Review: See no evil by Allison Brennan

The Particulars:  Romantic Suspense, Ballantine, available as ebook and print

The source: The library
The Grade: A-
The Blurb: A troubled teenage girl has been charged with the grisly murder of her stepfather. The evidence is damning: Emily was found alone at the scene with blood on her hands, and an incriminating e-mail she wrote outlines a murder plot identical to the method of the brutal slaying. But deputy district attorney Julia Chandler believes her niece is innocent, and she’s determined to keep the promise she made to protect her dead brother’s daughter–even if it means hiring private eye Connor Kincaid . . . the man who blames her for forcing his resignation from the police department.

Together Julia and Connor uncover a chain of unsolved violent crimes tied to an unorthodox therapist whose anonymous online patients purge their anger by posting lethal fantasies. But someone in the group has turned vigilante, turning the game of virtual murder into a flesh-and-blood vendetta.


The review:
This is the second book in Allison Brennan’s Evil Trilogy. This series circles around the Kincaid family. In this book the hero is Connor Kincaid and the heroine Julia Chandler. They have a past, but when Julia’s niece Emily  is accused of murdering her stepfather, Julia vows to protect her.  With the aid of Connor and his brother Dillon, she starts an parallel investigation. Soon, they are  are starting to unravel an chilling web of murders.  For me, the most chilling part was the age of the murderers. So young, and so damaged. Much of the plot was in a legal, and moral gray zone.  From Julia’s parallel investigation to some of Dr Bowens action.  But that gray zone is what makes the story so chilling. Without it the story would have been more predictable. As it was, I kept guessing who He was, the man mentioned by both Faye and Cami.  

This book proved that money do not equal happiness.  In fact, most of the characters that are rich are  scarred by the past.  Some of them are festering, some of them are expurged, and some of them will be healing with the right help. My heart went out Emily when she told Julia the reasons behind her behaviour. And Julia…  Her pain was tangible. For the loss of her brother. For not fighting harder to gain custody.   

Through a big part of the book, Connor and Julia struggles to reconcile their past actions. I liked that it took so long.  Their action hurt both of them, but there were no other choice. The attraction between Julia and Connor was there from the beginning, but it took awhile before they admitted it. Which is as it should be, considering their past.  
What I liked was that the past between Connor and Julia actually affects the plot. Not just their relationship which each other but also when it comes to the attitude of other cops.  

What I didn’t like with this book was the blurb. It is a bit wrong, since Emily is never charged for murder.  She is *suspected* to be involved in the murder, but nothing else.