Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Agent Colton's Takedown - Beverly Long (HRS #2160 - Dec 2021)

Series: Coltons of Grave Gulch (Book 11)

A murderer has her in his sights…
But not if an intrepid agent gets his way!
 
For months, a serial killer has been haunting FBI agent Bryce Colton's every waking moment. And now the lethal criminal is obsessed with Grave Gulch local Olivia Margulies. Bryce knows Olivia is the key to drawing out the town's terrorizer. But as the lawman works to protect her 24/7, the sparks that fly between them can't mask the danger that looms ever closer…

 
Good book. At the end of the previous book, Uncovering Colton's Family Secret, the serial killer Len Davison broke into Olivia Margulies's deli, forcing her to make him a sandwich before robbing her. In this book, FBI agent Bryce Colton becomes Olivia's protector as he waits for Davison's next move.
 
I like Bryce and have throughout the series. He's a good man with a tough job. He initially sees Olivia as a means to an end, but that changes as he gets to know her. Thanks to his career, Bryce tends to be a glass-half-empty kind of guy but being around Olivia's brighter outlook on life begins to change him. I enjoyed seeing him hang out in the deli with her, stepping in to help in the kitchen and becoming part of her life. Complicating matters is the intense attraction he feels for her. It manifests in heated kisses that he then regrets as being inappropriate and tries to back away from. Olivia feels the same attraction and wonders if it will continue after Davison is captured. There are some sweet scenes between them as they grow closer, such as Bryce's care of her when she's sick to Olivia's trying to help him through his feelings about his father's return. I loved seeing them come together at the end after the terror of nearly losing each other.
 
The suspense was excellent. After that first visit by Davison, the tension continued to build as they waited for him to try again. The situation took a creepy turn with the second visit and his confession that he had a crush on Olivia. I could feel Bryce's frustration as each lead led to a dead end. When the final confrontation came, I was glued to the pages as Bryce raced to find Olivia before it was too late.  
 
The epilogue was great and included a lead-in to the final book in the series. It will be interesting to see if Baldwin Bowe, bounty hunter, succeeds in finding his estranged brother Randall.



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