Review: Jeff Woods Mysteries Boxed Set by Chris T. Kat

Title: Attachment Strings, Sacrifices and Swordplay: The Jeff Woods Mysteries Bundle

Author: Chris T. Kat

Length: 609 Pages

At a Glance: An interesting mystery series, but I had some issues with the main characters.

Reviewed By: Angel

Blurb: Don’t miss the Jeff Woods Mysteries from best-selling author Chris T. Kat! In Attachment Strings, Detective Jeff Woods starts thinking about how difficult and lonely it is being a cop, and that maybe Alex could fill a void in his life. Jeff isn’t sure he’s ready to play house or overcome his prejudices, but he begins to think Alex might be worth it. In Sacrifices, life is not easy with the Church of Virtue still spouting venom wherever they go, homophobes at the police department, a gangster who wants Alex in the worst possible way, and a bed that barely holds one grown man, much less two (and a child), but Jeff is there to stay for good. And in Swordplay, Jeff and his ex-partner are now owners of their own detective agency. Life is difficult at the best of times with Jeff’s partner, Alex, and Alex’s brother, Sean, both struggling. And Jeff and Parker’s investigation arouses the real killer’s interest, and if they don’t uncover his identity soon, it may be too late for them.

Review: I’ve read Chris T. Kat before, and while I wasn’t thrilled with the one story I tried, I decided to give the author a second chance. I’m still not certain how I feel exactly about this author’s work.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspects of this series. I love a good police procedural/murder mystery story, and this had that in spades. The writing wasn’t hard to follow or understand, and the flow of the story wasn’t too hurried nor was it dragged out for the sake of plumping the book.

The problem I had was with the inconsistency of the main characters. In Attachment Strings, Jeff Woods is entirely awful. He’s a closeted man who has just as many prejudices as the loudest homophobe, and he doesn’t hesitate to speak them out loud in front any- and everyone. His partner, Parker, is the same way, and together, they were disgustingly cruel. He was harsh to not only himself, but to the man who was supposed to be his lover, Alex, and especially horrible to the disabled persons he was supposed to be helping. I see what the author was trying to show; that even the foulest person can have a change of heart. However, in spite of everything else I enjoyed about the story, Jeff’s redemption came a little too late for me, and I hated him.

I started Sacrifices with a bit of trepidation, but still had hope because I liked Alex, and loved Sean. Jeff was still a jerk albeit somewhat redeemed, as was Parker, but Alex had turned into a completely irresponsible person. The thing I loved most about Alex in the first book was his dedication to Sean, his younger, disabled brother, whom Jeff was tasked with keeping safe in the first book. Sean was loving and caring then, and it seemed as if suddenly he had just forgotten all that maturity he once had. Once again, change was the goal, but it rather fell flat for me.

Swordplay was the best of the three, I think. All three MCs—Jeff, Sean, and Parker—still had their moments where the earlier redemptions seemed to have slipped away, but for the most part it did seem to stick, and Sean really shined in this book. I kinda adored him throughout the entire series as he was the brightest spot, in my opinion, and helped Jeff and Alex finally become a complete family unit.

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You can buy the Jeff Woods Mysteries Bundle here:

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