Looking back on [b:Dirty Kiss|11787563|Dirty Kiss (Cole McGinnis, #1)|Rhys Ford|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349041094s/11787563.jpg|16739747] I fully appreciated this sequel a lot more. It doesn't hurt that the narrator Greg Tremblay is seamless with all the different characters and accents - he's quite impressive.

I really liked Cole. He wasn't overly emotional; he doesn't say a lot of pretty words. But his feelings for Jae are intense and for the first time, in a long time since his past lover was killed, he's living and loving again.

What this series has that Ford's other series (i.e. [b:Sinner's Gin|16169304|Sinner's Gin (Sinners, #1)|Rhys Ford|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356641206s/16169304.jpg|22015723]) doesn't, is true grit. In its own way it's still romantic, it's still hot - but I felt more with this. Homophobia runs rampant - it comes from strangers, friends and unfortunately family, and its ugliness is not glossed over or tucked away neatly. It also features prominently in the mystery that Cole has been hired to unravel. Cole and Jae struggle with this throughout the story, and despite their fear and reservations, they strive to carve out a bit of happiness for themselves as much as they can. So overall I enjoyed this a lot. Cole and Jae have hope in being able to live freely with each other in the future and I'm definitely looking forward to see that come true.
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romantic-suspense, thriller, multiple-murder, missing-persons, Korean-Americans, California, erotica, South-Korean, cross-dresser, m/m-romantic-suspense, mysteries, series, contemporary, fiction, cultural-exploration, private-investigators, family-dynamics, family-expectations, family-history, family-drama, family-business, wealthy, audiobook, pet-cat, friendship, men's-club, drag-queens*****

Fascinating look into cultures unfamiliar to me while being an excellent mystery. The story of Cole and Jae progresses smoothly and intensely with insane twists and red herrings. This is all very important to me because I started the collection of characters by reading the first of a spinoff series on McGinnis Investigations.
Voice actor Greg Tremblay is absolutely perfect to interpret these wonderful characters. ( )

I loved this sequel for similar reasons that I exposed in my review of Dirty Kiss:

* A good suspense plot (oh, so welcomed),
* An extensive cast of characters with corporealness and particular features that concur to avoid the flattening-out of the context.
* A romance that keeps on developing to a perfectly reasonable rhythm in terms of the baggage than the MCs drags along.
* And a writing style (as pointed out Jess, another reviewer of Dirty Kiss) that is a pleasure to be savored and enjoyed in a reading without hurries. Rhys Ford is a very very talented author which instill a lyrical flight to the narration without coming to be corny, e.g.:

"There were so many words left unspoken between us, and they hung there, heavy and silent, like teardrops needing to be kissed away."

Now, I only have one last -and anxious- question: How long?? That end... Rhys, if you make us wait too much I'll think that you have an unexpected vein of sadism. :-) ( )

As soon as I finished Dirty Kiss, I bought Dirty Secret, and as soon as I finished it, I bought Dirty Laundry. That is the best compliment I can give a writer.

These are in both a gritty-grumbly detective tone, and artistic, in that Cole's internal monologue is often cranky and amusing, and the descriptions are like watercolor sketches, colorfully suggested rather than overly detailed. It gets a little out of hand for me during sex scenes, (too many descriptive words bleed away meaning), but other than that, I love it.

I can't speak to the accuracy of South Korean culture, other than to say what's presented is consistent. I'm bad at names, bad at other languages, but even I mostly kept the names straight. There is a delicacy in how the author presents this culture, its views on homosexuality and what family and duty mean, that I appreciate. It was hinted at in the first book, and starkly revealed in this one. Can't wait to see what book 3 holds. ( )

Cole McGinnis finds himself thick into another case involving a gay Korean man--although this one simply disappeared many years ago. While it seems as innocent as a typical missing persons case that's gone cold could be, he quickly learns there's much more to it than he suspected including blackmail, other prominent Korean businessmen, and possible police misconduct. And after the missing man's family appears to be targeted, Cole finds himself in danger, too.

Another well-crafted murder mystery from Rhys Ford. While I enjoyed Dirty Kiss which kicked off this series, I have to say I liked this installment even more. The case is more involved and engaging and I found it much easier to connect with the characters. Seeing Jae and Cole interact more helped to establish their relationship and the interactions between Cole and his family helped me as a reader to understand him and where he comes from on a new level. It's a page-turner with a few surprise twists and definitely worth a read. ( )