Love You to Death

Shannon K. Butcher

When Elise McBride doesn't receive a phone call from her sister Ashley for more than a day she knows something is wrong. Ashley always calls almost daily. Elise calls the police in Haven, Illinois, near Chicago, then hops a plane in Hong Kong and flies to find Ashley. Something has happened to her sister and she has to find out what.

Trent Brady is the "Hot Lawn Guy" (Ashley's description) who lives across the street. He works in the family landscaping business and is carrying a mountain of guilt from an instance when he was a policeman a couple years earlier. Although he's no longer a cop, he still has the instincts. When he sees a woman break into Ashley's house in the middle of the night, he calls the local police and goes over to stop the burglar. He finds Elise instead.

She is a freelance journalist who is determined to find her sister. He is still a cop at heart and is determined to keep her safe. Trent knows the things that could happen to Elise in her search. When she starts out by following Ashley's footsteps to one of the seediest bars in Haven, Trent refuses to let her go alone. Once he goes with her to the bar, he's now involved. He also can feel his cop senses rearing up. He has suppressed them for two years, but they hadn't left. He knows if he doesn't protect her, Elise will be in trouble. Elise is probably right - her sister is probably in danger, possibly dead. He doesn't want that to happen to her, too.

I enjoy Shannon K. Butcher's work. Love You to Death is her 4th book that I've read. Unfortunately for my tastes, she does her research well. Part of this novel is written from a serial killer's viewpoint. Butcher mentions after the end of the novel that she combines the characteristics of a few killers she studied into this man. They are gruesome and he gets too much pleasure out of it. The torture his victims have to endure before they are killed is mentally painful to the reader. I finally skimmed the last third of the book to follow Elise and Trent's story but avoid the killer's sections.

I like the way Trent is finally forced to face his past. His brother, Sam, is a side character who is quite influential in this book. Will there be a follow up with Sam and the woman who attracts him? I'd like to learn more about him.

The romance between Trent and Elise gets hot and heavy as they try to deny to themselves that they want to be in a permanent relationship. If you like your romantic suspense very gritty and the suspense realistic, you'll like Love You to Death. It was over the top for me.

Notice: Explicit sexual content, Graphic violence

Publisher provided for review

No Regrets by Shannon K. Butcher