Temporary Partner by Nicky James

Narrated by Nick J. Russo

Nicky James kicks off a new romantic suspense/mystery series with Temporary Partner, a tightly-plotted mystery that will keep you guessing until the last minute coupled with a fantastic will-they/won’t-they partnership between two detectives from rival divisions of the Toronto PD.

In the prequel novella (not available in audio) Department Rivals, we meet Detective Quaid Valor of the Missing Persons Unit and Detective Aslan Doyle of Homicide when they’re partnered up for a team-building exercise designed to foster co-operation between the two departments. MPU and Homicide don’t mix and their animosity is legendary. Valor and Doyle know each other only by reputation; Valor is by-the-book with a stick up his arse and a permanent scowl on his face; Doyle is laid-back and do-what-it-takes with a reputation as a manwhore (his words) and a revolving door of lovers of both sexes. Neither is pleased about being partnered with the other, and are surprised (and maybe a bit annoyed) to discover they work well together. It’s not essential to have read this one first, but it’s a fun introduction to the characters, and some of its events are referenced in this story.

Temporary Partner takes place a few months later, and begins when Quaid is assigned to the case of a missing five-month-old baby who was taken from the garden of a well-to-do suburban home. Quaid’s partner is currently on leave to be with her sick daughter and all the other MPU detectives are working other cases, so his boss ends up having to scrounge him up a partner from somewhere else… which is how Quaid finds himself teamed up with Aslan Doyle again. He’s not wild about the arrangement, but it’s Doyle or no-one if he’s to stand a chance of bringing little Matthieu Paquet safely home.

Doyle is equally unenthusiastic about working with Valor, but he can’t refuse the assignment. The moment he arrives, he and Quaid are trading very thinly barbed insults, but he quickly hits his stride, bringing a different perspective while providing solid back-up and a useful sounding-board for Quaid. Nicky James has created a tense, fascinating mystery that unfolds steadily to reveal a tangled web of lies, betrayal and heartache, complex family dynamics and red-herrings, and does a wonderful job of combining all that with the developing relationship between the two leads.

The chemistry between Valor and Doyle is electric from the moment they first meet, and even though neither of them wants the attraction zinging between them, it’s impossible to ignore – but Quaid is well aware of Aslan’s reputation as the department playboy and has no interest in being just another notch on his bedpost. He’s never been one for one-night-stands – he’s looking for intimacy and connection of the sort he hasn’t really experienced in his own family, which fell apart when his older sister went missing when he was just a boy. Unfortunately, however, Quaid’s desire for something long-term and a deep-seated fear of being alone has led him to stick with a relationship with a serial cheater he knows he should have dumped long ago but somehow can’t. Aslan, naturally, has a lot to say on the subject; he might be a player but he’s not a cheater, and he doesn’t shy away from telling Quaid some hard truths. Beneath the darkly brooding good-looks, the snark and the swagger, is an intuitive, kind and caring man he rarely lets others see, and the way he takes care of Quaid – making sure he eats and sleeps – is kinda swoony <3. Of course, he makes it very clear that his bedroom door is always open to Quaid, even if it’s just a way of providing a fun distraction from the man’s dickhead ex – but he doesn’t really expect Quaid to take up his offer.

The way their relationship evolves, both professionally and personally, is superbly done as they strike sparks off each other while trying hard to ignore the intensity of their growing attraction and at the same time, develop a strong working relationship as they progress from reluctantly tolerating each other to a genuine respect and admiration for each other’s skills.

I have one major issue with the story – which is the unprofessional behaviour Aslan exhibits, especially in the first half. He takes great delight in needling Quaid by flirting or making suggestive comments, which are not only asking for an accusation of sexual harassment, but are just downright wrong when you’re about to speak to a distraught mother or interview a witness. Quaid obviously knows what Aslan is doing and is perfectly capable of shutting him down, but this disregard of personal boundaries is jarring, not to mention it makes Aslan look like a bit of an arsehole. Fortunately, he does tone it down, especially after Quaid pointedly asks him to, and this is really the only criticism I have to make about what is a truly excellent story.

Nick J. Russo is one of my favourite narrators, so I was delighted to see his name on the cover of this one. He delivers a terrific performance; well-paced, expressive and clearly differentiated with a good variety of vocal characterisations, including his interpretation of the two leads, which is excellent. He absolutely nails their very different personalities, Quaid’s deep, measured tones and considered delivery a perfect reflection of his somewhat straight-laced persona and a great contrast with Aslan’s more relaxed, lively manner. There isn’t a bit difference in pitch between them – the differentiation is by timbre and tempo and inflection, and it’s expertly done. Mr. Russo conveys their emotional connection really well, their banter is perfectly timed and I loved the warmth – and even affection – he injects into their dialogue as they begin to get to know each other better. The secondary characters are equally well presented; several of them have French accents, which are consistent throughout (although I take issue with the pronunciation of “Matthieu” as “Matt-choo”, and in French, “Giles” is pronounced (sort of – it’s difficult to write out!) “zheel” (with a soft “G” [Ʒ] and no “s”) and the female voices are nicely judged.

Temporary Partner is a fabulous blend of slow-burn romance and mystery that gets the Valor and Doyle Mysteries off to a running start. There’s no HEA – not even an HFN (yet) – but what we do get is hot and sexy and very promising, and I can’t wait to listen to book two, Elusive Relations, which I believe will be released soon.

Caz

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