Once again, a very promising debut novel. Remy Devereux grew up in a Creole family in New Orleans and is now a homicide detective with the SFPD. We first meet her while she’s breaking up with her girlfriend, hotshot US Attorney Erica Forsyte. Remy is working on a very frustrating investigation, and nightmares of the victims’ ordeal fill her nights.
A year after breaking up with her cheating fiancé, Giana Falco, whose father is chief inspector of the Philadelphia PD, is leaving her hometown and her family to make a fresh start in San Francisco, as a forensic scientist with the SFPD. The only person she knows in San Francisco is her college roommate Liz, who welcomes her with open arms but whose schedule makes it very difficult for them to spend time together. When they meet, Giana is grateful for Remy’s friendship, not seeing immediately that there is more to their relationship.
I loved the first half and thought for a while this was going to be a 5*. It started really well but Remy’s attitude got repetitive and the whole thing fell into some sort of slump. Oddly enough, when the romance went flat, the investigation and suspense began to pick up, and my interest was piqued again. I’m really glad I stuck with it, the slump didn’t last too long and the relationship between Giana and Remy took a dramatic turn that made it engaging again.
All in all, Gray Matters is a very enjoyable debut novel, a romantic mystery with good characters and hair-raising thriller scenes. I don’t know whether this is a standalone or the beginning of a series, but I wouldn’t say no to more.
Jude in the Stars 