Private Investigations

The Hawke Detective Agency takes on a new case, this time in New Orleans in "Private Investigations." Christy Hawke is struggling to keep the agency's New Orleans branch afloat. Her family doesn't take her seriously as a PI and her sexy rival Dallas McFarland keeps stealing her cases. When they are hired by different people to investigate the same murder case, Christy is forced to work with Dallas. They're going to need each other with this case, a mystery involving voodoo and murder with a killer who is soon after them. As the bodies pile up and the danger builds, can Christy and Dallas keep their focus on the challenging case and not their growing attraction, before it is too late?"Private Investigations" is another strong entry for the Hawke agency. Though there is no mention of it on the cover or inside the book, this is the second book in Barrett's Hawke Detective Agency series. Book one is "The Hunt for Hawke's Daughter" (Intrigue 605). That was a more dramatic tale. This is more of a fun, fast paced romp, though it does have plenty of dark suspense. The strength of "Private Investigations" is the banter between Christy and Dallas. Christy is feisty and smart mouthed. Dallas is brash and larger than life. Barrett keeps the comments flying between them, and their chemistry is strong. Readers who enjoy that quick back-and-forth relationship between two smart, funny people should enjoy this story. Although Dallas starts out getting the better of Christy, Barrett comes to show that they are equals who work well together in every way. The case puts them into some suspenseful situations while keeping the focus on their relationship. One perfectly advances the other in this well-plotted tale. Only a subplot involving Dallas's hidden motives for wanting to investigate this case is tiresome and overly predictable.Overall "Private Investigations" is a fun and entertaining novel from this talented writer. Romantic suspense fans shouldn't miss it.