Bone to Pick

I can’t begin to imagine how difficult missing persons cases, particularly children, must be on law enforcement officials. Those jobs, in and of themselves, are often very stressful but adding a young child’s disappearance along with everything that goes hand in hand with them – i.e., more press and scrutiny, family drama, and cold trails – and the pressure must be stratospheric. Throw in a missing ten-year-old boy, a sheriff’s deputy with way too much baggage and a severe case of insomnia, an FBI agent who has his own laundry list of issues along with an enormous intimacy problem, and a ‘Bone to Pick’ has hit the nail on the head of a suspenseful, erotic romance.

Cloister and Javi couldn’t be more different if they tried. Cloister is a K-9 handler with the sheriff’s department, lives in a rented Airstream trailer at the park by the ocean, is an insomniac of epic proportions (all relating to childhood trauma), and has a major issue with authority. Javi is a designer-suit-wearing FBI Special Agent, rents a gorgeous loft downtown, has burned more than one bridge in his career, believes sharing a coffee cup is too intimate, and thinks technology is far better than K-9 units any day. To say they’ve knocked heads on more than one case is a mild understatement. In fact, the last time they worked together, Cloister punched Javi.

“No falling in love, Cloister reminded himself as they walked up the drive to the shiny blue front door. No getting overattached like a stray dog shown some affection. Javi Merlo was just a hot asshole who got under Cloister’s skin, not the next ex-boyfriend he was going to disappoint. He fell easily. It didn’t mean he was any good at it.”

Cloister has a gut feeling that he presents to Javi which, in turn, leads Cloister and Bourneville (his dog) to discover a body and several plastic bags of clothing under the floor of an abandoned housing project. Now it looks as if perhaps Javi is searching for a serial killer and that puts a whole new spin on the investigation. The added pressure mounts and Javi and Cloister try to navigate the case while dealing with feelings neither man has really felt before. I have to admit they are sinfully hot together.

T.A. Moore has written an exciting and thrilling mystery story with two very complex characters, and a plot that kept me guessing. I’ll admit to some disappointment at the end as she left the romance between Cloister and Javi somewhat up in the air in a very “will they or won’t they” manner. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the author writing another book in this world. Oh, and great shout-out to an author I love and a series I adore.

This book is an intriguing mystery suspense. Both Cloister and Javi are interesting complex characters. this story has a sexual relationship but it is not a romance but that's OK because it fits these men really well.
The story starts out as one missing child case and evolves into much more spanning several missing persons and years. I was shocked and love a good mystery I don't guess in the first few pages or in this case, not at all.

Cloister's dog is the main character as well and I love how she was written into the story. I would love more of these guys!

The narration was spot on. both men had very clear voices and the pacing was great. I think the narration really made this book.

Gah! What is not to love about this book? Suspense. Murder. Romance? Rugged guys who don't want love. It has a bit of everything. It's an awesome ride and I was ready to take it. I love how much we get of the case and the guys... working... well.. maybe working, together. lol TA does an awesome job of weaving in little bits here and there as the story unfolds. Both leads can be jerks, but I loved them because of that. They each have a past. That is slipped in through out the story. I enjoyed the ending. It made me smile. I am hoping that the guys will have another case.

TA does a wonderful job with the investigation part of the story. Following along, wondering what was going to happen next was one of the things I loved about the story.

I have loved reading this story with great conversations. Cloister and Javi were interesting and likable characters and a great dog. I love a mystery when it’s in a romance. It was fast-paced and fun to read. I would definitely recommend this book.

*I received an ARC for an honest review.

This was the first book I read by this author and am looking forward to reading more. For fans of suspense and mystery, this book delivers in spades. As the story evolves, you learn bits and pieces of what Cloister Witte deals with on a day to day basis – from his horrific family past to the guilt of the missing people he hasn’t been able to find. His K-9 partner, Bourneville, seems to be his link to sanity and definitely has a personality that comes through in the story.

FBI agent Javi Merlo doesn’t believe in K-9 units and is very antagonistic towards Cloister and Bourneville. There is a history between Javi and Cloister that begins to unfold during the book, but you just know there is more to be discovered.

There were some moments in the first three to four chapters, where keeping track of the characters was difficult and I had to go back and re-read, but once the story action ramped up they became clearer. There definitely was a feel that this was the first book of a series. It seemed to end abruptly with no real resolution between Cloister and Javi, just a HFN.

* I was given this book as an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.