Cirrus@Austlit

'For eight years Lexie Rogers has been a uniform cop in Sydney’s red light district, Kings Cross. Having survived a violent knife attack, she’s witnessed far more than most cops her age. Now she’s back at work as the newest member of the Bondi Junction detectives’ office and ready to start again.

'One of her first jobs is to execute a search warrant at a bikie clubhouse, one of the two local gangs in the eastern suburbs. What she uncovers begins a chilling investigation into a vicious world where loyalty is deadly and unwavering and can’t be bought . . . Or can it?

'Lexie forms an unlikely alliance with one of the bikies, who’s realised his family’s in danger. But what neither of them knows is that Lexie is the one who’s in too deep. She knows too much.

'And as the stakes get personal, it seems the secret bond she has with a big bad bikie could be the one thing that’ll save her life.

'Karen Davis’s first novel is a romp through bikie hierarchy and cultures with many a twist and turn that keeps the reader’s interest. Action begins with the self immolation of a young woman as Detective Lexie Rogers and her partner, Detective Sergeant Brad Sommers investigate.

'Lexie is unbelievably drop dead gorgeous in the looks department, but Davis has painted her character well, including many foibles that might belong to a detective who has undergone traumatic events in her working life. Murder, mayhem, and a few sexy scenes are scattered throughout as Lexie is finally paired up with the equally gorgeous Josh Harrison. Didn’t we know these two would somehow hook up? Despite this obvious ploy, most of the characters, including Josh, are well developed; perhaps the only criticism is that the good guys are beautiful and the bad guys aren’t.

'Police procedures, protocols, and workplace culture seem well documented, which may attest to Davis’s previous employ in the NSW Police Department. The clues to a couple of murders are there for the discerning reader to gather, but the story remains a page turner. Will Lexie and her cohorts return in a new instalment? Davis may have the makings of another book. ' (Publisher's blurb)

'A young nurse’s body is found at Clovelly Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Apart from a puncture wound in her neck, she is in perfect condition. But she’s also clutching a rose in her hands – and there’s an empty packet of prescription drugs in her pocket.

'Investigating the scene, Detective Lexie Rogers and her partner Brad Sommers know something is not right. It appears to be a staged suicide. And as they begin to dig deeper, Lexie discovers the case is too close to home.

'The dead girl was a work colleague of Lexie’s ex-husband, who is now a paramedic – and she was also a friend of the woman who broke up Lexie’s marriage. Struggling as she is with her breakup with Josh Harrison, who pushed her away after the suicide of his sister, and the numbing flashbacks of the violent attacks she’s suffered in the past, Lexie throws herself into the case. When she’s handed the lead on the investigation, Lexie sets out to solve the murder and prove she’s up to the job.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Detective Lexie Rogers is tough, smart and at the top of her game. She's seen it all, from bikies, blood and betrayal to drugs, deviants and deception ... and the violent knife attack that almost killed her as a young cop on the beat.

'Lexie's sent on the job of a lifetime -- to go deep undercover, as beautiful Lara Wild, a drug distributor, to expose a huge dealing ring among Sydney's most treacherous criminals. What she discovers is that being undercover is the safest place to be, especially when you're a cop with target on your head, but one false move means she'll die. And creeping from the shadows is the darkness of her past, something she can never outrun... ' (Publication summary)