Carrying a gun and being prepared to use it if necessary is part of being a cop, which is all Aslan has ever wanted to be, but now? He misses the job, misses his partner, misses the intensity of working a case, the thrill of solving puzzles and digging for answers – but what if he can never pick up a gun again? Aslan has been cleared to return to work, but the minute he was faced with having to pick up his service weapon, he just couldn’t do it, the scenes he’s fought so hard to forget overwhelming him and causing him to bolt. Rationally, he knows he had no choice but to do what he did, but emotionally? He questions his decision every day. It’s been two months since Aslan was forced to shoot and kill Columbus Nottingham, the twelve-year-old boy who murdered his own sister and then threatened the life of Aslan’s partner Torin. Note: While the mysteries in this series are self-contained, the central relationship is ongoing and there are references to previous events in this story as a result, there are spoilers in this review. In addition, Defying Logic boasts possibly the most complex, convoluted mystery of the series so far, and Quaid has to deal with an unwanted upheaval in his working life while Aslan is struggling in the wake of the traumatic events that took place at the end of Inevitable Disclosure. Five books in, and the two leads are as captivating as ever, they’re still growing as characters and their relationship continues to evolve in a most satisfactory way.

Detectives Valor and Doyle are back in Defying Logic, the fifth book in Nicky James’ series of clever, suspenseful and consistently engrossing romantic mysteries set in Toronto.

End of the Line by Nicky James