Naked Dragon is a balancing act between a nail-biting suspenseful crime drama and the unfolding romance between two unlikely heroes brought together under dire circumstances.
I found the storyline that followed the Dragon to be of most interest to me. If you mix up The Silence of the Lambs and CSI- Vegas with Starsky and Hutch, you have the flavor of the drama. The descriptions of the crime scenes was graphic enough to allow my understanding of the horror law enforcement agencies were fighting against yet just stopped short of making me toss my cookies. Thank goodness.
Dave Harris is your typical good-guy cop; gruff, buff, dedicated and honest-with a secret. He’s doing fine working himself into exhaustion, denying who and what he was until the killings start in his district. He has the fortitude to withstand the aftermath of the Dragon but not the one-two punch of his first look at Special Agent Robbie Taylor.
Robbie is FBI, but more than that, he’s psychic. Or so the story goes. G.A. Hauser has me questioning that all through the story. Is he/isn’t he? What a tease. And he sure does tease the truth out of Officer Harris. He is confident and comfortable with who he is and is determined to inspire that same confidence in Dave. He also teases and outs the madman to such an extent, the Dragon focuses on him and begins to make each killing personal – causing Robbie hellish grief.
I enjoyed watching how these two strong men reacted to the insidious nature of the crimes. Very human, very determined yet unable to isolate themselves from the effect it was having. In their open acceptance of each other they found the strength and fortitude to survive not only this, but issues on personal fronts as well.
The two other agents that came with Special Agent Tyler sure didn’t like him in the beginning. That came through quite clear. I appreciated the evolving of that working relationship on the pages. As for Officer Dave Harris, he had to make some tough decisions; to come out or stay hidden and lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him. How in the world can that be worse than what’s happening on his beat? For one thing, once and if the crime is solved, it’s over whereas if he comes out, it’s the future of his whole life. Dilemma, Dilemma; I liked how the author handled it.
Meanwhile, the two men do express their yen for the other by getting physical. The scenes weren’t graphic or overly explicit, just enough skin and action to get into the swing of things. Enough to give me the hint that what was between them was much more than rampant and inexhaustible lust. But how far will Officer Dave go?
If you enjoy gritty crime dramas and/or romantic suspense, then Naked Dragon will deliver. Just give yourself plenty of time to read; with the lights on.