Die for Me

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Synopsis

In the dead of winter, homicide detective Vito Ciccotelli is called to a deserted field where a body has been unearthed. The way the woman has been eerily posed along with other clues at the scene lead him to believe that there may be more bodies. Vito enlists the help of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine what lies beneath the frozen ground, but despite digging things up for a living, nothing could prepare her for the field full of precisely dug graves or the brutally slain bodies that are buried there. Some of the graves are still empty, too, indicating that the killer hasn't finished his work. As Vito's investigation heats up, he realizes that some of the dead were probably savaged with medieval torture devices before being killed, something of which Sophie also has knowledge. As Vito and Sophie travel together through the worlds of history, art, and video games to track down the murderer before he strikes again, they discover a deep attraction to one another that cannot be denied. After being lied to by a former lover, though, Sophie isn't sure that she can trust Vito, and Vito, who is still mourning the loss of a woman he loved, has doubts about a relationship, too. But when the killer sets his sights on Sophie as his next victim, Vito realizes he's fallen in love and can't live without her, while Sophie puts her faith in Vito to find her before she becomes the next one to die.

Review

Die for Me is the first book in Karen Rose's Philadelphia/Atlanta (aka Vartanian Family) series and the seventh book in her greater romantic suspense world that encompasses all her books to date. Vito Ciccotelli is a homicide detective for the Philadelphia PD who heads up the case when a field full of bodies who've been tortured and murdered in horrific ways is found. CSI would like to map the area to determine where all the graves are located before digging, so the ME recommends an archaeologist she knows who has access to the necessary equipment to complete the task. Sophie is happy to help out, but having only worked digging up bones in the past, it's a little overwhelming for her at first. She sticks with it, though, for the sake of helping the victims' families find closure. As Vito and his team work to put the clues together, they realize that many of the victims were mutilated using medieval torture devices, and with Sophie also being a historian, she's the perfect person to help solve the mystery, which takes them, not only through the world of medieval history but into the art and video gaming realms as well. As they work to find the killer, Sophie and Vito share an instant attraction that quickly turns into more, but Sophie's past experiences with love affairs have left something to be desired while Vito is still mourning the tragic loss of a woman he loved. Despite all that, they begin to find solace with each other. But the killer is still on the lose. It's pretty clear that he has unfinished business and Sophie may be among his next targets. When he finally comes for her, Vito finds himself in a race against time to save the woman he's fallen in love with.

Vito is the brother of Tess from the fifth book, You Can't Hide. In his years as a homicide detective, he's seen some pretty gruesome things, but the body of a young woman who appears to have been tortured and deliberately posed takes the cake. He immediately begins to suspect that there may be more bodies in the field where she was found, so when his ME suggests he enlist the help of a young archaeologist she thinks of as a daughter, he doesn't hesitate to call Sophie in. Vito's suspicions are immediately confirmed as soon as she uses her equipment to scan the area, and as it becomes increasingly apparent that the killer was using medieval torture devices, Sophie's historical expertise turns out to be invaluable to solving the case as well. Along the way, Vito finds himself deeply attracted to the beautiful, blonde Valkyrie, but she initially rebuffs his advances, leaving him trying to figure out why and overcome her concerns. As they get closer to finding their guy, Vito and Sophie get to know each other better and engage in a torrid affair that leads to even deeper feelings. However, as other experts in medieval history start going missing and turning up dead, Vito knows that Sophie is likely in the killer's crosshairs, too, and he eventually finds himself racing to locate the killer and save her life. Vito's a great guy, a consummate family man who welcomes his brother's five boys into his home during an emergency situation. He's amazing with the kids, proving that he'll be a wonderful father someday. He's also a loving, sensitive boyfriend, showing Sophie all that she's been missing. I love that he wanted to make love to her right from the start, rather than "f**k like minks." He treats Sophie's elderly, ill grandmother with the utmost respect and he has the unusual hobby of listening to opera, accompanied by a singing voice that makes listeners weep. He's also completely dedicated to finding the murderer to get justice for the victims and their families.

