DON'T TRUST A KILLER is the first book in Cynthia Eden's Dark Sins series. In this story, Cynthia Eden revisits her frequent setting of New Orleans and crafts another tale of death and eroticism mixed together in a way that only she can. Kace Quick is known as a powerful and dangerous man in New Orleans, and local and federal authorities would love to take him down on any charge. FBI agent Grayson Wesley would love to pin the recent murders done by "The New Orleans Strangler" on Kace, and he enlists the help of agent Bree Harlow. What Grayson could never imagine is that Bree and Kace would fall in love and that together they would capture the real killer.

Cynthia Eden's books are usually peppered with allusions to classic horror films, and Bree Harlow definitely gives off a "Clarice Starling" from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS vibe. Bree is no stranger to danger or killers. Bree's family was murdered, and that experience changed her forever. It also gave her something in common with Kace. Kace was tried for the murder of an old girlfriend when he was a young man. Both Bree and Kace have faced the consequences of murder and dealt with survivor's guilt and suspicion, and it has made them stronger. In DON'T TRUST A KILLER, Cynthia Eden shows how "dangerous" doesn't always equal "evil," but that evil can be hiding in plain sight. The sexual tension, as Bree initially plays a cat and mouse game with Kace, as she tries to go undercover is exquisite. I liked the alternating perspectives in this story, including the unknown killer's. There's not really a moment in which Bree ever believes Kace is the serial killer, but she does wrestle with the concept of trust as it applies to any kind of romantic relationship, and she has her own demons to exorcise. Cynthia Eden keeps readers on their toes with betrayal coming from unexpected sources, and twists and turns galore.

DON'T TRUST A KILLER is one electrifying surprise after another, and a romance with a fiery intensity. Things are expectedly off-the-charts hot between this hero and heroine, and I like the things they discover they have in common. It's cool seeing characters from Cynthia Eden's Lost series pop up in DON'T TRUST A KILLER. I look forward to Cynthia Eden's next heart-stopping tale of romantic suspense.