Hard Evidence

After reading and liking Pamela Clare's Extreme Exposure, I was excited to read Hard Evidence. It has some good moments but isn't as strong as its predecessor: 3 out of 5.

After the murder of a teenage girl, a mysterious man in a black leather jacket was seen lurking near the crime scene. Investigative reporter Tessa Novak has him in her sights as the culprit . . .

That man was Julian Darcangelo, an undercover FBI agent working with the Denver police. He's closing in on the trail of a human trafficker and killer. Tessa's accusations could blow his cover, and he wants her off the investigation.

But just as Tessa has made Julian a target of interest, she is now a target of the killer. And as they are forced to trust each other, their physical attraction escalates as intensely as the threat from a ruthless murder who wants to see both of them dead . . .

Tessa is the book's biggest challenge. I can sum up her character in one word: frustrating. She witnesses a murder and receives a number of warnings, but she continues to barrel forward with her investigation. I just didn't quite get why she was so persistent when backing off a bit would have been safer. I understand that she wants justice for the murdered girl, but she seems bent on pursuing that her way, and it led her into danger more than once. It's true that journalism can be a dangerous business, but I thought she could have achieved her ends in a safer way.

Late in the story, Tessa receives some doctored photos showing her head on a multilated body. She tells Julian she hadn't known anyone would do something like that to a woman. This seems like a strange comment for an investigative reporter to make. She's on the crime beat, and she hadn't realized how bad people could be? Maybe I've watched too many episodes of American Justice, but still . . .

Despite the challenge of Tessa, I did enjoy some things about the story. The romance itself is good, with steamy and well-written love scenes. Julian is intriguing, and I liked the way Clare slowly reveals his history.