Sophie has a complicated family life with a mother who abandoned her and a father who was absent from her day-to-day life, so she was mostly raised by her opera singer grandmother. She's worked hard to become a respected archaeologist and historian, but after being seduced by her mentor who lied to her and was a serial cheater, her career was nearly derailed. She'd been on a dig in France when she received word that her grandmother had had a stroke. Sophie immediately returned to Philadelphia to be near her, and has spent all her inheritance on the best nursing home for her grandmother. Now she's working a job she doesn't really like, curating exhibits and leading historical tours at a museum on budget constraints. When the ME, who's been a mother figure to her asks for her help in mapping a field, Sophie is glad to lend her services. Although it's emotionally draining work, at least she feels like she's making a difference by helping identify remains and find a killer. She's almost instantly attracted to the handsome detective leading the case, but when she finds a bouquet of flowers with a love note in Vito's truck right before he asks her out, she turns him down cold, thinking that he's a cheater like her ex. Eventually the truth comes out, leaving her happy to indulge her desires. But all of Sophie's past relationships have been little more than fast and dirty, no-strings sex. Having a guy who wants to take his time with her is a foreign concept, but one that she quickly comes to enjoy. Then several of her colleagues, including the mentor she never wants to think about again, go missing, and it isn't long before Sophie herself is fighting for her life against a brutal murderer. I've always been interested in history and archaeology, so Sophie was a very interesting character for me. After all that she's been through in her life, Vito offers a sense of family that was largely missing for her growing up. I also like that she's a clever woman who doesn't let the killer get the best of her.

Given that Die for Me takes place in a new city that hasn't featured in Karen Rose's previous books, we have a mostly new set of supporting characters. Vito's partner, Nick, is an amusing guy who sometimes gives him a hard time. Vito's team works round-the-clock, searching for clues and putting the puzzle together. They include Liz, the no-nonsense supervising lieutenant; Jen, leader of the CSI team who runs down leads; Katherine, the ME, who is also Sophie's mother figure; and Brent, the IT guy who's indispensable in digging up buried information on computers and making the video game connections for everyone else. Vito's sister, Tess, comes to help out with his nephews, so we get a brief update on her and Aidan (You Can't Hide). The two most prominent secondary characters, though, are Daniel and Susannah Vartanian who get drawn into the case when Daniel realizes his estranged parents have gone missing. Daniel is an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, so he sets out on his own for Philadelphia in search of them. He also enlists the help of his sister, Susannah, a New York DA with whom he reconnects after years apart. These two become instrumental in the case. Daniel goes on to become the hero of the next book, Scream for Me, and Susannah becomes the heroine of the book after that, Kill for Me.

Die for Me was another great romantic suspense story from the imagination of the extremely talented Karen Rose. Every time I read one of her books, I marvel at how exciting and taut her storytelling is. And the way that she can get inside the minds of some of the most brutal sociopaths and psychopaths in literature is astounding. In this story, she has taken a very likable police detective paired him with an equally likable archaeologist/historian and surrounded them with a very capable support staff of investigators to go up against a clever killer who is obsessed with capturing the moment of death in art. Then she's also woven into that plot a subplot involving a greedy video game developer who suspects how his graphic artist is digitally capturing such realistic death scenes for their newest game, but just doesn't care about anything except his bottom line. Whenever I read a Karen Rose book, I sometimes get bad vibes from certain characters, but I almost never figure out all the connections and who the villain is until near the reveal, and this book was no different. I love trying to figure out the mystery of it all, and this one engaged my intellect in a fun and enjoyable way with all its twists and turns. The mystery and suspense elements were, as usual, superb. Even though it was pretty twisted, I also liked the touches of medieval history. My only small complaint this time is with the romance. Vito and Sophie both have rich backstories and familial connections, and I very much liked them together as a couple. However, it's basically an insta-love story that takes place over a mere week's time, so a few more romantic moments certainly wouldn't have gone amiss. There's only one detailed love scene and it was one of those aforementioned "f**k like minks" moments, so there was never a truly romantic sexual encounter written in any detail, only merely implied. I also thought that both Vito and Sophie had a lot of baggage that was overcome a little too quickly and easily. But none of that was a deal-breaker. I still very much enjoyed Die for Me and look forward to reading more about the Vartanian siblings in the next two books.

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Karen Rose

Themes

Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroines
Men in Uniform - Law Enforcement