Code of Conduct

Starred review from July 13, 2020
A security agent and a private investigator find love in White’s magnetic series opener. Denise Quimby hires pseudonymous PI Shane to recover funds she considers due to her from her cheating husband, Dane. Though Shane, who’s had a leg amputated and whose skill set is now enhanced by her wide array of prosthetic legs fitted with different “Swiss Army-type gadgets,” is successful in pilfering the money from Dane’s account, she lands in hot water when Denise goes missing and Dane discovers Shane’s part in the ruse. Gabriel Eze is an agent for Cipher Security, the firm hired by Dane to recover his money and locate his wife. When Gabriel and Shane inevitably collide, Gabriel is attracted to Shane despite knowing she stole money from his client. While searching for incriminating evidence on Shane, Gabriel moves into her apartment building, forcing their paths to keep crossing. But when Shane uncovers the surprising truth behind how Dane made his money, she and Gabriel go from enemies to allies and Gabriel offers her a consulting job with Cipher to dig further. Working the case brings up moral issues and forces Shane to confront her troubled past, adding emotional weight to the story even as the slow-burn romance between Gabriel and Shane becomes delicious torture. This is a winner.