Drawn in Blood

Former FBI Special Agent Sloane Burbank is about to take on a case that is very personal. Her father, Matthew Burbank, is an art dealer. He and his partners took part in a deal years ago and now their past is coming back to haunt them, starting with an attack on Sloan's mother. Sloan's boyfriend, Derek Parker, is still an FBI Special Agent. Sloan and Derek's relationship will be tested as Derek seeks to find out who, and why, Sloan's parents are being targeted. Sloan has to often choose between keeping her father's secrets and helping Derek with the case. It becomes clear that Asian gangs play a role in the attack, but why? The Asian gang leader is a powerful man hell-bent on revenge. Will his ultimate goal to make Matthew pay be taking Sloan's life? Drawn in Blood is a complex police investigation with a heated romance. Sloan and Derek's relationship is as tumultuous as the case they are trying to solve. Sloan and Derek face one obstacle after another in both the case and in their personal lives. Their love is strong and proves to be as solid as their impressive detective work. Sloan is extremely tough, physically, and emotionally. Derek is the perfect match for her. They understand and accept how demanding their careers are and they are compatible in every way outside of the office as well. Drawn in Blood is an intricate and detailed story. You have to keep up to get to the exciting and satisfying conclusion! Nannette Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I listened to Joyce Bean bring this book alive on MP3. She does such a good job with the characters. The continuing love story between Derek and Sloane was great. Andrea Kane really kept me interested with the plot of this story. I loved the way she brought it all together at the end. The whole story wrapped up nicely. It was one of my favorite reads for the summer.

Great sequel to Twisted with Sloan and Derek moving forward with their relationship and at the same time try to find out who is trying to hurt Sloan's father and his art-business group. Sloan is loyal to her father and his secrets, but torn because she cannot share the information with Derek which almost drives a wedge between them but since Derek has information that he's holding back from Sloan, they are constantly butting heads. When it looks like Derek's case with Xiao Long corresponds with the attack on Sloan's mother, and her father's friends, it takes both Derek and Sloan's best skills to try to solve the case before anyone else gets hurt. The book has a great balance of suspense and romance and we see the progression of Sloan and Derek's relationship and how they work together without trying to kill each other. For those who liked Twisted, Drawn in Blood is another well-written romantic suspense book by Andrea Kane and if there is another book with these characters, I will be first in line to read it!

A decade ago, Matthew Burbank and his business partners witnessed the murder of Cai Wen, a crime that has come back to haunt him and his family. The FBI Special Agent Williams has questioned Matthew and his partners who tell little out of fear for their loved ones. The chief of a Chinese triad, Dragon Head, has a long memory and feels the time to kill the witnesses and their family is now. They assault Matthew's wife Rosalyn in their apartment and leave behind a fortune cookie note threatening retribution if he fails to remain silent. At the same time, Mathew's daughter Sloane's former partner and current lover FBI Special Agent Derek Parker leads inquiries into Dragon Head and his cohorts. Following the Burbank apartment "robbery" in which nothing except their mental solace is taken, Matthew asks his daughter for help. She pleads with him to let her bring Derek in on their situation, but he says no fearing for his wife and daughter. Thus he places Sloane in the awkward situation of concealing what she knows about Dragon Head and his associates from her lover who also hides information from her. The first third of this fast-paced FBI romantic suspense sequel (see TWISTED) focuses on Matthew and Rosalyn, but smoothly switches leads to Sloane and Derek. The story line is action-packed and the spin of who stars is logical and never decelerates the speed of the enjoyable story line. The audience knows just about all during the parents' lead which takes away somewhat from the suspense; much of what happens to the younger pair is ironically caused by each hiding instead of sharing information. Fans will enjoy their trysts in between their bickering over trust and who is concealing more though the investigation takes a somewhat back seat to the relationship. Harriet Klausner

Just finished Drawn in Blood. It was SOOOOOOO GOOD!! There is so much I loved about it..I wish there was some support group I could converse with about all the little details. As before, I am amazed at Andrea's ability to write dialog that flows so well. I feel like I'm listening to the characters rather than reading. When she was describing Xiao Long's imagining killing his victims (pg 227)..I was thinking.."wow..I'm afraid right now." Or when Ben and Wallace had their confrontation and eventually mutual forgiveness (pg 304-5), I literally had tears in my eyes. The story was so tight, the pacing was fantastic. My heart was racing as the story was accelerating towards its finish. Then there's Sloane and Derek.....I am totally and completely happy and satisfied...I love happy endings. I sincerely think, of the books of Andrea Kane's that I have read, which I believe were her last three...this was by far the best..I loved them all. Great job! Paul Sedlacek Rockaway, NJ