Simon Granger, special agent with the Special Investigators Group of the California Department of Justice, risks his life every day seeking justice for victims of horrible crimes. Since the death of his colleague and ex-girlfriend at the hands of a serial killer the burden has felt too heavy to bear. He's facing burnout and wants to move into an administrative position and give up the day-to-day investigations. He doesn't have the patience to deal with the homeless and mentally ill witnesses and suspects he is dealing with in his current cases. He believes they don't need to be treated any differently than anyone else and particularly refuses to "go easy" on people he believes are guilty.

Psychiatrist Nina Whitaker specialized in training police how to respond to the mentally ill but has given that up to focus on her work with elderly persons with dementia. After the suicide of a patient and that of her own sister, Nina moved to San Francisco and decided to leave the life and death decisions to others. Now her boss is pushing her to help start a police training program given the bad publicity the SFPD has recently received for its treatment of the homeless. Circumstances force her into the investigation of the death of a homeless man as a temporary partner to Simon. Neither is thrilled with the arrangement, particularly given the attraction that instantly flares between them. Can they balance business and pleasure while trying to stop a killer before he strikes again?

SHADES OF PASSION is compelling, suspenseful, and will leave you guessing until the very end. Virna DePaul takes on a difficult topic, mental illness, without flinching. It is front and center, with many of the principal characters struggling with their own emotional and psychological wounds tied up in guilt and grief. Simon initially represents the judgmental and uniformed perspective many have towards mental illness while Nina advocates education and understanding without sounding preachy. Both Nina and Simon are strong, intelligent professionals who must find a way to balance their differing perspectives. I initially struggled with the romantic aspects of the story. Simon was not particularly likable at the beginning and their disagreement was so deep I could not believe that they would instantly want to sleep together. Thankfully, Simon had an open mind and softened under Nina's influence.