One day, single bi dad Levi meets Donovan seemingly by accident in a supermarket checkout line. Ten years later, Levi is still picking up the pieces of the relationship he had with the man who turned out to be a government agent, who dragged him into a dark world of covert operations and constant fear for his life, and his son’s.
Donovan didn’t mean to fall for the man he was supposed to seduce, gather information from, and leave within three months, but he did. He even tried to break ties to the agency and set up house with Levi, whom he married without telling him about who he really was. But in the end the powerful people who controlled the group forced Donovan to return to work, and split from Levi. Now, both their lives are in danger, it’s time for Donovan to face down his demons, and try to make amends to the man he still loves.
“Scars and Secrets” is a complex thriller, perhaps a little too complex. The ten year gap between the brief prologue describing Donovan and Levi’s first meeting, and where the main story picks up means there’s a lot to catch us up on. This is mainly accomplished through some rather tediously long inner dialogs by the main characters. Add to that a clipped, hard-boiled writing style, without humor or descriptive flair, and the reading can be hard going at times.
None of this helps to make the characters all that realistic. Yes, we end up knowing a lot about them and what they think, but the picture ends up being too contradictory to make Donovan and Levi feel like real people. Donovan in particular comes across as far too damaged to still be doing undercover work. Sure, the people he works for may not care about his well-being, but given the way he seems to fold up at the drop of a hat, he doesn’t come across as all that reliable or useful.
Adding to the confusion are a host of secondary characters, who seemed to be dropped into the story at random. You get the impression that many of theses people are introduced because they will figure in later books of the series, rather than helping to move this story along.
The writing of “Scars and Secrets” may appeal to some, but it left me flat with no desire to read further installments of the series. The book is available from Amazon
