Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
In Deadly Charade by Virna DePaul, you find Tony Cooper an admitted recovering drug addict with a bag of drugs. But things are not always what they seem. You also have Linda Delaney the woman who loves him but can't handle the what ifs.
Linda Delaney is currently a prosecuting attorney for the district attorney's office in Sacramento, and she is in the running to become a judge. She pours her heart into her work. Standing up for hat is right, however her heart never has forgotten the love of her life. She is about to see Tony again. But now he is in court facing murder charges. Linda is shocked to see the changes in the man she has loved, but she can't believe he is a killer.
While Tony Cooper admits to having been addicted to prescription pain killers, he has been clean for over 5 years now. He had been working as a C.I. for awhile. But an attack on those he loved most forced him into the Witness Protection Program with his sister, niece and brother in law. But he soon decides to make a difference. There is a drug on the market called Rapture, and Tony is determined to find out who is behind it. Now as a Cop deep undercover, he must convince others that he is the harden criminal he is portraying. Soon it is hard to remember were the lies begin and end.
Tony feels he must make Linda believe, because she almost paid with her life once already. And now someone is trying to kill her again. When he protects her from gun fire she is more convinced than ever he is not as uncaring as he would like her to believe.
Virna DePaul wrote two very strong powerful characters in Tony and Linda. Two lovers whom never got over each other. When these two do come back together it is scorching. And as the book goes on you come to understand why Linda herself had issues with trust and addiction. I loved how Tony tried to protect her. While I am not a fan of lying, in this case it was justified. And there were a few surprises I did not see coming.
5/5 stars
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
