Review: Cold-Blooded Liar (Romantic Suspense #27) by Karen Rose

About the Book

Brace yourself for a scorching new series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose, where San Diego means sun, surf, sand…and serial killers.

Sam Reeves is a kindhearted psychologist who treats court-ordered clients. After one of his patients—a pathological liar—starts revealing plausible new details from a long-unsolved serial murder case, he’s compelled to report anonymously to the SDPD tip line, though his attempts to respect patient confidentiality land him facedown and cuffed by the aggressive (and cute) Detective McKittrick.

San Diego homicide detective Kit McKittrick loves the water. She lives on a boat, and when she’s not solving crimes with the SDPD, she’s assisting her foster sister with her charter fishing business or playing with her poodle. But there’s nothing that intrigues Kit more than a cold case, so when an anonymous caller leads her on the path of a wanted killer, she’s determined to end the decade-long manhunt.

Sam is soon released but goes home with both a newfound distaste for the SDPD and a resolve—not unlike Kit’s—to uncover the truth. Kit and Sam repeatedly butt heads in their separate investigations but are forced to work together to find one of the deadliest serial killers the city has faced in years.

My Thoughts

Cold-Blooded Liar is the first book in Ms. Rose’s San Diego branch of her Romantic Suspense series. The story has a lot of the elements I look for in a romantic suspense story but there were a few things that stuck in my craw and kept me from fully enjoying the book.

The characters 

Ms. Rose creates dynamic characters that are fully fleshed out and entertaining. But I felt Sam and Kit weren’t balanced as main characters. Kit had a rough childhood growing up as a foster kid and experiencing loss at a young age which shaped her as she becomes a tough-as-nails cop that doesn’t show much emotion. Sam grew up with both parents, had a few devastating things happen to him as well, but he’s so kind and loving and is not afraid of being vulnerable or showing emotion. With this large differential between the two, it’s hard to generate chemistry and I definitely felt it, or the lack thereof. 

The plot

The storyline was well thought out and meticulous as is in any Karen Rose book. It’s just not my favorite location. I didn’t feel as excited about it as I have been with other locations in the series. 

The suspense

I felt like the suspense built a lot slower in the book making it a bit hard for me to keep engaged in the story, regardless of the great characters and storyline. Ms. Rose always does an amazing job with the “whodunit” part of the story and Cold-Blooded Liar is no exception. There was a solid sleight-of-hand moment in the book. What I mean is, I always try to figure out who the bad guy/girl(s) is/are and usually I get fooled. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story. There were a few things that bugged me as previously stated but I’m definitely looking forward to the next book.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.