Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford
Dirty Kiss, sequel
A Cole McGinnis Mystery
Dreamspinner Press
Contemporary M/M
ISBN: 978-1-61372-775-1
Reviewed by Lisa

Scars from the past litter ex-cop/P.I. Cole McGinnis’s body, though the scars of his memories are the ones that haunt him. If not for meeting Kim Jae-Min he isn’t sure where he would be. Cole’s saving grace is a prickly Korean photographer as deep in the closet as Cole is out.

One of Cole and Jae’s more unique friends is a Filipino singer called Scarlet who brings the P.I. his latest job involving a decades old missing person case. Park Shin-Cho hires Cole to discover whatever became of his father, a wealthy Korean businessman who disappeared during a cop raid on a gay establishment.

The more Cole digs into the mystery the more suspects are added to the list and the more it looks like they all had a good motive to wish the man dead. Complicating matters is Cole’s tempestuous relationship with Jae. The body count is rising, but when Cole and the people who matter most to him are ducking bullets it’s time to finish this and unmask the ghosts of the past.

The exciting sequel to Dirty Kiss packs a solid, seductive, and bloody punch in Dirty Secret. Mysteries, drama, and suspense are all wrapped up in an intense tale of dishonor verses integrity. Cole’s search for answers runs alongside his unfolding relationship with Jae. At times fiercely erotic, other times frosty denial. The two plotlines weave perfectly in and out of each other culminating in a strong climax that’s over too soon. Readers may stumble over the names and customs at times, but cultural differences are explained without disrupting the flow of the story. Dirty Secret is an addictive thrill ride.