The Red Hot Fix by T. E. Woods

Description from Goodreads

In the white-knuckle follow-up to her explosive debut novel, The Fixer, T. E. Woods returns with another tense, intricate thriller.
 
What do you say, Morton Grant, Chief of Detectives? You got what it takes to find me? Show me a move. . . . Or I’ll have to show you one of mine.

A little more than a year after the Fixer killings, Detective Mort Grant of the Seattle P.D. once again has his hands full. In the last four months, seven men have been murdered in seedy pay-by-the-hour motels: first strangled, then tied with rope and set on a bed of crushed mothballs, with a red lipstick kiss planted on their foreheads. Speculation abounds that the killer is a prostitute who’s turning her tricks into dead men. The press has taken to calling her “Trixie.”

As Mort follows scant leads in the case, he can’t help but feel continued guilt over his involvement with the Fixer. Though the public holds her up as a folk hero, a vigilante who seeks justice when the system fails, Mort cannot shake the fact that serious crimes have been committed. And though legend says she has vanished, Mort knows exactly where the Fixer is—and he’s conspiring to keep her hidden.

As Trixie strikes again, Mort suddenly finds himself and his family in the crosshairs. Because these new murders are not random, and their perpetrator is hell-bent on luring Mort into a sick and twisted game. If he’s not careful, he’s going to need Fixing.

Praise for The Fixer
 
“Pitch-perfect . . . solid characters, unpredictable twists and excellent plotting; a must-read for those who enjoy crime fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

This was an easy book to read, and I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was very well written. I enjoy this author’s work. As the second book in a series it provided an excellent follow up to the author’s debut novel, ‘The Fixer’. This book was a definite page turner.

The plot was fast paced and crammed full of suspense, keeping me interested and invested right to the end. There were many clever and inventive twists and turns in the plot that kept me thinking the whole time, including false leads that took you off in the wrong direction.

The story continued the connection between Mort and Lydia, which had been solidified in the previous book. I enjoyed seeing how each of them attempted to develop relationships with prospective partners, given our knowledge of the secrets they were keeping, and the things that had happened in their pasts.

It was fascinating to see how the fixer had grown as a person and the creative manner in which she dealt with the situation that she found herself in. The themes were definitely of an adult nature, but were not treated in a tacky way. It seemed like this was almost two stories in one, with the strength of the main subplot.

The characters were very interesting and well established. They were developed further in this book, with a greater amount of back story revealed, especially regarding Mort and his past. It was also good to see that the members of Mort’s team, introduced in the first book were given larger roles to play in this one. We were able to get to know those characters that we had only a passing familiarity with.

The conclusion was surprising, with a great twist. I would recommend this book to thriller fans, that like a heavy dose of suspense and a plot that is not straightforward to unravel. Although the book can be read in its own right, I think it is beneficial to have read the first book in the series too.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.