James brings complexity and intrigue to his latest Patrick Bowers thriller; layering plot lines and unfolding characters in a way that keeps readers on the edge through the very end. The details give readers just the right amount of description and suspense- not too much to be completely gruesome, but clear enough to let readers know the horror of what is occurring. The story lines are believable and James does an impeccable job of taking two seemingly different paths and converging them in a gripping climax, adding in twists and turns all along the way. Fans of the Bowers Files will not be disappointed in his latest installment.

Bodies of young women have been found in abandoned houses in Detroit. Patrick is called in to consult .... by his ex-girlfriend of many years ago. They're both wondering if the sparks will fly, especially as Patrick is unsure where his future lies with current girlfriend, Christy.

Seemingly, there are different crimes being committed .... the bodies in Detroit, a meeting with a known terrorist, and his ex-girlfriend's history of being abducted by a stalker. A germ warfare specialist is found dead. There's a threat of a smallpox worldwide exposure by a human transmitter. Everything seems to be coming to a head in Detroit.

Lots of questions with few answers. How do these all connect? Does the ex-girlfriend know more than she's sharing? Who is killing the women? And what does a dating app have to do with anything?

Although this is a nice addition to the series, it is not my favorite. The story line is convoluted and bounces back and forth between now and years ago, and from crime to crime. Eventually they do start to converge, but it takes awhile to get there. I love the character of Patrick Bowers, but in this one he is a bit diminished in my eyes because of his seeing and sawing of his personal issues.

Hard core Bowers' fans will still love this one ... and as a follower, I will be looking forward to the next adventure.

Many thanks to the author / Berkley Publishing Group / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

**Potential Spoilers to the book below**

I think I have reached the saturation point with Steven James and his Bower's Files series.

I really enjoy the writing quality and storytelling abilities of Steven James. He can take so many threads and create an engaging tale. I have enjoyed basically every Bowers book.

But I think, with this latest prequel, I have come to find that the books read too similar.

At this point I get that there is a serial killer who does horrific things. I get that Patrick Bowers is going to get beat up/injured/placed in life or death situations. Every time.

**Spoilers**

I also know that there will be a kind of twisty reveal at the end and it now entails a plant. (You'd think, at this point the FBI would put out a mole hunt with how many plants there are)

I guess I understand that this series is a series of a brilliant FBI agent called in to hunt down serial killers. I understand that there is always going to be some kind of relational hardship to work through.

And, believe me, James is fantastic at writing through the thoughts and inner workings of the relationship content. He is fabulous and getting you to think about some heavy hitting topics while reading a summer beach thriller.

But I think I've come to the point where it all feels formulaic now.

One other point of concern for me is the inclusion of cussing from the characters now. I don't think James ever had his characters say the things they said in this latest installment.

And this is another question I have for writers: the defense I hear in favor of using coarse language is that it's true to the characters. I understand that point. But if your characters haven't talked like that in over how many books, why is it true to their character to have them start now? And if this is a prequel, why didn't they continue to talk that way from the beginning?

I really REALLY like Steven James books. I consume his stories.(I finished this book in one day) I think I need to take a break, though.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Berkley Press.

Every Deadly Kiss is the newest Patrick Bowers book, which is my all-time favorite series, and the book I've been most looking forward to releasing this year; so, suffice it to say, I had exceedingly high expectations for this book when I started it and Every Deadly Kiss surpassed them all.


From the first chapter my attention was grabbed and whenever I had to put the book down my mind would keep thinking about the story and trying to figure things out. The plot was intricate, but not so much that it was confusing.


On the personal side of the story, I loved getting to see Patrick with Christie and it was also interesting learning about his previous relationship. I also really liked Ralph in this book -- some of the scenes with him made me laugh, which was nice in the midst of all the tension and intensity from the crimes.


All in all, I absolutely loved Every Deadly Kiss. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was almost impossible to put down. I recommend the book, and really the entire series, if you enjoy thrillers -- just know that they are intense and even gruesome at times, so if you are at all squeamish, you might want to skip them.


*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Steven James is my go-to thriller author. Every book he has written has captured my attention and drew me into the story instantly. I'm excited that there is another installment of the Patrick Bowers' files, and I couldn't wait to read it. Every Deadly Kiss might be the first book by James that I don't brag to my friends about. It didn't hit the mark for me.


First, I enjoyed returning to Patrick Bowers and watching his life interact with Christie and Tessa as he juggles his work life. This deepens Bowers character and makes him jump off the page for me. I enjoy seeing Christie and Tessa wander if there is room in their personal lives for Bowers or do they allow him to move on.


While the reoccurring character is a nice treat, I had a hard time with the plot in this story. For the first time, I actually had to drag myself to finish Every Deadly Kiss. It seemed pretty boring and not so thrill seeking as usual. James is great at allowing Bowers to work hard on a case and allowing us to see his stream of consciousness, but in Every Deadly Kiss, both of the cases, the bioterrorist threat and the dead women really didn't seem to motivate him to move. Bowers spent more time focusing on his relationship with Christie and his past relationship with a fellow FBI agent. The novel becomes more of James' style in the last ten percent of the novel. I am just sad that the rest of the novel didn't lead up to what I was expecting.


While the novel is unpredictable and original, James does leave a cliff-hanger at the end of the novel, begging me to return to the next one, which I will do since I love James' writing so much.


A word of caution there are more profanity laced words in this novel than any of the previous novels in this series. The action might still be a little too violent for young children. Maybe a late teenager might enjoy this, but I would have a hard time giving the novel to my fifteen year old. I don't think he is mature enough to handle this type of book.


Overall, Steven James' Every Deadly Kiss filled me with joy as I encounter Patrick Bower's again as he struggles through his life, but the plot didn't hit out of the park for me. I even got bored for a long time. I pray the next installment does a better job at giving me the type of story that I know James can write.


I received a complimentary copy of Every Deadly Kiss by Steven James from Berkley Publishing, and the opinions stated are all my own.

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