5 out of 5 stars
BURNING PROOF is book two in the Cold Case Justice series and another winner from Janice Cantore.
Detective Abby Hart is devastated when her latest case ends tragically. Taking a leave of absence, she spends time with her fiancée, doing what he loves, hoping his passion will become hers. Instead, Abby finds herself struggling with the relationship. With extra time on her hands and needing a distraction, she gets involved with a case Luke Murphy is working on. Abby knows she shouldn’t spend more time with Luke but wants to do something useful, especially if she can help the girl involved.
Private Investigator, Luke Murphy is haunted by Asa Foster’s dying words. Asa is Abby’s previous partner and whispers to Luke, “There is proof.” Knowing Asa is talking about the Triple Seven fire that took Abby’s parents and Luke’s uncle, he’s afraid to share the information with Abby because she’s already dealing with so much. He keeps the evidence from her and does some investigating of his own. In the meantime, he and his partner Woody, also a friend of Abby’s, works on a ten-year-old child abduction case. Feeling Abby will be better able to help the girl involved, Luke asks for her help, even as he tries to ignore his attraction to her. As the case winds down, new evidence in the Triple Seven fire is uncovered.
BURNING PROOF picks up where DRAWING FIRE leaves off. Even though Abby tries to put the Triple Seven fire and the death of her parents behind her, she can’t. It will always be in the back of her mind until she finds out the truth. She questions her feelings for both her fiancée and for Luke, while Luke tries to move on. Ms. Cantore does a superb job of building the suspense in this series. Even though the reader knows more than the characters, we still don’t know the conclusion. Hopefully, CATCHING HEAT, the third book in the series, will hold all the answers.
5 out of 5 stars
DRAWING FIRE by Janice Cantore is the first in the Cold Case Justice series, and most definitely earns its “suspense” genre tag.
Homicide detective Abby Hart is good at what she does. She’s a determined, by-the-book detective. That’s why she can’t let go of the unsolved crime that took her parents life when she was just a child. The Triple Seven fire is always on her mind, and now she might get a chance to talk with a person who could shed light on that case. Unfortunately, she has to work with private investigator, Luke Murphy, as well. Luke’s reputation and notoriety bothers Abby, but when she finds out he has a vested interest in solving her parent’s case, she decides working with him is in her best interest. Abby realizes she and Luke actually work well together, and soon, Abby feels an attraction for Luke, an attraction she shouldn't have and tries to ignore.
Luke Murphy is an eyewitness in Abby’s latest case, but he also has a link to her parent’s deaths. The Triple Seven fire took the life of his uncle, and Luke wants it solved just as much as Abby does. The more time Luke works with Abby, the more he feels a connection to her. But since Abby is engaged, he keeps his feelings to himself. Working hard to stay professional, Luke and Abby uncover new leads in the Triple Seven fire, leads that someone doesn’t want them to pursue.
This is a great first installment. Cantore is methodical in her development of Abby and Luke, and the other players involved. I was completely drawn into the multiple stories being told. Not only is there a case to be solved, but we watch the progress of the Triple Seven case, and Abby and Luke’s relationship. My only negative . . . which is to Ms. Cantore’s credit, is DRAWING FIRE does not finish with loose ends tied up. The Triple Seven case goes unsolved at the end of the book, and the reader is left to wonder what will become of Luke and Abby’s attraction for each other. Ms. Cantore played her cards right. I can’t wait to delve into BURNING PROOF, book two in the series. Luckily, I already own it.
