Book: Fish Out of Water
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: July 29, 2016
Length: 270 pages
Reviewed by Erin
Synopsis
PI Jackson Rivers grew up on the mean streets of Del Paso Heights—and he doesn’t trust cops, even though he was one. When the man he thinks of as his brother is accused of killing a police officer in an obviously doctored crime, Jackson will move heaven and earth to keep Kaden and his family safe.
Defense attorney Ellery Cramer grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, but that hasn’t stopped him from crushing on street-smart, swaggering Jackson Rivers for the past six years. But when Jackson asks for his help defending Kaden Cameron, Ellery is out of his depth—and not just with guarded, prickly Jackson. Kaden wasn’t just framed, he was framed by crooked cops, and the conspiracy goes higher than Ellery dares reach—and deep into Jackson’s troubled past.
Both men are soon enmeshed in the mystery of who killed the cop in the minimart, and engaged in a race against time to clear Kaden’s name. But when the mystery is solved and the bullets stop flying, they’ll have to deal with their personal complications… and an attraction that’s spiraled out of control.
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Review
I am a huge Amy Lane
fan. Whether it's light and sweet like her Candy
Man series or full of angst and pain like The Locker Room (still in my top 5 books of ANY book of all-time)
or Beneath the Stain, Amy always
brings it. Humor and snark and realism and emotions, it's all there in every
Amy Lane book. I'm also a big fan of author's taking risks and stepping outside
of their box, trying something new that they know might not appeal to all their
readers, even the most diehard ones. So when I found out Amy was writing a
mystery, I was all in before I even knew what the book would be about. I
figured some of her signature style would be mixed with something new and
exciting, and I was mostly right.
What you should know
before you even pick up this book (and I don't think I'm spoiling anything by
mentioning this) is that Fish Out of
Water isn't your typical Amy Lane romance. Yeah there's lots of sarcasm and
witty banter. Some flirting and sexual innuendo that Amy is SO very good at
writing. Broken characters that get redeemed in a way only Amy Lane can write,
but the romance between Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cameron definitely takes a
back seat to the mystery and suspense of the book. Not necessarily a BAD thing
mind you, and it wouldn't have bothered me quite so much if Jackson and Ellery
were a tad more likable. I loved Jackson's complete and utter devotion to his
best friend, Kaden and his wife, Rhonda and to Jade who is Kaden's twin sister
and Jackson's on again, off again friend with benefits. The family they have
forged together is so very typical Amy Lane and was one of the strongest parts
of the book. And obviously, once Kaden is arrested and framed for the murder of
a white police officer, it's Jackson who is moving mountains to prove his
innocence. And yes, if you didn’t catch it in the blurb—Kaden is black, the
officer he allegedly murders, is white. Enter defense attorney, Ellery Cameron.
These two already have a bit of a frenemy vibe going on before Jackson asks
Ellery for help. They have a grudging respect for each other, as Jackson is a
private investigator for the same firm where Ellery practices. And it certainly
doesn't hurt, or maybe it does, that Ellery has ALWAYS been attracted to the
larger than life Jackson. It's well into the book before these two become
romantically involved. Seeing as how they're focused on proving Kaden's
innocence, this wasn't really a problem for me, but there is that elusive
"something" Amy Lane always brings to the table that's missing
between Ellery and Jackson.
A few things I did
appreciate. One, Jackson is proudly bisexual, and as such is of course
attracted to both men AND women. His sexual relationship with Jade doesn't go
on very long in the book, but there is a brief, and I think important scene at
the beginning that shows these two having on-page sex. It isn't overly graphic
but I give huge kudos to Amy and her editors for framing this scene the way
they did and letting it play out without a fade to black. Two, Jackson and
Kaden's friendship. It's fabulous. These two men are more than friends; they're
brothers and their love and loyalty to each other is wonderful. The scenes
between these two are among the most powerful in the book and as usual, written
with that heart-stopping angst and pain Amy Lane is famous for. Three, there is
a lot of action in this one. The book moves along quickly with sharp, sometimes
biting dialog. Dirty cops, murder, evidence tampering and shoot-outs kept the
suspense revved up from beginning to end. I would have liked a little bit less
stereotypical "racist dirty cops" out to get the black guy going
on and I definitely could have done without some of the questionable word
choices and phrases that jarred me from time to time, but I did keep turning
the page, well swiping the screen, to get to the end. Fish Out of Water, once it got going, really captured my attention
and kept it. This book is gritty and urban. It’s suspenseful and I found myself
gasping more than a few times. Super-hot and dirty sex when Jackson and
Ellery’s relationship moves to that level, an intense plot, and memorable
characters made Amy Lane’s first attempt at a mystery mostly a win. I’m looking
forward to see where this series goes from here.
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