A review by kaje_harper
Deadly Dreams by Victor J. Banis
4.0
I enjoy the Deadly series by Banis, and this one moves the relationship of the main characters forward and then changes it in unexpected ways. I like Tom and Stanley and am very interested in following the way their life together is working out.
There were a few things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me. The biggest was minor issues with the plot. There are a few coincidences and Stanley had a couple of irritating TSTL moments toward the end. Overall I just have never really bought him as a cop or ex-cop, no matter how short his supposed career. In this book, he notes about himself "What kind of a cop could you be, if you couldn't shoot anybody?" Which would be fine if this was a change of heart, but it sounds like something that has always been true about him. I can't see an intelligent and introspective man like Stanley getting all the way through the Academy and weapons training without considering the fact that he will be expected to be able to use his weapon, and that if he pulls the trigger he will be shooting to kill someone. That would be a decision he should have made before he ever hit the streets, for his safety and his partner's, and his reactions don't ring true for a cop. Or when he goes to meet a man he suspects is a murderer without weapon or cell phone, and decides not to go back for them. Even a short career in law enforcement I would expect to create reflexes and attitudes that Stanley repeatedly fails to show. I love the character, just don't completely believe in his back story.
Banis also writes the emotional moments of his books with just a little distance. This story has some highly emotional events, and my preference would be a good grab-the-tissues intensity. For some readers, however, the lack of emo wallowing may be a good thing. Either way, I will be getting the next book in this series soon, because I have to know what happens between these two men next.
There were a few things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me. The biggest was minor issues with the plot. There are a few coincidences and Stanley had a couple of irritating TSTL moments toward the end. Overall I just have never really bought him as a cop or ex-cop, no matter how short his supposed career. In this book, he notes about himself "What kind of a cop could you be, if you couldn't shoot anybody?" Which would be fine if this was a change of heart, but it sounds like something that has always been true about him. I can't see an intelligent and introspective man like Stanley getting all the way through the Academy and weapons training without considering the fact that he will be expected to be able to use his weapon, and that if he pulls the trigger he will be shooting to kill someone. That would be a decision he should have made before he ever hit the streets, for his safety and his partner's, and his reactions don't ring true for a cop. Or when he goes to meet a man he suspects is a murderer without weapon or cell phone, and decides not to go back for them. Even a short career in law enforcement I would expect to create reflexes and attitudes that Stanley repeatedly fails to show. I love the character, just don't completely believe in his back story.
Banis also writes the emotional moments of his books with just a little distance. This story has some highly emotional events, and my preference would be a good grab-the-tissues intensity. For some readers, however, the lack of emo wallowing may be a good thing. Either way, I will be getting the next book in this series soon, because I have to know what happens between these two men next.