Now that the kerfuffle surrounding Suzanne Brockmann’s latest Troubleshooters book, Dark of Night has died down a bit, we thought you might be interested in a discussion Lynne Connolly and I had about the book right after it was released.

The discussion topics are in bold, our comments are separated by our icons.

Must I say that there are SPOILERS??? Because, of course, there are. 

Here’s a “who’s who” in this, our first (and hopefully not our last), DUCKS DO A BOOK entry:
	C-Squared (a.k.a. C2) – Review Duck, blogger, reader, all around good gal.
	Lynne Connolly (a.k.a. LynneC) – author, blogger, reader, chief cook and bottle washer, Jack-of-all-trades, and occasional Review Duck.  Yet another good gal (we have lots of those around here).

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Are the Troubleshooters books romantic suspense or suspense with romantic elements? What about the balance between romance and suspense?

Definitely romantic suspense. No matter how suspense-y, Suz always gives us some romance. DoN was an okay balance but I wish it had been longer.  It all seemed a teeny bit rushed to me.  Maybe because I read it so fast.  :-D

That depends on what you expect, I think. In the latest JR Ward story, the main comment was that she was moving away from romance and toward urban fantasy, and the romance took a backseat to the rest of the story. Some readers liked it. With Brockmann, I can easily see her books in a different section of the bookstore, and doing well there. I like it. It gives her more freedom to develop the storylines and the action. I don’t think every reader can get away with it, but Brockmann does. . But in this book, “Dark of Night,” the romance was enough for me. Sometimes I like lush stories that are all about the romance, but I don’t look to Brockmann for that. . The romances are developed individually, that is, we get how each character feels about the other, but often, time together is limited. I enjoyed that Sophia and Dave had some time to get to know each other as a couple, for example, so they had a basis for their relationship. I want more, and I want to see how they interact more.

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Were you satisfied with final couplings? Was the relationship development believable??

	Very satisfied, actually.  I never could see Sophia and Decker together so all I can say is YAY that she put Sophia with Dave and Tracy with Decker.  Although a bit more familiarity with Tracy would have helped going into the book.Believable relationship development, too. It isn’t like Tracy and Deck had just met or anything.  They’ve been working together for a while…so maybe they just started paying attention.  And Sophia and Dave have been moving toward their relationship the whole time.
	The HEAs were believable, on the whole, especially since Brockmann doesn’t end the romances in the books, they carry on. It’s a real pleasure to see Sam and Alyssa working out their relationship, and I did enjoy the Nash and Tess thing. She didn’t quite get hold of the BDSM power thing, though she definitely goes some way toward it (by the way, there is no actual BDSM content in this book, although there is a power relationship that echoes writers like Joey W Hill, but I think Hill does it better). This is just the book where the characters get together, and since she plans to write more TS books, we can be pretty sure we’ll see more of them. . I liked the way Sophia and Decker reconciled their relationship, and I think the reasons why they didn’t get together were explained pretty well. If they hadn’t had that scene in the bathroom toward the end, I wouldn’t have been so happy, but they talked it through and yes, I was happy with Sophia and Dave. Especially the Dave side. I actually loved the geek-into-spy thing, it’s a bit like a Cinderella story, and I really loved the conversation between Dave and one of my favorite characters, Wild Card Karmody. Geeks rule!
	Oh, I love Kenny! He’s one of my favorite SEALs. That conversation between him and Dave was tons of fun. LOL
	The Transformation of Tracy from ditzy receptionist to smart, in control woman was a bit problematic for me. I went along with it, because I could just about accept it, but it didn’t quite work. I’m not sure why, perhaps because Tracy hasn’t been explored properly before.
	Yup, Tracy could have been developed a bit more in prior books. I don’t think I had a good sense of her beyond the secretary stereotype…there wasn’t time for any development in DoN, though.

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Were the villains believable?

	This was a not-so-much for me. The villains seemed a bit too all-knowing. Especially for such a small group. I know a small group of crazies can accomplish a lot but jeez…
	Okay, so one thing does bother me a bit. Most Brockmann stories take place in the US, and yet the bodycount is pretty high. We never hear any kickback about that, as in, who deals with the bodies on the streets? Aren’t there any enquiries or arrests? . What I could do without – the skimming over the realities. I want to know how TS Inc, which is, after all, a private organisation, deals with all the laws it breaks, not least the killings. But there are B and E’s and other transgressions, too. That’s why I made my Dept 57 part of the CIA, consultants and affiliates to the major government security forces, but even then I do dispose of the bodies!
	As far as the skimming over realities goes – I don’t mind so much. How would she ever research super-secret government organizations? And even if she found out exactly how they do their super-secret stuff, either they wouldn’t let her share it OR no one would believe they really run like that anyway. I guess that’s why I never thought about the body count, clean-up, etc. Since it mostly wouldn’t be her characters doing that, I don’t mind it going unexplained. And, really, unless it is something huge, I don’t think those things get a lot of play in the news here. Of course, I’m not a big news watcher so I could be totally wrong. A friend is a federal agent, though (not FBI or anything fancy) and there’s never anything about stuff she’s involved in – at least, nothing that is attributed to her office directly.

