Jen’s review of KCPD Protector (The Precinct #22) by Julie Miller
There was no way Deputy Commissioner George Madigan was going to let his beautiful assistant fall prey to a stalker. Because Elise Brown wasn’t just another employee. Her vulnerable blue eyes triggered all of George’s protective instincts…and now her life was in jeopardy.
Working together almost 24/7 to bring the perp to justice—and sharing kisses passionate enough to ignite a Kansas City heat wave—George and Elise had forged the kind of partnership that could keep her out of harm’s way and potentially lead to happily ever alter.
Until a deadly tornado struck and Elise was taken hostage…
Elise Brown is an assistant to George Madigan, the Deputy Police Commissioner in Kansas City. Elise made some poor choices in her last job, but this time she is determined to not make any mistakes. She finds her handsome older boss awfully attractive, but getting involved with him would definitely fall in the “poor choices” category. When someone starts harassing her, though, she has to turn to George for help. For his part, George has also admired Elise from afar, but he thinks she considers him more like an uncle than a potential lover. He wants to keep her safe from this new threat, though, so he starts getting more involved in her life. They have to figure out who might be threatening Elise and figure out what to do about their mutual attraction.
KCPD Protector is book #22 in Miller’s Precinct series, set in Kansas City. This story does reference lots of previous events from the series (especially regarding Elise’s old job), and while it might have helped to have more background, it wasn’t really necessary to understanding this story. It just so happens that I have read one of the earlier books in the series (Tactical Advantage), though I actually didn’t realize that before I started KCPD Protector. The hero from this book is the uncle of the previous hero, and George made an appearance in that earlier book. I mention all this because my previous vision of George Madigan just didn’t match up with the picture painted in this book, and it was a bit jarring. George is a 50-ish bureaucrat, and even though I don’t remember much description of him in the previous book, my brain filled in a picture of an aging, maybe slightly dumpy guy. Probably unfair, but that’s what I saw! Then I get to this book where he’s supposed to be a dashing hero and I struggled to revise my vision. This isn’t the fault of the book, but it probably did color my enjoyment somewhat.
Elise is 14 years younger than George, which isn’t my favorite trope, but I can work with it. Except he’s also her boss, and that I have a harder time with. He is in a clear position of power over her, both as her direct supervisor and the fact that he’s high up in law enforcement. Plus, she’s vulnerable because of the harassment she’s receiving and because of the trouble she had in her previous job. I also felt like Elise read a lot younger than 36ish. She acts a bit inexperienced when it comes to men. Given all these situations, I had a hard time thinking that both parties were on equal footing, and that made the story less likeable for me.
The mystery wasn’t terrible. There were lots of possible suspects. Could it be someone tied to the trouble Elise had in her last job? Could it be an obsessed admirer? A new disgruntled colleague? Or someone else entirely? I did guess the culprit before the end, but it took me a while because of all the twists and turns. While I didn’t exactly appreciate the power differential, I admit it was interesting to see a police hero who’s not just a detective. Bureaucrats need love too!
If I was invested in the Precinct series and had read the previous books that dealt with the trouble at Elise’s former job, I might be more interested in this book if only to hear from old characters. But as a (nearly) newbie to the series, I wasn’t captivated. There are worse ways to spend my time, but neither did it really grab me.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5
This title is available from Harlequin Intrigue. You can buy it here or here in e-format.