Review: When the Devil Wants In by Cate Ashwood and J.H. Knight

Title: When the Devil Wants In

Authors: Cate Ashwood and J.H. Knight

Length: 246 Pages

Category: Mystery/Suspense

At a Glance: The way the authors wrapped things up left me with almost more questions than answers, but I would read more from this duo, especially if they give us Santiago’s book!!

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: John Turner has been living a lie most of his life. Growing up in the rural Georgia town of Magnolia Ridge, he’s only ever let one person truly know him: his best friend, Chloe. To the rest of the world, they’re the perfect couple, but just between them, she’s helping John hide in plain sight.

Matt Kinsley, a cop from San Francisco, moves to town looking for a slower pace and to reconnect with his Southern roots. Starting over in Magnolia Ridge means taking a step into the closet, but Matt finds that with John for company, he doesn’t mind so much.

As the two start to explore a possible relationship, a horrific murder rips the town apart but brings John and Matt together in ways neither could’ve imagined. Matt must decide where his loyalties lie while John resists the urge to run again. Together, they have to discover who the real devil is before another life is destroyed.

Review: It’s been a little while since I’ve read any type of murder mystery, or a book that had me on the edge of my seat like Cate Ashwood and J.H. Knight’s When the Devil Wants In did. The blurb tells us there’s a murder, so no spoiler there. BUT, to say too much about it could lead us down that path, so I do need to tread lightly. I will say that there were several gasp-worthy moments, and parts where I was absolutely on emotional high alert! The one issue I had with the story, though, was the handling of the resolution. I didn’t see a couple of the twists coming, which was great, but the way the authors wrapped things up left me with almost more questions than answers. The execution could have been a teeny bit tighter there, in my opinion. However, other than wishing for a few more details at the end, I thought they did a very good job with the mystery aspect of the storyline.

But, the mystery isn’t the entirety of the story. It doesn’t happen until the sixty percent mark in the book, in fact, so up until then, we’re getting to know the characters, their relationships, and the small, southern town of Magnolia Ridge, Georgia. Even without reading Knight’s author’s note, it would have been obvious that she had roots in the South. The book’s depiction of Magnolia Ridge and the townsfolk was spot on. I’ve spent a lot of time in the South myself, having lived in Louisiana for over four years and traveling back to many places in the region quite a few times, and the dialogue and accents portrayed in the book felt very authentic.

Matt, who has southern roots himself, has always felt he belonged in the South. So, after a traumatic experience on the job, and being unable to escape the memory, he jumps on the opportunity to relocate to his mom’s home state and leaves the San Francisco PD for an opening at the department in Magnolia Ridge. He figures the slower pace and smaller community will do him good, even though he finds himself back in the closet after years of being out in San Francisco. He doesn’t necessarily think his new partner will have an issue with his sexuality, and doesn’t really know how anyone else will react either, but he knows John, the new guy he’s seeing, can’t afford to take the chance of being found out.

John’s relationship with his parents, particularly his mother, was complicated. They loved him without a doubt, but they didn’t truly know him. He used his relationship with his best friend, Chloe, to keep the fact that he was gay hidden from everyone, but their friendship and love for each other was the most genuine thing in his life. I loved this:

Chloe was the only real thing he had. His parents were great, as long as you loved Jesus, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t like cock, and could at least keep your shameful business (see also: premarital sex) a secret from the town and the preacher. And, of course, from them.

Chloe was fabulous. I loved her character and how much she loved John and his family. John’s sister, Melonie, and her daughter, Birdy, were also a huge part of John’s life. Melonie’s husband was a drunken asshole, but John does his best to look out for them. Birdy was more like Scout Finch than her Mawmaw probably liked, but she was a spitfire and I adored her.

I loved John and Matt together. Their initial meeting at the club was scorching hot, and they had amazing chemistry throughout. When they first met, they had no idea that they lived in the same town, as Matt was new to Magnolia Ridge and hadn’t started work yet. The scene where they first run into each other again was pretty priceless, as were the scenes where Chloe realizes who Matt is and, subsequently, uses the knowledge to give both guys a hard time. The authors did a nice job establishing a connection between the guys, and I found myself rooting hard for them. I loved how they really wanted to take care of each other, and how genuine their fondness was.

Quickly, a few other things that I enjoyed… I loved Matt’s former partner, Santiago. He. Was. Fantastic. We get a couple of short conversations with him over the course of the book, but he shows up at the end in a major way, and it was too good. So good, in fact, that I’m convinced he needs his own book. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will feel that way either! I also loved, loved John’s dad. He deserves acknowledgement and a giant hug for being the kind of dad everyone should have. And, I really liked John’s new partner, Andy (who was also best friends with Chloe’s older brother, who died in Afghanistan). Andy was just a really good egg, and I ended up liking him a lot.

Don’t want to end up saying too much, so I’m gonna leave it there. I definitely recommend this one, guys! And, I would read more from this duo. Especially if they give us Santiago’s book!! 😊

You can buy When the Devil Wants In here:

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