The Killing Room Paperback – February 1, 2006

Gerri had me on the edge of my seat with this one😄 I was convinced I knew who done it till, I actually found out who done it!😅 oh what a splendid ride, tho. SO much fun!!

There are writers whose books you know you're going to enjoy before you ever open the covers. Gerri Hill is one of the authors you can add to that list, if you haven't put her there already.This is a murder mystery about two women who come from different worlds and philosophies. Jake McCoy is a police officer who has retreated to her mountain cabin to recover from wounds she sustained when she tried to keep a man from killing a child........and failed. She has come to the mountains with her dog Cheyenne to escape from the nightmares that haunt her and to decide if she still has what it takes to be a police officer. She would rather be alone than anything until one day when a stranger discovers her soaking in a nearby hot spring. Jake invites the woman to join her and events lead to a night of exquisite passion. When Jake wakes up in the morning though, the woman is gone without a trace or any indication of her identity. Jake returns to Denver to resume duty and is immediately embroiled in the hunt for a serial killer who is preying on abused women. The only thing the victims have in common is a therapist they have all seen who specializes in these cases. The surprise waiting for Jake is that Dr. Nicole Westbrooke is her mystery woman from the hot spring and that Nicole is deeply closeted and not quite certain she is happy to be found.Nicole associates with a group of lesbians who are all professionals and highly successful. They keep their relationships within the group and protect the truth about their sexual orientation rigorously. Her friends disapprove of Nicole's interest in Jake on more than one level. Jake doesn't hide her preferences and they are afraid her relationship with Nicole will call attention to the rest of them, possibly ruining their careers. More disturbing though is the snobbishness that the group exhibits because Jake just isn't "one of their kind" since she isn't a college degreed professional and earns much less money than they do. Unfortunately, Nicole seems to buy into their attitude, but she has to be in contact with Jake because it soon becomes clear that the killer's real target is her. He's just using her clients to shake her up before he makes his final kill, Nicole. Two stories then develop. Can Jake penetrate layers of secrecy within the police department and identify the killer before he reaches Nicole? Can Nicole overcome her fears about exposure and rejection by her friends to allow her relationship with Jake to grow? Throw in a terrific twist in the crimes and you have a very entertaining book.

Before I begin I would like to first warn potential buyers of this book that spoilers will follow so continue at your own discretion.The story starts off slow, it doesn't really get interesting until more that halfway through when the killer gets bolder. The majority of the story is building up to that and then the final showdown.The writing was good, I won't complain about that. This was the fourth Gerri Hill book I've read. I enjoyed Hunter's Way (the best to me so far) The Target (also pretty good), Snow Falls was not really good to me (see my review on that one). Again, nice premise, two women have a wonderful nearly anonymous passionate encounter in a hot springs in the mountains, and never expect to see each other again. A murder investigation brings them together unexpectedly and there you have it. Plot. Along with the murderer on the loose as a backdrop it just goes from there.However, it was the lack of common sense among the two main characters, Jake and Nicole that bothered me. As the story progressed and they got together again physically and their feelings grew, they NEVER talked about it. Sure they both mentioned it in their inner monologues and how important it was that they talk about their feelings, but it never happened. What would happen was sex, not complaining about that, because all the sex scenes were hot, but really? Common sense says you talk to the person you think/know your falling in love with and they had so many opportunities to just talk. Rather than talk about it, they both stupidly thought that the other did not care and that it was just sex, and that the minute the case was over, their relationship would be over. Again really? Why assume that? A detective and a psychiatrist can't have a simple conversation about where this relationship is going? That was not only stupid, it just made no sense. And what was with the lesbians kissing the two guys (Jake kissing her partner Rick on the mouth and Nicole kissing the guy that works the police force too on the mouth as a thank you?).Is it just me or is that inappropriate and weird?Once again, it's not until the last few pages that at least one character gets her act together and goes after the other and they profess their love, have sex, and THEN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS. FINALLY! I am getting so tired of the authors making their characters act like idiots for the majority of a story and then finally seeing the light in the last few pages. Why is that? Do they really want the characters to suffer? Or are we the reader the one's who they want to suffer?Interestingly enough, since I was so disappointed with Snow Falls, I really did not get my hopes up to much about this one. I was still left feeling like it was just an okay read so that is why I gave it 3 stars, I wish there was a 2.5 option though.

