Devil in a Black Suit

by Colleen Helme

[Berls]

When Colleen told me she had another book in the Shelby world for me to read, I was - as always - ecstatic. And then she told me it was from Ramos's point of view and I squeed. Thankfully this was an email exchange and I didn't actually make a fool of myself! :)

Did it live up? Yes. 100 times yes! I will say this is 4 stars for me because I would have liked a bit more Shelby in the books. She has a very small role overall. However, the moments she is there are quite great. They made me laugh and it was quite nice to see their relationship from Ramos's POV, especially because it reassured me that he's not going to go there. He cares for her deeply and that means he respects her and her marriage too much to do that. So yay!

Ramos's took on Shelby's unique ability to get into trouble in Devil in a Black Suit. The difference is that he also can really get himself out of trouble for the most part! That made the action in this even more exciting. His love interest was a nice addition to the story - and the main reason why Ramos suddenly has Shelby's problem - getting into trouble! Even though it would be better for Ramos if that chapter were closed, I'd like to see more :)

The story is two parts, loosely connected. The first part really sets the stage for the second part in a lot of ways, and the second part is definitely more exciting. Ramos ends up in Cuba and that was really cool -- I loved the little details Colleen pulled in to make you really feel like you were visiting Cuba. And the twists kept coming while Ramos was there!

I flew through this -- as I do all Shelby books! -- and loved the narration! It was a new narrator - Will Damron - since the main character was no longer Shelby, but Ramos. He did a great job (and is much better at the Spanish than Wendy Tremont King. LOL, I love her narration of Shelby, but her Spanish isn't the best). What I really appreciated was that his interpretation of Shelby - although no Wendy - didn't leave me feel really aware of the narrator change. He grasped the pace and tone that Wendy has been using for her and translated it well.

So yeah, another win from Colleen and the Shelby world. Cannot wait for more... and hopefully we'll be seeing more from Ramos's point of view too!