REVIEW: ‘Fade to Black’ (2009) by Leslie Parrish

Fade to Black is the best romantic suspense I’ve read in a long, long time. It was as if I’d sent Leslie Parrish a list of all my pet peeves in a romantic suspense, and she avoided every single one of them when writing this book.

Fade to Black is the first title in the Black CATs trilogy. Although this is Leslie Parrish’s first romantic suspense, she’s written numerous contemporary romances for Harlequin under the name of Leslie Kelly. The books in the Black CATs trilogy are being released back-to-back from July to September 2009, so readers won’t have to wait long for the next installment.

After years in the FBI’s violent crimes unit, Special Agent Dean Taggert has been recruited into a newly-formed Cyber Action Team with a specific focus on internet murder. The team is comprised of six members with a variety of skills. Some of them are former field agents, two are IT specialists, and one is a forensic analyst. Although they are all accustomed to dealing with violent death, nothing could prepare them for the horror of their first case.

They uncover a secret website called Satan’s Playground which caters to every perversion imaginable. Included on this site are a series of brutal snuff videos uploaded by someone called The Reaper. When the first victim is identified as Lisa Zimmerman, Dean and some of his colleagues relocate to Hope Valley, the small town where Lisa came from and where they suspect her killer still lives.

Sheriff Stacey Rhodes moved back to Hope Valley following the Virginia Tech massacre. She had been working for the Virginia State Police at the time, and was among the early responders. The scenes she witnessed that day left her traumatized. She was grateful for the opportunity to take over from her father as sheriff of Hope Valley. So far, a couple of bar fights at the local dive have been the most drama she’s witnessed.

When Dean and his team come to Hope Valley with evidence of Lisa Zimmerman’s murder, Stacey agrees to join forces with them in the hunt for the killer. Lisa was reported missing seventeen months previously, but everyone assumed she’d skipped town with a druggie boyfriend. Realizing that the girl she once babysat was brutally murdered, Stacey vows to help the FBI in any way she can – even if that means unmasking a killer who lives very close to home…

Fade to Black hooked me from the very first paragraph. I literally did not want to put it down. The mystery is extremely well done and kept me guessing until the very end. Leslie Parrish skillfully avoids clichés and provides her readers with a tightly-plotted, original mystery.

Dean and Stacey are genuinely likeable characters. Their instant attraction was believable and developed naturally. I could see why they were attracted to one another, both on a physical and on an intellectual level. They have a lot in common and they approached the case in a similar manner.

Stacey is an atypical romantic suspense heroine. She’s neither kick ass strong, nor weak and vulnerable. She’s calm and capable and gets the job done. She’s doesn’t require rescuing, and knows when to call for reinforcements. When she’s presented with the opportunity to behave in a Too Stupid To Live manner by withholding potentially relevant information from the FBI, Stacey only briefly considers it before doing her duty.

Dean is an equally strong hero. He respects Stacey and acknowledges her abilities as a cop. He doesn’t second-guess her, nor she him. There are no Big Misunderstandings in their relationship, and all the major conflict is external. Dean and Stacey are simply two people who meet and recognize a kindred spirit.

Although Fade to Black is the start of a trilogy, the mystery is self-contained, and there’s no major sequel-baiting. There are just a few scenes featuring future main characters, and these were relevant to solving this particular mystery.

Fade to Black is an excellent romantic suspense with a strong crossover appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers. I can highly recommend it. If this book is any indication of Leslie Parrish’s talent, she’s definitely an author to watch. Grade: A

Also in this series:

Pitch Black (August 2009)

Black at Heart (September 2009)

Tagged as: A Reviews, Black CATs Series, Leslie Parrish, Romantic Suspense