Wicked Release

Collins’s riveting third Wicked Exposure romantic thriller (after Wicked Exposure) is a nail-biter with plenty of sensuality. The series follows NYPD forensic photographer Jessica Walters’s efforts to find the person who killed her sister, Cass. Jess is now in Portland, Ore., where Cass was living. She’s built up a sensual relationship with Sam, a local police detective, but mostly pursues the investigation on her own. Cass’s secret lover was a rich, secretive dominant known as Master. Jess identifies him as wealthy businessman Elliot Warner and teams up with him to go undercover, seeking to expose the drug ring linked to her sister’s murder. Soon Jess, Sam, and Elliot are thrown into life-and-death situations, where the most unexpected people can be villains. Collins works plenty of red herrings into her hair-raising, erotic tale, keeping readers guessing until the very end. There’s plenty of backstory to allow new readers to easily follow along. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency. (Nov.)