Former Atlanta SWAT officer Trey Seaver has been haunted by the cold case murder of Jessica Talbot. Trey is convinced movie producer Nick Talbot killed Jessica even though tainted police evidence by Trey's partner resulted in Nick ended up going free. But when a new threat to Nick’s life makes Trey a potential suspect, he is blackmailed to look into the case with the help of his lover and partner Tai Randolph. Tai and Trey go undercover on the local Atlanta set of the hit TV show Moonshine where Nick is working.

Necessary Ends is another strong entry and the sixth book in the Tai Randolph and Trey Seaver mystery series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

There is something about the narrative of this intoxicating tale that pulled me in like no other. The writing style, the tone, the dialogue, the setting, the suspense, all wrapped up in an exhilarating package that thrilled me as I traversed this fast-paced and action-packed drama where something is amiss and it's not only the long ago murder case and the present attempt. Who really killed Jessica Talbot? Who wants Nick Talbot dead? The answers are found in this complicated maze of deduction that had me looking closely at what was being presented. The author did a great job in staging this story to keep me reading and absorbing all that I was privy to as the field of suspects and the role they played all culminated in a finale that boasted several twists and turns that greatly enhanced my reading pleasure. This is the best book in the series and I hope there are more adventures with this dynamic duo.

Necessary Ends: A Tai Randolph Mystery
By Tina Whittle
Poisoned Pen Press
April 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

As the owner of a gun shop in Kennesaw, Georgia, Tai Randolph is no stranger to violence. Her familiarity with dodging gunfire has less to do with her profession than with her somewhat recreational amateur criminal investigations. Corporate security agent Trey Seaver – her partner in life and everything else - normally prefers that she refrain from life-endangering activities, but for once he is asking for her help. Just before the car accident that forced him out of the Atlanta PD’s SWAT division, Trey was involved in the murder investigation of a Hollywood producer’s wife. Trey relentlessly asserted that Nicholas Talbot killed his spouse, so when someone takes a shot at Nicholas, he immediately names Trey as the most likely culprit.

Now that Georgia has become a tax-credit haven and second Hollywood for the film community, Nick and his brother have come to Kennesaw to film the hit werewolf television series Moonshine. In an odd twist of fate, Nick hires Trey to investigate the shooting, which also gives them a chance to reinvestigate Jessica Talbot’s death. The same brain injury that caused Trey to resign from the police also gave him the ability to become a human lie detector, forcing him to admit that Nicholas may actually be innocent. Faced with reevaluating all of his beliefs about the murder from four years past, Trey calls in Tai as a second opinion. For someone who thrives on action and danger, Tai finds being on the set with one of her favorite television heroines to be absolute heaven. Trey has much more difficult time, as not only does it place him back in a frustrating investigation, the lies that are the mainstay of Hollywood threaten to short-circuit his truth-deciphering brain.

A momentous occurrence will have ramifications not just in Trey’s investigative abilities but in his life, and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out. This continues to be an extraordinarily original, witty, and exceptionally written mystery series, and hopefully it will continue for years to come. Tai is an unstoppable force when she makes up her mind, and one sees the simmering chemistry between herself and Trey. Her acerbic humor and impulsiveness balance his rigid adherence to rules and structure, and together they are an outstandingly effective and skilled investigative team. Characters come alive in this fun and exuberant mystery, with the plot skillfully paced and building towards an unpredictable but rewarding conclusion. The novels in this series are always fun, yet they never make light of the struggles facing these undeniably damaged characters. Tai and Trey are sure to be facing considerable challenges in their near future, but when together there seems to be nothing that they cannot overcome.