Review: I Can See You by Karen Rose

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Casee‘s review of I Can See You (Hat Squad, Book 1) by Karen Rose.

Eve Wilson’s face was once scarred by a vicious assault. Terrified and ashamed, she escaped to the online realm, where she could choose the face she allowed people to see. Years later, her outer scars faded and inner scars buried, Eve has fought her way back to the real world and is determined to help others do the same. Now a graduate student moonlighting as a bartender, Eve researches the addictive powers of online communities. When her test subjects begin turning up dead as a result of apparent suicides, she doesn’t know where to turn.

Homicide detective Noah Webster is one of the few people who believe the victims are connected murders. Eve becomes Noah’s online guide and realizes that the handsome detective may have secret scars as painful as her own. As Eve and Noah chase a killer who is always one step ahead of them, together they try to overcome the tragedies of their pasts and learn to trust again, but they soon discover that danger is much closer than they think.

Karen Rose is probably my favorite romantic suspense author. She burst onto the romance scene with Don’t Tell and just keeps getting better.

Eve Wilson was a victim of the villain in Don’t Tell. She mistakenly trusted Rob Winters and almost paid with her life. Though she has worked hard to regain what was so viciously taken away, it has been far from easy. Eve left Chicago for Minneapolis hoping to start anew. Working at a popular police hangout by night, by day Eve works on getting her graduate degree. While researching how addictive and destructive the internet can be to people, Eve breaks the rules by finding out the identities of her anonymous test subjects. When they start turning up dead of apparent suicides, Eve can’t keep quiet even though she will be kicked out of the program.

Detective Noah Webster is the first one to believe that the suicides are not suicides. He is shocked when Eve shows up at the house of one of the victims. The bartender that he has watched for a year is connected to the murders in a way that neither of them are sure of. What Noah does know is that Eve has the ability to lead him in the direction of the killer.

There were several story lines going on here. At first, it wasn’t clear whether they were connected or not. There are a couple people that are out to get Noah and his partner, Jack. When unexplainable things start happening, they automatically assume that it has to do with their current case. It definitely muddies up the water for them. It also creates tension between the partners, something that has been there since a local magazine put out an issue about local heroes.

Noah and Eve are drawn to each other despite their respective pasts. As a recovering alcoholic, Noah is very careful in path he walks b/c he doesn’t want to relapse. Eve trusts few people. She knows that she can’t be what Noah needs/wants for the long term. She also doesn’t think she’s capable of anything short term. It took her a long time to get out of the hole she found herself in after Rob Winters. She doesn’t want to do anything that would bring her back down.

The suspense part of the book was good and very engaging. Looking back, I suppose it was rather obvious who the killer was, but that didn’t take away from the book.

I think that KR did a very good job of writing the relationships in this book. With Eve/David Hunter, Eve/Noah, Noah/Jack, Olivia/Eve, etc. The friendships in the book definitely enriched the story. I can’t wait for David Hunter’s book. I hope he ends up w/ Olivia.

4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Grand Central Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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