Eruca by Xenia Melzer (Arthropoda #2)

Title: ⟫ Eruca

Author: ⟫ Xenia Melzer

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ There is no crime without witnesses

When Detective George Donovan and his eccentric partner, Detective Andi Hayes, need a break from their gruesome job, a hike seems like just the thing.

Unfortunately, the job catches up with them when they find three dead men in a lake.

When the promising clues dry up, George and Andi turn once more to Andi’s “gift”—but this time things aren’t so easy. Andi’s mysterious talents are growing stronger, making it harder to block out the barrage of information and taking a toll on his physical and mental health. The cryptic clues his informants offer are even more bizarre than the case itself. And the more they discover about the victims, the more uncomfortable the investigation becomes.

Torn between catching a killer and serving justice, between George’s career and Andi’s sanity, the detectives have their work cut out for them if they’re going to solve these murders.

Review: ⟫ Book two in the series, and the relationship between George and Andi is growing closer – through necessity, George often takes care of Andi and it’s this that forms the backbone of the story. Yes, it’s another murder mystery,with twists and turns aplenty along with hassle from the chief, but it’s the growing partnership that is the real story.

Andi is learning to rely on George and is alternately terrified/pleased. He doesn’t want to turn out like his grandmother – bitter, alone and unloved – but at the same time, George isn’t planning on staying in Charleston and what happens to Andi when George leaves?

George is beginning to realise that what he feels for Andi is more than a traditional partnership, and if that’s the case, how does he leave? But if he doesn’t leave, does that mean giving up on the career he’s spent his life working on?

Eruca is a very strong follow-up to the first story in the series, building on the strong foundation and bringing the reader further into Andi’s world. His relationships with Shireen and Evangeline, the way his gift is changing, and George all make for a fascinating read. Again, this is a book you need to concentrate to read and it is so intriguing seeing further into Andi’s gift and how it’s manifesting and changing. The frustration of wanting the two men to talk to each other is actually mitigated by the fact that they both have really good reasons for not talking – how do you define a relationship like theirs?

I adore when George talks to his brother and must admit, I would love to see what’s happening in his life. I can’t say I mowed through this book but that’s because I would sometimes go back and reread some bits to be sure I’d picked everything up. I really enjoyed reading this and was pleased to know that I didn’t have to wait for book #3.