Book Review: Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Kill Game
Author: Cordelia Kingsbridge
Series: Seven of Spades #1
Heroes: Levi/Dominic
Genre: MM Mystery/Suspense
Length: 304 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: October 23, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Homicide detective Levi Abrams is barely holding his life together. He’s reeling from the fallout of a fatal shooting, and his relationship with his boyfriend is crumbling. The last thing he’s prepared for is a serial killer stalking the streets of Las Vegas. Or how he keeps getting thrown into the path of annoyingly charming bounty hunter Dominic Russo.

Dominic likes his life free of complications. That means no tangling with cops—especially prickly, uptight detectives. But when he stumbles across one of the Seven of Spades’s horrifying crime scenes, he can’t let go, despite Levi’s warnings to stay away.

The Seven of Spades is ruthless and always two moves ahead. Worst of all, they’ve taken a dangerously personal interest in Levi and Dominic. Forced to trust each other, the two men race to discover the killer’s identity, revealing hidden truths along the way and sparking a bond neither man expected. But that may not be enough to protect them.

This killer likes to play games, and the deck is not stacked in Levi and Dominic’s favor.

Review: Wow, this one pulled me right in! Levi is a detective who, understandably, gets caught up in his work, which is taking a toll on his current relationship. There are some other work-related factors that are causing some fallout as well, but before he really has time to face those issues, cases start turning up taking the shape of a serial killer. As if that isn’t bad enough for Levi to deal with, the killer seems to take a more personal approach with Levi putting things on a whole other level.

Then there is Dominic, a bounty hunter/bartender who seems to always be at odds with Detective Levi. Things with them don’t really progress until much later in the story, but meanwhile, they are thrown together in various ways by the Seven of Spades, as he has become known. They are given deadlines before the next killing will take place, which adds even more suspense as they try to solve the mystery. There definitely seems to be someone on the inside involved to some extent, if not fully, but things aren’t that easy. When all is said and done and things appear to be wrapped up just a little too conveniently, Levi (and Dominic) are not convinced they have seen the end of the Seven of Spades. Unfortunately, they seem to be on their own, but time will tell as the next story unfolds.

This was a really well written, suspenseful page turner that hooked me right from the beginning. The characters are likeable and easy to sympathize with regardless of what they are going through, whether it is the case, Dominic’s gambling issues, or Levi’s crumbling relationship. It was easy to see and understand how that relationship wouldn’t last, and it was just as easy to see the possibilities of Levi and Dominic being right for each other. And, while they do have some explosive chemistry, they don’t just jump right into a relationship, for obvious reasons. I really liked that this was the start of not only the series, but of their being together. The seeds have been planted and are starting to grow, and I can’t wait to jump into the next installment to see how everything plays out. Highly recommend this if you like mystery/suspense, serial killer, whodunnit stories with a side of realistic relationships.

Overall Impression: It was amazing

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*