Lycan Instinct

Reviewed by Jack Goodall © 2006

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2006

Title: Lycan Instinct
Author: Brandi Broughton
Publisher: Cobblestone Press
Genre: Shapeshifter/Erotica
ISBN Number: 1-60088-006-1
Release date: June 2006

Unfortunately, right from the start, I didn't get into this book. A woman detective, Mackenzie Lyons, has to find a murderer. A body mauled by wolves has been found. It was so lucky that the victim argued with a man on the night of his death, and that man owns a pack of wolves...

We have a suspect right there. The suspect is 'Rafe', who is one brother from a set of triplets named Gabriel, Raphael and 'Luc'—though I knew from seeing the last name that it would be Lucifer. What do you know! The third brother is called Lucian, but has been known to respond to Lucifer. This had me rolling my eyes.

This novel is rife with predictability. I knew what was going to happen before each scene.

Detective Lyons fancied the pants off the suspect, Rafe. What a surprise! Of course, Det. Lyons wears clothes that show off her figure and she is exceptionally beautiful. How stereotypical. Even her work partner, Coop, fancies her.

Not far into the book, I noted that Rafe, the main suspect, comes into the police station to voluntarily bring in his gun. He holds out the case containing it to Detective Lyons, but she doesn't appear to take it. Det. Lyons then stands behind her desk, shuffling papers, further indicating she is not holding the gun case. Rafe must still be holding it, yet he leans on a doorframe, crossing his arms, an awkward image to identify with seeing as he's holding a gun case. Det. Lyons puts her hands in her pockets—she most definitely isn't holding that gun case... Det. Lyons and her partner leave the police station. Does Rafe still have the gun case? If not, where did he put it? If he put it down, isn't it bad form for a police officer to just leave a gun and its ammo out in the open? Doesn't she need to lock it up somewhere out of harm's way? If Det. Lyons and her partner have left the police station/partner's office, isn't it a little off that Rafe may well go poking around in that office while they're gone? With no indication of the gun's location, and these questions in my mind, this pulled me out of the read, having to backtrack and re-read this section again to make sure my eyes hadn't deceived me. It's a sub-plot thread that was frustratingly left untied, a.k.a. a plot hole.

A second victim is found. So then the book starts reminding me of James Patterson's Violets Are Blue.

When Det. Lyons goes to visit Rafe by herself, not telling anyone where she is going, I wanted to scream. How many books have I read like this? How many films have this as a scene? Answer: too many to count! Det. Lyons then gets a call—the second victim's wife is in the hospital. So what does Det. Lyons do? She takes the suspect with her! Surely this isn't acceptable police procedure, no matter how persuasive the suspect is?

I'm sorry, but this novel is full of flaws and is so predictable that I had a really tough time finishing it. It's a shame because Brandi Broughton does write well, but her lame plot and predictability are a total let down. I would like to see her come up with something more original, something that didn't have all my guesses coming true. If she put her well-written prose with a cracking good plot, she'd have it made as a great suspense author!

I give LYCAN INSTINCT two cats.

Rating: 2 Cats

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To find out more about how to purchase Lycan Instinct, visit Cobblestone Press.