Erryn reviews The Keeper of Bees (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 5) by Gregory Ashe (Published by Hodgkin and Blount, July 31, 2020, 369 pages. Audiobook released December 1, 2020. Narrated by Tristan James. 10 hours 48 minutes in length.) An audio code was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I listened to this: I’m desperate for the ending.
To read Dana’s review of the audiobook click here.
Blurb:
Emery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends. The only major problem on the horizon is whether or not he and Somers will be dancing at the wedding reception.
When Mitchell Martin shows up in his office, though, everything changes. The year before, Mitchell was abducted and tortured by a sadistic killer known only as the Keeper of Bees. Now Mitchell is convinced that the Keeper has come back, and he wants to hire Hazard to protect him.
While Hazard works to keep Mitchell safe, Somers must adjust to changes at work. A spate of new hires has disrupted the Wahredua Police Department, and Somers finds himself locked in a struggle to determine how the department will grow and evolve, with long-term consequences that will affect the town for years to come.
Then a woman is found murdered, and she has been staged and posed in a way that is eerily similar to the Keeper of Bee’s former victims. As Hazard and Somers race to prevent more deaths, Hazard fears they are already too late; the Keeper of Bees has been ahead of them the whole time.
Buy links: Audible | Amazon | B&N | Add to Goodreads
My review:
Okay, so I need to get this off my chest. Who doesn’t think Die Hard is the best Christmas movie ever? Emery Hazard. Seriously, there’s something wrong with the man. Or maybe he’s just being contrary because that’s his nature. Somehow I think he secretly likes the movie, but just has to give his boyfriend, John-Henry Somerset, a hard time.
Things are ticking along in the relationship. Wedding preparations, raising their daughter, and work. Emery is being a PI and Somerset is being a cop and never far from their mind is the unsolved case of The Keeper of Bees.
Then a woman is murdered, and it appears to be the work of the killer, but Emery quickly realizes all is not as it seems. Too late, things unfold beyond the men’s control and the web is being spun so quickly, they can’t keep up. They are at risk of being ensnared. There are many suspects in this book – plenty of plausible scenarios. There are a couple I immediately dismissed while others piqued my curiosity. In the end? I can honestly say I did not guess the identity of The Keeper of Bees. That is the mark of a truly great suspense author – they surprise you and yet then you realize the clues truly were there all along. And, of course, I wondered if Hazard and Somerset were actually going to make it out alive.
And then I wondered if they were actually going to make it down the aisle. These books have contained moments of great pain – each hurting the other – sometimes intentionally and sometimes by accident. But they also know each other well so there are few surprises left in their relationship.
Okay, so obviously I’m saying this is an amazing series and I highly recommend it. One of those reasons is Tristan James. He narrated this series brilliantly and I enjoyed every moment of it. I’m sorry to see it go, but Mr. Ashe is prolific, so I’m not worried – there will be plenty more great novels to come.
My rating:
10/10 Pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
I’m a long-time Midwesterner. I’ve lived in Chicago, Bloomington (IN), and Saint Louis, my current home. Aside from reading and writing (which take up a lot of my time), I’m an educator.
*****
To read Dana’s review of The Rational Faculty (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 1) click here.
To read Dana’s review of Police Brutality (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 2) click here.
To read Dana’s review of Transactional Dynamics (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 3) click here.
To read Dana’s review of Wayward (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 4) click here.
To read Dana’s review of The Keeper of Bees (Hazard and Somerset: A Union of Swords Book 5) click here.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 