The Baby Trail - Marie Ferrarella (HRS #2172 - Mar 2022)

Series: Cavanaugh Justice (Book 43)

To find a kidnapped newborn
Detectives must risk everything
 
One desperate task unites detectives Korinna Kennedy and Brodie Cavanaugh: to rescue an abducted infant. As their frantic investigation proceeds, so does the partners' prickly relationship. Only when loner Korinna is drawn into laid-back Brodie's life do they become closer. And as their list of suspects grows, they put their lives and hearts on the line to bring home the missing child.
 
Good book. This book had a different beginning than most of this series, beginning when Kori was eight years old. Her father had just been shot in a hold-up when Brian Cavanaugh (then a captain, now Chief of Detectives) stopped at the store for milk. He was responsible for getting the ambulance for Kori's dad, and rather than turn Kori over to social services, he took her home to his family while her dad recovered. This began a long relationship with the Cavanaughs, leading to Kori becoming a member of the police department.
 
After that emotional prologue, the book moves to the present day. Kori, now a detective, has just lost her partner to sudden retirement. She's surprised to arrive at work to find she's already been assigned a new partner - a transfer from Homicide. In this police department, it's not an unusual occurrence for it to be a Cavanaugh. Brodie Cavanaugh looks forward to helping the living, not just coming in after the fact. Kori isn't sure what to make of the light-hearted Brodie, and their initial exchanges are awkward. Then a call comes in about an infant abducted from the hospital, and they're off and running.
 
Kori is very intense. There is little room in her life for anything outside the cases she works on and takes personally. I liked her determination to find the baby girl and reunite her with her mother, but it felt like she was on the way to burning out. With the example of his large LEO family, Brodie has a good handle on keeping some balance in his life. I loved seeing Brodie's attempts to help Kori find that balance, though she fought him every step of the way. Though Kori wasn't sure about their partnership initially, she couldn't deny they worked well together.
 
I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between Brodie and Kori. Brodie's laid-back attitude balanced Kori's intensity. I loved his sense of humor and how he used it to break up the tension. Some sparks fly, but both try to ignore them and focus on the case. When Brodie invites Kori to a gathering that includes former missing person cops designed to give them some new ideas to pursue, she does her best to get out of it. It is one of Andrew Cavanaugh's famous get-togethers, and she has been avoiding them for years. I loved seeing Brodie keep after her until she agreed to go. Her reluctance is palpable that day, and Brodie knows her enough by now to call her out on why. He points out that she doesn't allow herself to get close to anyone because she's afraid of losing them.
 
Once again, Andrew's parties provide a catalyst for exploding feelings. I laughed as Kori and Brodie watched her dad and his aunt take to each other. I was a little worried about Kori's attitude and how she was freaking out. Brodie found an interesting way to get her to stop spiraling - he kissed her. Neither one expected the firestorm raised by that kiss, but their chemistry was explosive. Judging by relationships in earlier books, I have to wonder just what ingredients go into some of Andrew's dishes, as his parties tend to have similar results for others. I got a little vexed with Kori's morning after worries, but everything worked out okay. I liked how their relationship continued to grow as the case went on. There was no "black moment" pulling them apart, and by the end of the book, they were ready to see where it would go. The epilogue nicely answered that question.
 
The suspense of the story was good. I ached for the young mother who blamed herself for her baby's disappearance. I liked the team's determination to find the baby and felt their frustration as lead after lead were dead ends. But something that one of the retired cops said gave Kori and Brodie an idea of another path to investigate. I will admit that their new suspect had crossed my mind earlier in the book. I enjoyed seeing their pursuit of this path and how it became more apparent the further they got. I liked the happy ending, including the consequences for the kidnapper.