Review: Every Breath You Take by MK Gilroy

Every Breath You Take is the second book in this series featuring Chicago Police Detective Kristen Connor. This time the victim is Jack Durham, a rich second son who spends his time living off a trust fund and ‘dating’ high-class call girls because he’s too lazy to find a real date. The evidence points his murderer being one of the call girls, one of several from the agency he and his friends always use. But the police need evidence, so Kristen goes on an undercover date with ones of Jack's friends. This means she has to work with the don’t-call-her-a-madam, who has the unenviable task of getting Kristen to wear flattering clothes and makeup.

Every Breath You Take works well as a stand-alone, even though it is part of a series and there are some ongoing subplots that span the books, including Kristen’s possible stalker, her relationship with FBI Agent Austin Reynolds and her quest to find who was responsible for the death of her father. There are also a few appearances from Kristen’s sisters, and she continues to coach her niece’s soccer team, which adds a nice element.

There is a lot of information that shows Gilroy has done his research on topics like hand-to-hand fighting and firearm usage, and it certainly tells us a lot about how detail-minded the heroine is. But sometimes it does feel like it's too much. It feels foreign and (dare I say it) a bit too masculine.

In a way, Every Breath You Take reminds me of Castle and Beckett, except there’s no handsome writer working with Connor (and these books are a lot better written than "Richard Castle's" ghostwritten Nikki Heat novels). There are also hints of Diary of a Call Girl (which I haven't read, but I’ve seen the adverts on TV), and I’m assuming this is accurate, but how would I know?

The early reviews quoted on Amazon suggest Every Breath You Take is even better than Cuts Like a Knife. Personally, I disagree. It’s a good mystery/thriller and will work well as part of a series, but I think the first book was stronger. I didn’t understand the motivation of one of the main characters in Every Breath You Take(to tell you who or why would be a spoiler) but I think that detracted from my enjoyment.

Thanks to WaterBrook and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about MK Gilroy at his website.