REVIEW: Skeletons in the Closet by Nicky James (Shadowy Solutions #1)

SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET

Shadowy Solutions - Book One

by Nicky James

Release Date: May 30, 2024

Review

Wow, what a great story. Nicky is amazing at mysteries that enthrall and keep you guessing. She also gives us people who aren’t always immediately liked. But always compelling.

Diem is so closed off that he even struggles to make small talk. Especially with the over-eager glass half-full Tallus. But the more you uncover of Diem, the more you want to fight for his happy ending. See him smile and find some warmth in his life. Damn, I’m a sucker for a wounded man. And I have to admit, I felt for the guy everytime he was unable to shake Tallus.

Tallus was a bit like a puppy dog, showing up time and again, no matter how often he was rebuffed. A mix of looking for something more exciting in his life and a curious intrigue in Diem.

By the end, this unlikely pairing will have you convinced that they are absolutely necessary to each other.

I can’t wait to see where their relationship takes them and what other cases they find themselves working on.

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Synopsis

The last thing Diem Krause wanted to do was ask for Tallus’s help.

The too-hot-for-his-own-good records clerk was so far outside Diem’s league that he became tongue-tied in his presence. Six months ago, after an embarrassingly unimpressive exchange in the bedroom that accentuated Diem’s flaws, he swore never to go near the sultry man again.

When a new case lands on Diem’s desk, one involving a dead, allegedly unfaithful husband, Diem exhausts every means of investigation until he has no choice but to seek out the man he swore never to see again.

Tallus has skills Diem doesn’t. In addition to being confident and sociable, Tallus can act and help him get answers.

But inviting Tallus into his case means relinquishing control, and Diem hates not being in control. Not only is the Toronto Police Department’s records clerk fanatical about investigative work, but he also has a thing for making Diem uncomfortable and pushing his boundaries.

When the case takes a dark and dangerous turn, the two spend far too many long nights trying to puzzle things out. Tallus’s flirty, suggestive behavior is going to get them in trouble, and the last thing Diem wants is to end up in bed with him again. It was a disaster the first time, and Diem doesn’t want to revisit the shame.

Will Diem be able to resist Tallus’s charm?

Can the two work together to solve the unusual case without crossing lines?

Diem isn’t so sure. He doesn’t want a partner. He doesn’t need a lover.

But with Tallus Domingo, he somehow ends up with both.

About Nicky James

I live in the small town of Petrolia, Ontario, Canada and I am a mother to a wonderful teenage boy (didn't think those words could be typed together...surprise) and wife to a truly supportive and understanding husband, who thankfully doesn't think I'm crazy.

I have always had two profound dreams in life. To fall back hundreds of years in time and live in a simpler world, not bogged down by technology and to write novels. Since only one of these was a possibility I decided to make the other come alive on paper.

I write mm romance novels that take place in fantastical medieval type settings and love to use the challenges of the times to give my stories and characters life.

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