Title: Cry Wolf (Big Bad Wolf #5)
Author: Charlie Adhara
Genre / Themes: Shifters /Murder mystery
Release date: 18 Jan 2021
My rating: 5 Stars
Blurb
Agent Cooper Dayton never thought anything could be harder than solving murders. Until he had to plan a wedding.
After taking down an old adversary, Agent Cooper Dayton of the Bureau of Special Investigations has earned a break. Not that planning a wedding to his sexy shifter partner, Oliver Park, is necessarily stress free, but it’s better than worrying about the ominous warning, delivered months ago, that Cooper’s life is in danger.
When he’s dragged to an event by his family, Cooper braces for an awkward evening, but instead finds himself in the middle of an ugly feud between Park’s ex and a rebel pack leader. What was supposed to be a quick outing turns into a full-blown murder investigation after the pack leader ends up dead, Park’s ex goes missing, and Cooper and Park are sent a series of disturbing wedding gifts that are somehow connected to it all.
The list of potential suspects is long, and with the bodies piling up, Cooper must turn to the one person he trusts the least: the villain he’s already put behind bars once and who has nothing to lose by lying and everything to gain if Cooper is out of the picture—for good.
Review
This is another great installment in the series and I loved everything about it - the romantic relationship, the suspense, the new insights we got into the wolf world.
The book covers Cooper and Park getting for their wedding which any married person will tell is stressful in itself but add a murder investigation and things really hectic. I loved how much they cared for each other and wanted to be their best and to do their best to make their partner happy. It's really relationship goals for me. At the same time both of them continue to work through the traumas of their past and this is not easy for either of them.
The mystery plot was intricate and engaging. I liked how it brought the past, present and future together. The mystery felt overwhelming at times, like a puzzle with too many pieces but in the the end I found its resolution fitting and satisfying.
We see more of Cooper's family and it was great, both his father and his brother are shown in a new light and it all reflects on Cooper, making him re-evaluate a lot of things about himself. We also meet more werewolves and the world around Park and Cooper just grows richer and fuller.
Overall this is well written story, great romance and suspense plot, great side characters, great HEA. That said, I am curious how the series will continue. This doesn't read like the final book but more like a set for more stories in this world inhabited by humans and werewolves, at the same time the romantic relationship feels complete to me. I am wondering if another couple might take center stage in next installments (if there will be any).
