Review: Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter

Title: Every Breath You Take

Author: Robert Winter

Length: 240 Pages

Category: Mystery/Suspense

At a Glance: Despite the issues, I think Winter is talented and am look forward to seeing what he can come up with in the future.

Reviewed By: Queue

Blurb: When Zachary Hall leaves Utah for a job in Washington, it’s finally his chance to live as a gay man and maybe find someone special. In a bar he meets Thomas Scarborough, a man who seems perfect in and out of the bedroom. But Thomas never dates. He never even sleeps with the same man twice. Despite their instant connection, he can offer Zachary only his friendship, and Zachary is looking for more.

Thomas is tempted to break his own rules, but years before, he became the victim of a stalker who nearly destroyed his life. Even though his stalker died, Thomas obsessively keeps others at a distance. Despite his fascination with Zachary, he is unable to lower his barriers. Frustrated, Zachary accepts he will never have what he wants with Thomas and soon finds it with another man.

But young gay men in Washington, DC, are being murdered, and the victims all have a connection to Thomas. Once again someone is watching Thomas’s every move. Can it be a coincidence? When the depraved killer turns his attention toward Zachary, Thomas must face the demons of his past—or lose his chance to open his heart to Zachary forever.

Review: Every Breath You Take had the potential to be a top-notch book, but, for me, it was just okay. Robert Winter is a decent author, and I’ll check out his future stuff, but I hope he spends more time creating a deeper POV.

I do have to admit that Every Breath You Take is written in probably my least favorite POV—third person omniscient. Thankfully, there wasn’t a lot of head hopping, though it was more than I prefer.

The story here centers around Zach, a man new to DC, and Thomas, a man set on protecting his heart. Thomas is a bit of a slut, but never goes back for a second round with the same man, no matter how good the sex is. Zach, of course, becomes the exception. Which earns him the wrath of Thomas’s stalker.

I’m not sure if the identity of the stalker was supposed to be a big surprise for the reader, but I figured it out very early on. I won’t spoil it here, of course, but I think the author could’ve done a bit more to make it more…mysterious. The identity seemed obvious to me from the beginning, so obvious I wondered if that itself was a red herring. I did second guess myself when a few other suspects were presented, but in the end I was right. And I found that rather disappointing.

The sex scenes were very hot, but there was little else that connected Thomas and Zach. And they proclaimed their love way too early and easily for me. I was invested enough in the story to finish it and see how the mystery resolved, but I can’t say I cared all that much about the romantic aspect of the story. I also had issues with some of the dialogue. It certainly didn’t come off as realistic: “Would you like to feel my mouth on this beautiful piece of meat?”

Despite the issues, I think Winter is talented and am look forward to seeing what he can come up with in the future.

You can buy Every Breath You Take here:
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