Title: The Deadly Lies (The Dominic Delingpole Mysteries: Book Two)
Author: David C. Dawson
Publisher: DSP Publications
Length: 210 Pages
Category: Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: While I had a problem with some contradictions in Jonathan’s behavior in this open relationship, I didn’t let it get in the way of the solid mystery.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: Dominic and Jonathan are on their romantic Spanish honeymoon, and things are perfect… except Dominic has kept a secret from his husband. He’s failed to tell Jonathan that he plans to meet his former lover, Bernhardt, who is speeding on his way from Germany to present Dominic with a mysterious gift.
But Bernhardt is killed in a suspicious car accident. Shortly before he dies, he sends Dominic a bizarre text message that will take the newlyweds on a hair-raising adventure.
Lies upon lies plunge Dominic and Jonathan into an internet crime that could destroy the lives of millions of people. What is the mysterious Charter Ninety-Nine group? And will their planned internet assault force Dominic to choose between the fate of the world and the life of his lover?
Review: Steve Brown is a control systems hacker. After being selected to attend the Embarcadero Hackfest, he’s on his way from Brighton, England to San Francisco. While waiting on his flight, he calls his mom to let her know that he’s headed to America, and she talks Steve into contacting his dad while he’s there. So, he pulls out all his hacking expertise to find Pete, his father, who seems to have vanished. Steve also finds himself subjected to some mysterious happenings—and a tracking device in a most unusual place.
Dominic Delingpole has a connection to Bernhardt Freude, Steve Brown, and, eventually, to Officer Alfonso De la Torre, who’s been put on Freude’s trail after word came down from Europol that Freude stole documents which could cause great harm. With a strange text from Bernhardt, an artifact Alfonso has taken from a crash site that will open the door to devastation, Steve’s dilemmas, and many strange characters, it leads Dominic and his husband, Jonathan, into a twisted game of cat and mouse that turns into danger and tragedy.
The only thing I had a problem with in Deadly Lies was Jonathan’s need for an open marriage with Dominic, because it contradicts itself when Jonathan gets upset about a lie he hears about Dominic and Bernhardt. Jonathan, at times, tries to be funny and flirts a little too much, and he can be a drama queen, but I didn’t let the odd relationship between him and Dominic get in the way of the solid mystery. I do like Dominic. He’s a little more serious, being a lawyer, and he really tries to be honest and understanding. He has doubts about his relationship with Jonathan, but he seems dedicated to understanding Jonathan’s needs.
I really got into the plot of this fast paced, suspenseful mystery and the way all the threads connected to the interesting and dangerous outcome of making a person’s identity vanish. There’s also a few characters, including an old nemesis of Dominic’s, that will invoke feelings of uneasiness and questions about whether they are trustworthy. What really kept me intrigued, however, was Steve Brown’s storyline, his search for his father, the Hackfest and all the mysterious stumbling blocks along the way, never knowing who could or couldn’t be trusted.
You can buy The Deadly Lies here:
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