"Honolulu Cold Homicide" by R. Barri Flowers is a gripping mystery thriller that takes readers on a thrilling ride through the dark underbelly of Honolulu, filled with twists, turns, and shocking revelations.

When a new case carries echoes of his sister’s cold case murder, Detective Sergeant Lance Warner is visited by another ghost from the past. Caroline Yashima isn’t only the CJD specialist assigned to work alongside him, she’s also the ex he regrets walking away from. He’s not sure if he can expect a second chance—or just a chance for closure. But when Caroline becomes a target, he knows that he doesn’t want to live without her.
This was an enjoyable romantic suspense story with two great main characters who had depth, strengths, and flaws that made them feel real. I felt the romance between them and was glad for the happy ending. The only thing I didn't like was that they showed too much violence in the beginning. I like cozy mysteries and showing the murder on the page will turn me off. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC.

Sergeant Lance and Caroline a CJD Specialist once had a thing for eachother when he broke her heart. They never expected to run into eachother on a case that eerily close to to Lances sisters cold case and Caroline is the one looking into it. I really enjoyed seeing the connections and seeing how they were working together to solve the case. Then there was the whole Lance putting his love life on the backburner to look more into his sisters case to find out who killed her and both having feelings for one another but him breaking her heart make things iffy. I enjoyed seeing how everything ultimately wrapped up in the end. It was a fast paced enjoyable read and highly recommend you readers to check it out.

This book was so good! I'm usually a fan of the Harlequin Intrigue novels, and this one is a great example of why. It had so many of my favorite tropes happening and the writing was quickly paced with some great action scenes. And, of course, the romance was electric and with the perfect amount of spice. This was definitely a recipe for success! I haven't read the other Hawaii CI books but if they have this kind of tone to them, I'm going to be!

I really liked the mix of a cold case and current homicide coming together. It was kind of like the characters of Caroline and Lance coming together. But some extra dimension is added with Lance's sister being the victim in the cold case and the cold case expert, Caroline, being his ex-girlfriend. Plus Lance is trying to deal with the current homicide and doing what is necessary to prevent there from being anymore. Because if the person responsible for the recent homicide is also the one responsible for the death of Lance's sister, that could mean there is a serial killer out there.

Along with the action and the romance was a really great investigation story. Reading about the steps Caroline and Lance took in order to work the cases and the clues along with talking to the possible suspects was really well done. It helped keep my eyes glued to the page and my mind glued to the story. Usually, I think of the investigation as a small aspect of the story with the focus being on the two main characters. But this one kind of added the investigation as a third main character and had Lance and Caroline weaving their way through it. Which definitely made for an interesting read.

I strongly recommend this book. Especially for anyone who doesn't want a super long novel that takes them forever and a day to read. If you're looking for a mystery to get cozy with that you can start and finish in a weekend, this is the one for you. I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the third book in the Hawaii CI series. I have not read the other books in this series, but I feel you can read this book as a standalone. I had trouble connecting to the characters in this book, and I think that pulled down my enjoyment of this book. Overall, I felt this book was just ok. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Intrigue) or author (R. Barri Flowers) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This book sucked me in from the first page and kept me hooked to the end. It opens with a prologue describing the murder of a young woman. Twenty years later, the woman's younger brother, Lance, is a Honolulu PD detective whose latest case has disturbing similarities to his sister's murder. As a result, Bonnie's case is being reopened, and a cold case expert is assigned to work with him. He's surprised to discover that his new associate is his ex-girlfriend, Caroline.

Caroline is a cold case specialist who recently solved a forty-year-old murder. She never expected to be working with Lance and is wary of spending time with the man who broke her heart. But Bonnie's case has intrigued her since she learned of it from Lance, and she welcomes the chance to bring closure to him.

The suspense of this book kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. The idea that a serial killer would kill once and then wait twenty years before killing again was unheard of. Still, the similarities between the cold case and the recent murders were undeniable. I was fascinated by the steps in the investigation as Caroline and Lance interviewed witnesses and suspects from the past and present. Are there links between the murders, or does a copycat carry out the current murders? The tension ramps up when Caroline receives threats warning her to back off from her investigation. There were plenty of twists and turns in this case that kept me guessing right to the end. Just when it looked like the cases were solved, an unexpected revelation called part of the case into question. I was on the edge of my seat as Caroline found herself in mortal danger and Lance racing to the rescue. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved that Caroline played a significant role in her own rescue.

I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Lance and Caroline. Lance has regretted his actions every day of the two and a half years since their breakup. He would love a second chance but has no idea if it is possible. Caroline is wary of spending time with him and starts out determined to keep things business-only. However, it doesn't take long for her to realize that she never stopped loving him. I liked that she didn't make it too easy on him. Lance had to do some serious explaining and groveling before she let him off the hook. I liked the epilogue and seeing where they were a few months later.

Review: Honolulu Cold Homicide is pretty much your traditional Harlequinn Intrigue. Nothing stands out that would make these readers keep reading the Hawaii CI series. The characters are a little flat making it difficult to connect with the characters.

To be honest this is your airplane read that you read because there is nothing else and you leave behind because it wasn't memorable.

The writing, characters and even the killer is what readers expect from Harlequinn Intrigue series.

Thank you to Netgalley for advance copy of R. Berri Flowers Honolulu Cold Homicide.

Cold case and current case in Honolulu.....

Lance Warner;'s sister Bonnie was strangled in Honolulu twenty years earlier. Now, a HPD dectective, he's working a current similar homicide. He's paired with Caroline Yamashita from the AG's cold case division. She's Asian-American, smart, solved a tough cold case and is working Bonnie's cold case alongside Lance's current homicide, after their six month affair was ended abruptly by Lance two and a half years ago.
Suspense, rekindled steam (and some 'xplaning and groveling to do on Lance's part).
Props for a diverse cast (it is Honolulu, after all), a decent understanding of Honolulu's layout and an Asian female lead.

I definitely enjoyed this well written romantic suspense. Great plot and character dynamics and a beautiful setting. If you enjoy suspense I recommend Honolulu Cold Homicide. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.

An intriguing romantic suspense.

A serial killer is loose in Honolulu. Former lovers, Detective Sergeant Lance Warner and Cold Case Investigator Caroline Yashima, are reunited after a new murder mimics the murder of Lance’s sister from twenty years ago. Lance is on the new case and Caroline has been given the cold case to see if she can solve it. Together, they find the similarities and hunt down the killer. As they investigate, more victims are discovered. Lance and Caroline work hard to find the killer before any more women are killed. They also take a little time to rediscover the love they used to have for each other. Once the killer is caught, they just might be able to pick up where they left off in their relationship.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and I have to admit, he has a way of telling a story that had me hooked. I couldn’t wait to see who the killer was and I couldn’t wait to see how Lance and Caroline would find their way back to each other. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author.