Novel: Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue
Author: Charlie Cochet
Genres: Mystery, Romance
Released: 2015
Part of Book Series: Standalone (novella)
Summary: For the last six months, Detective James Ralston has worked the nightshift as security for the Pacific Blue Hotel, and every night at 2 a.m. his rounds lead him to the radio room where the handsome and mysterious Franklin Fairchild sits listening to waltzes as old as the hotel itself. James is drawn to Franklin, but Franklin is a man at the end of his rope, and James has no intention of getting caught up in whatever trouble Franklin is in. A heated encounter late one night sends James down a disturbing path and has him questioning everything around him, including his very sanity.
Post’s Author Opinion:
Note: This is a personal opinion, it does not reflect YaoiOtaku’s official position towards the novel.
This short story didn’t seem like it was anything special in the beginning, but right in the middle, things started to pick up. A couple of times, I thought I had the plot figured out but then the author thwarted my suspicion and managed to reeled me in until the very end.
There are some points that could turn you off if you are nit picky. The main character profile was a bit confusing to me. James Ralston was a police detective and at the same time a night guard at a run down hotel… I mean, is it even allowed for cops to have a second job? That aside, some parts of the story kind of defied logic, but since James was aware of the situation, the unrealism was self-explanatory. I can’t elaborate more on it without giving a big spoiler and ruining the whole experience for future readers.
One thing I have to say is that even though this novella has a HEA stamp on it, it wasn’t the conventional ending I was expecting. However, the ending was more believable than the one most people might expect or hope for (again, vague description because spoilers). I also think it could be a chapter longer to tie up some loose ends.
Overall, I liked it and if you have an hour or two to spare, I would recommend reading this.
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