Set in Denver and the surrounding countryside, this is the tale of a cop, Jake, recovering from her wounds - both physical and mental - and a psychologist, Nicole, vaguely aware that she wants more than her life is offering her.Nicole takes a week away from her practice ostensibly to stave off burnout. When she gets lost hiking in the mountains she comes across a beautiful stranger in a hot springs and falls immediately into lust.After Jake recoups from her physical wounds, she returns to work and catches a case that has no leads. She painstakingly goes over every possible clue until she finds a common thread. That thread leads her to one of Denver's elite psychologists, Nicole. Together with Jake's partner, they try to figure out who the killer is.This book surprised me on so many levels. It is a first class mystery with lots of twists and turns and unexpected suspects. It is a romance between two women and the author ably conveys the gut-level attraction.I suspect that over the years, I have read so many lesbian novels that have been formulaic that I really expect every one I pick up to be the same. I guess hope does spring eternal because I keep buying them hoping against hope for something different. But this is one is different, and how! It is well written, with the descriptions of Colorado's spectacular scenery so vivid that they make you want to pack your car and go see what Jake has seen. I can't remember the last time I was so pleasantly surprised by a book - any book!

One of the very best Lesfic crime/romance books – 5 starsJake McCoy, a police detective who was shot in the line of duty, is spending time at her mountain home while she recovers. Dr Nicole Westbrook is taking time away from work too. When they encounter each other by chance near some hot springs, there is an instant attraction between them and they end-up sharing a day and a night of passion. While both women try to dismiss the encounter as nothing more than a casual tryst, when they meet again the spark of attraction is clearly still present. However, Jake is now back on duty, and she makes it a rule never to get personally involved with anyone connected to an investigation, and, Dr Westbrook appears to be at the heart of a murder investigation.Gerri Hill always writes a good crime/romance, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint. While perhaps not my favourite book, The Killing Room features Jake McCoy who is definitely my favourite among all of the wonderful characters Gerri Hill has created over the years. Jake is an intriguing blend of the consummate professional, yet, along with her inherent professional persona, she has a side (albeit that she keeps hidden), that is full of human frailties. The blend of strength and vulnerability is exceptionally well portrayed. Jake ‘pulls’ you in to the story from the first to the last page.An exceptionally good read from one of the outstanding authors of lesfic.

If you start this story, set aside plenty of time. It draws you in, and before you know it you have been turning pages while your life passes you by!Geri Hill has written an unusually structured story which sets up the thriller element in the second half of the book.The first half of the book describes Detective Jake McCoy's recovery from a shooting incident with fatalities, and her temporary retreat to her mountain cabin.In parallel we meet Dr Nicole Westbrook, a psychologist who is suffering burn out and deciding to take a back packing break in the mountains. It is one third of the way into the book before they meet, as strangers. They spend the day and night together having sex and part, still as strangers. Once they return to Denver in the second half of the book and carry on their lives, they meet again as Jake investigates a number of murders involving Nicole's clients.The interweaving between the personal and the thriller element are what makes this a really good read.

Geri Hill delivers amazing character development a chilling, twisting plot, fabulous sub plots and settings that draw you so far in you can smell them. So addictive I had to go for a restaurant lunch from work so I could be alone and finish it!

Words fail me really, Gerri Hill is an excellent writer of Lesbian Romance and when it is mixed with Crime... well she just blows your socks off!!. Gerri write crime extremely well and I am someone who never really read books, honestly up until approx 12 months ago I didn't read at all, since being introduced to Gerri Hill's books, I have now read all of her novels and can not wait for her next novel to be released.

Sorry, but I can only ever rate Gerri Hill's books as five star, they just grip you with fabulous stories from the start until you are finally at the last page and still want more!! And can finally reward yourself with a night not spent staying up till (sometimes) four in the morning because you just cannot put the book down.