Haven't read Max Walker before.

Read by Greg Boudreaux, so of course it was enjoyable. However, while this was a tender sexy romance between investigator Zane and lawyer Lorenzo, that element was at odds with the serial killer mystery - the other part of the book. I found it difficult to concentrate on this part of the story and ultimately found it a little boring. The interaction between Zane and Enzo was more interesting, though the author seemed to let this relationship wane rather than wax as the novel progressed.

The most entertaining element of the novel was Italian - the language, Enzo's lifestyle, his family. ( )

Greg Boudreaux did a great job narrating, as usual. Still, I couldn't quite connect to these characters. Sometimes the sex was hot but mostly I was just hoping to get on with the story. ( )

A Hard Call by Max Walker
Stonewall Investigations series book 1. M-M murder mystery and romance.
Zane is a Private Investigator with Stonewall Investigations. His life has been difficult and rocky but working for the firm that handles lgbtq cases, is satisfying.
Lorenzo is a defense lawyer that goes to Stonewall for help with a case. Enzo and Zane team up to work together but the reemergence of a serial killer from Zane’s past rocks their world into chaos.
Each of the men have personal issues they need to deal with before they can commit to a relationship but their sexual attraction to each other cannot be ignored.
Steamy and seductive.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Greg Boudreaux who brings his A game as usual to his performance. Drama and anxiety and danger are well presented and make this story breathtaking. In particular because of the Italian accent. I listened to this at 1.5 which is slightly faster than my usual. ( )

I read the “Stonewall Investigation” series that was set in Miami, Florida, first and was a bit surprised by the crossover from that series to this series with Zane’s lover having been murdered by someone that was never caught. The same thing happened to Oliver’s lover in the Miami series. Coincidence??? Maybe. Anyway...back to this one. Zane is still recovering from the love of his life being murdered by a serial killer several years before. The killer has apparently reemerged. Taking away the peace he has achieved. They meet again when Zanes brother saves Enzo from a crazy person bent on revenge. He has not been able to move on with his life, in fact has no interest in much these days when he hears some stunning news. On the same day, he has an appointment with a new client, a rather charismatic, newsworthy and photogenic attorney who has nothing in common with Zane as an individual. Enzo (Lorenzo) brings with him a positive approach to life, and an appreciation for beautiful things. This is not exactly a suspense story..., not exactly a crime or thriller...and not exactly a romance story despite enough electric passion to light an entire city. Max Walker has given us a story that could be called is a smorgasbord. The familiar theme that I mentioned before continues throughout this story. So maybe same story, different characters and cities. We’ll see where the next one goes ( )

3.5 stars! Fun read and definitely enjoyable.

I tend to be a bit fussy about my detective-based romances so this one could have been a miss for me but luckily I ended up enjoying it. In this book we follow Zane, who is a private investigator, and Enzo, who is a defense attorney. The characters were good. Zane was interesting and I liked the way the story dealt with the fact that his husband died three years before this book started. Sometimes that plot can annoy me because it's so overdone and usually works the same way but I didn't mind it here. Enzo is a complete Italian stereotype, which did bother me at times. The way Italian language was used in this book did start to wear on me but I liked his relationship to Zane and learning about his background. For both characters I felt like we could have got to know them a bit better. They get together super early so we don't spend much time learning about them outside their jobs. However, I did still like them.

If you're looking for a relationship with very little conflict, this would also be a good book for you. Almost all the conflict came externally. The few times there were arguments between Zane and Enzo it was resolved quickly and with little fuss. If miscommunication really bothers you don't worry because they're isn't any of that here. I like external conflict so I didn't care about this. It can be nice to read a romance with very little relationship drama. But, if you want relationship drama, there isn't much here.

As I said, the plot is where the main drama comes from. Zane is helping to investigate a murder case that Enzo's client has been arrested for. There is also an overarching mystery about another killer who murdered Zane's husband. The mystery is fine though predictable. It was engaging enough to keep me reading, though a few parts had me rolling my eyes. Not related to that case but very early on Enzo is threatened with a gun. He recovers remarkably quickly for how scared he says he was. Zane also uses some investigative techniques that I doubt would work and in my opinion there has to be a few logical loops to figure out the killer. A lot is revealed at the end that I don't think the reader would have seen, even if they could have figured out who the killer was. Not the most complex tale but since I was here for the romance and not the mystery I'll give it a pass and hope later books improve on that angle.

I did like this first book to continue on. I'm curious about who within the investigative company the next books will be about because we didn't meet too many people in this first book. This was a good introduction to this world and I'm intrigued to see where it goes next. ( )