Title: Warrior’s Way
Series: Coulter and Woodward Book 1
Author: M.J. Calabrese
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
LGBTQ+ Category: MM Gay
Publisher: Self
Pages: 340
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
Friends since childhood, Albuquerque detective Eagle Woodard and criminal profiler Adam Coulter are dragged into a serial killer case. Gay couples are being murdered and tortured and the FBI needs their help to capture the sadistic murderer.
Deciding to implement a plan to trap the killer, Adam and Eagle go undercover as an involved gay couple. Or is it really pretend?
Faced with their toughest challenge yet, they must find the active serial killer before he strikes again. With the powers that be not cooperating and the killer proving to be elusive, will Eagle and Adam be able to stop the murderer while navigating their changing relationship?
PLEASE NOTE: This is the first book in an ongoing story arc. Although the case is solved, the relationship ends on a cliffhanger. Contains graphic violence and scenes.
The Review
Eagle Woodard and Adam Coulter, detective and criminal profiler may be a crack team at what they do but their personal lives are a disaster.
Adam Coulter, whose an expert profiler, life is a mess. He’s been divorced just too many times and apparently it’s always his fault. Sure, he has money to burn, being a privileged white man.
Eagle Woodard, not so privileged being Native American and gay. Eagle’s been friends with Adam since their younger years and it didn’t really work out for Eagle. He’s been in love with Adam forever but he never pushes the issue. Eagle has opened his home to Adam for a very long time.
I had mixed feelings about both Adam and Eagle. I wanted to clobber both of them at times. But I did realize both of them have issues but it seems Adam has more than Eagle and Eagle has been there for Adam when times get rough.
M.J. Calabrese brings this rocky relationship to an explosive edge. Adam and Eagle’s connection is a definite “oil and water” situation filled with dysfunction and drama. A couple things that keep this connection on edge are roving eyes, not being true to ones-self and one of the most important factors, trust.
As far as the mystery goes, the reader will figure out who the serial killer is and that’s what keep’s the reader on edge, as Eagle and Adam investigate the gruesome murders. The investigation, along with mistakes and interference just keeps this fast paced novel all the more suspenseful. I give fair warning, the murders are violent, gritty and committed by a most evil and deranged killer.
This was a first time read for me by M.J. Calabrese and this was one of those stories that became a page-turner, no matter how much I wanted to clobber both Eagle and Adam. I just don’t know how Adam and Eagle will survive each other and so I’m hooked and on to book two “Mountainway Chant”.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
