montoya books don't connect in that kind of way. In each of these books, you will find two new main characters (that are supposed to be the romantic element), and each of these can really be read as stand alones. It took me a few days to finish this one simply because I had so much trouble getting involved in the story. It wound up being more of a chore for me to finish it, which is never a good thing when I'm reading for enjoyment. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot on this one, especially if any of the issues I mentioned tend to be deal breakers for you.

Wow! I was totally surprised at the ending, very suspenseful! I’m looking forward to Bentz and Montoya taking “Him” down permanently this time! Lisa Jackson never fails me!