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Fan grrl level?

	Not psycho stalker fan level…just enthusiastic. Seriously, she’s one of my very, very favorite authors.
	Big fan. I have all the books, and they all have to be keepers for me. I was in the minority in enjoying the last book in the series, but it wasn’t because of the Izzy story, as I just plain didn’t like him, and Vinh was a bit off, but the story was kicking.
	Now, moving on – you don’t like Izzy? Awww. I love Izzy! The last book was not my fave (Hot Target is!) – I don’t know what I was expecting for Murphy’s story but that wasn’t it. The Izzy story was the more interesting part, I thought. But the action/suspense part was good.
	What I really, really love and why I’ll read anything Brockmann puts out – Her men. They aren’t alphabetised, they’re not supermen, Brockmann’s heroes are real. I love that she gave Tom Paoletti early male-pattern baldness, I love that not all her men are over six feet tall, perfect of feature and their inner thoughts sound like women. They don’t angst all the time, and articulate that angst perfectly, some of them have a lot of problems articulating how they feel, and some bottle it up. But they are real people, and that is why she can write a large cast of characters and give them all life.
	I am SO completely in agreement that the guys totally make the books – she’s admitted that she struggles a bit with female characters and I think she’s improving but the guys are excellent! Totally, totally how guys are. Good and bad. LOL
	Her deep third point of view. Very few writers can really delve into characters the way Brockmann does. You live and experience with them. Her pov switches are instantly recognisable because they’re another voice. Each character has his or her own way of looking at things. I’d love her, just as an exercise, to describe the exact same event from several points of view. Sometimes she does this in the books, but the views tend to overlap slightly, instead of running parallel.
	The deep POV thing – what you said is almost exactly what I said in my review. Great minds!
	The romances are developed individually, that is, we get how each character feels about the other, but often, time together is limited. I enjoyed that Sophia and Dave had some time to get to know each other as a couple, for example, so they had a basis for their relationship. I want more, and I want to see how they interact more.

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So, any other topics you think we should discuss?

Can’t think of any. Except what happens next. If the next book concentrates on Sam and Alyssa, I’m all for it. But I want more Jules, and if he’s moving from the FBI to TS, where will he fit in? Maybe share XO duties with Alyssa as TS expands? Jules is such a great character, I love his voice!

Jules is my very, very favorite character! I want a Jules of my own. ) Sam’s my second fave. I wouldn’t mind having a Sam of my own, too. . I’m thinking Jules needs to move to the LA FBI office, at least – good for him, being close to the TS gang, and good for Robin’s career. Or, if Jules does end up with TS, Inc. – maybe he could be their liaison person with miscellaneous government agencies? He can be very diplomatic, after all. Smooth out the ruffled egos, etc. Regardless, any book with Sam and Alyssa is going to have at least a little Jules and Robin – and probably a lot. And maybe LA needs its own branch office of TS. Hmm. Suz will work it all out for him – I think Jules is her fave, too.

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What about you, readers and fellow Ducks?  What trips your trigger about the Troubleshooters books, or romantic suspense in general?  What IS IT about Brockmann’s books that is just so dadgum readable?  What do you not like about them?

C2 (C-Squared)‘s review of Dark of Night (Troubleshooters, Book 14) by Suzanne Brockmann
Romantic suspense hardcover released by Ballantine 27 Jan 09

Anyone who has ever visited my personal blog knows I’m a Suzanne Brockmann fan. I’m not a crazy stalker fan grrl or anything – *innocent look* – I’m just enthusiastic. I like all the interwoven stories and the whole deep point of view thing. And I say it’s impressive that all the characters are so real and clearly drawn that it is often easy for the reader to know, without her telling us, who is speaking. No cookie-cutter characters to be found here! 

So, of course, I was anxiously awaiting the release of Dark of Night, the newest Troubleshooters book. Now, before I go any further, I will warn you that this post will be filled with spoilers. Did you catch that, gentle readers? **FILLED WITH SPOILERS** I don’t know how else to do it. I admire and appreciate those reviewers who managed to write up their thoughts without spoiling it for the rest of us – especially since it took my book 3 days to get to me. Grrr. I mean, honestly, they get Harry Potter books to those who pre-order on the day of release. Can’t they do that for all hard covers? *Deep breath* Sorry! That’s a topic for another day. Back to the matter at hand – and remember HERE BE SPOILERS!!

