Review: IS LOVE STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME DEMONS?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
The second in the series of the Detective Quaid Mysteries kept me riveted throughout. I'd enjoyed meeting the characters Sarah Palmer and Detective Steven Quaid in the first book, Murder, Madness and Love, and found Renee's writing style to be fast and furious. It is often a cliche to say you couldn't put a book down, but that is how these books affected me. I was often annoyed with Sarah's decisions in the first book, feeling her desire to be independent put herself and those around her at risk, and Sarah's independence continues to be a plot mover in the second book which I have just finished. Will the damage and pain she has suffered in the past allow her to accept help from those around her?In Memories of Murder there is the ghastly spectre of Lucifer, the demon who haunts Sarah's dreams, turning them into nightmares that she paints in an effort to make sense of what she is experiencing. Lucifer's desire is to have Sarah, and it is Detective Steven Quaid's mission to find this Lucifer before he kills any more innocent victims on his quest to have Sarah. At times the macabre scenes are repugnant, so be prepared for blood and gore at times.Despite the gruesome machinations of Lucifer, the love story between Steven and Sarah is the central theme of the book. Their on-again of-again relationship is frustrating for the reader who just wants them to get over their distrust, their misunderstandings, their insecurities and their careers which put obstacles in the way of their relationship. There are those who seek to steal their love - Scott Chase is still on the chase to have Sarah, and Alice the Terrible does everything she can to keep Steven away from Sarah. What is annoying is that both Steven and Sarah allow themselves to be manipulated by those around them. All through the novel with its plot and sub plots, the reader wonders - will Sarah survive? Will she and Steven come to trust each other enough to allow their love to win over all? How will such a driven couple ever let their love take precedence over their careers?Read Memories of Murder to find out how/if they work their way through the obstacles.