My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fatal Affair, a Carina Press release by Marie Force, promises to be the first of a series involving the same romantic couple. I must give Ms. Force points for this, as I quite like to see a series develop the relationship between an established pair–J.D. Robb of course comes to mind for this. I must also give the book points for a nice juicy murder mystery, featuring the slaying of a young Senator. The investigating detective must give this case everything she’s got, since she’s under harshly critical eyes for the death of a child on her last case. And if that wasn’t stressful enough, she discovers to her shock and dismay that the Senator’s assistant is none other than her old flame.

All of which make up a nice little story. I had some quibbles with it from a stylistic perspective; there were a few too many coincidental things that seemed to have been put in for the convenience for the plot, such as our heroine’s chief of police also happening to be her uncle. On the other hand, the murder mystery was genuinely engaging, and I certainly won’t turn down a look at Book 2 with these characters. Three stars.