**  YOU’VE BEEN WARNED! **

Dark of Night picks up almost exactly where the previous book, Into the Fire, left off. So we have the Troubleshooters trying to deal with the loss of one of their own. However, Jimmy Nash isn’t dead. He’s badly injured, yes, but quite alive. Jules Cassidy, everybody’s favorite FBI guy, knows that the key to keeping Nash alive long-term is to keep him “dead” until the people targeting him can be found and stopped.

So, a plan is set in motion. A select few know the truth about Nash and are guarding him at a safe house in the desert. Sam and Alyssa (and their new baby), Tess, Jules and Robin are there. The only other person who knows the truth is Decker – until Tracy figures it out, too. Yup, Suz takes the ditzy blonde secretary stereotype and turns it on its ear. And throws Decker and Tracy together in a major way.

At the same time Sophia and Dave are dealing with their grief over Nash, their relationship takes a romantic turn. Yes, Dave has loved Sophia forever but she is, finally, returning his interest. Like, really really returning it. But, poor Dave, right when it looks like he’s going to be happy, the bad guys grab him. Thinking they can get info out of him about Nash – or trade him for Nash, if he’s alive like they suspect. The torture scenes were uncomfortable to read, I must say. Yikes. Thankfully, they were brief. And we are shown some new facets of Dave’s character. He has a lot more in common with the rest of the Troubleshooters men than I had realized. He isn’t just a brain, after all.

And the race is on – find Dave, catch the bad guys, get Nash out of the line of fire, couple up the couples. With most of the SEALs out of the country, there is only a small group of Troubleshooters available to help. Still is there any doubt of the outcome?

The bad guys are dispatched. Dave is found – he dispatched some of the bad guys all by his tortured, infected self. And we get two new happily ever afters, one hinted at and one brand new, plus a bit of closure for an existing couple.

Closure for Nash and Tess – finally, the things that have kept them from moving forward (Nash’s secrets) are out of the way. In my opinion, I think that was the main purpose of the bad guys and Nash’s death. Since Nash was “dead” (and truly injured), he had to sit by and wait for the his team to take care of the bad guys. He had plenty of time to think about things – and get some advice from Love Doctors Sam and Kenny “Wild Card” Carmody. Talk about good times!

Our hinted coupling – when Dave is kidnapped, Sophia has a chance to realize she had only fooled herself into thinking she was settling for Dave. She figures out that he really is the guy she wants.

Our brand new couple — Decker and Tracy’s — whole romance happens in Dark of Night. They see in each other things they didn’t realize they wanted or needed. Deck needs someone who isn’t in awe of him. Someone who sees the real person behind the awesome Chief Decker, Navy SEAL. Tracy needs someone who sees beyond the packaging to the real person and brain underneath. And appreciates her chattiness. I totally believed their romance, even with all the other stuff happening in the book.

What? Is that screaming I hear?? Something about Decker and Sophia being meant for each other? Puh-leeze, people. What, exactly, are you basing that assumption on? I have never been a fan of that pairing – chemistry, they lacked it – so to see Suz moving those characters in a different direction made me happy. I understand that isn’t true for all readers. Whatever. You have to trust the author to take her characters where they need to go.

Yes, there were some small issues with the book — the bad guys were a bit too all-knowing, and some of the violent acts were a bit gruesome (not gory just icky). But acts of violence are like that, I suppose. To make an impact, they have to be uncomfortable for those who witness them. And yes, it was almost too fast-paced. Another 50-75 pages would have been welcome… not that I’m greedy.

Where does that leave us, gentle reader? With the story arc that began in Flashpoint all wrapped up and waiting impatiently for Hot Pursuit — coming this summer — of course! Let me take a moment to say how very glad I am that Suz has moved to two releases a year. Yay!

Grade: A-

Blurb:

Badly shaken after the loss of one of their own, the men and women of Troubleshooters Inc. go up against their most deadly opponents yet – the clandestine organization called The Agency. Blackmail, extortion, murder: The Agency’s black-ops sector will apparently stop at nothing to achieve their objective. But this time they’ve gone too far and hit too close to home.

Led by former Navy SEAL Lawrence Decker, a team of investigators – from FBI agent Jules Cassidy and former CIA operative Dave Malkoff, to Troubleshooters Sophia Ghaffari, Tess Bailey, and even receptionist Tracy Shapiro – band together to uncover the truth, and bring the killers to justice.
But the stakes are raised even higher when Decker barely escapes an attempt on his life. It soon becomes clear that the hunters have become the hunted – and the Troubleshooters are no longer just solving a crime – they’re fighting for survival.

Read an excerpt HERE.

Other books in the series (mass market paperback referenced where available):

and Book 15, HOT PURSUIT, Ballantine, Summer 2009