Suspenseful, Horrifying, Mesmerizing

I (belatedly) read an advance review copy of this book for NetGalley. There were some editing problems that I assume have been corrected, but the quality and scope of the story was good enough that I kept reading. I'm (sort of) glad I did! I say sort of because there were scenes of graphic sexual violence that I doubt I'll be able to forget.

This book was more graphic than my usual reading choice. I'd never read a book with a homosexual male lead character, either. I tend to avoid books with explicit sex scenes in them, and there was a lot of that. I found myself skipping over paragraphs that were too descriptive for my comfort, though I read enough to know that they are well-written.

But, despite my squeamishness, the story hooked me. The main characters were good, heroic, but flawed people. They had tainted grittiness in their pasts, the sense of near hopelessness while trying to escape the circumstances stacked against them.

I suspected certain characters were involved with the crimes at different points and thought I could guess what would happen next, but I was still surprised (and shocked) by the ending.

This is the second book in a series, but despite allusions made about the first book within the text, it's a complete stand alone novel.

A truly diabolical premise with tension crackling off every page. A must-read for all who enjoy intelligently-written stories with great characterizations, and who enjoy surprise twists at every turn. A great addition to this genre, and highly recommended. I'll be reading more from this author!

*My sincerest thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing an ARC at no charge.*

DNF at 70%

I really tried, and even after it was already clear to me that the second book wouldn't be nearly as good as the first book, I still kept on reading. But I can't anymore. I played even with the idea to re-readGavin in order to understand what happened here. I rated the first book with 4 stars and I really enjoyed it! Could I be THAT wrong?!

Derrick needs urgently a good editor. It has at least 200 pages too much, full of unnecessary information and unimportant dialogues. All characters -with a tiny exception - speak the same vulgar language like they all have been cloned in the same lab.

The plot has no sense at all. 
And when it turned into THIS ridiculous direction, I knew I had enough.