The Princess and the P.I.
Nikki Payne. Berkley, $19 trade paper (480p) ISBN 978-0-593-81736-0
This sparkling tale of romantic suspense from Payne (Sex, Lies and Sensibility) introduces Fiona Addai, the sheltered adult daughter of a doomsday pastor who gets her kicks while living under his strict rules by solving cold cases on Reddit under the handle Princess_PI. After her late brother’s groundbreaking invention, a smart-vest that can “deliver medication on schedule and monitor vital signs,” is stolen by wealthy businessman Robert Thorpe, Fiona is determined to deliver justice. She plans to steal the prototype back at a major tech convention, but she’s beaten to the punch by a mysterious stranger. Worse, when Thorpe turns up dead, Fiona’s at the scene of the crime, making her a lead suspect. Enter professional gumshoe Maurice Bennett, who has been haunted for years by the one case he couldn’t solve: the violent death of a member of Fiona’s father’s congregation. Now he’s looking into Thorpe’s death—and Fiona is determined to help him find the real killer. A white-hot chemistry quickly ignites between the two, though they must hide their relationship from Fiona’s father. Payne skillfully plants red herrings throughout the intriguing mystery while developing the believable romance between her complex Black leads. Readers will be hooked. (Sept.)
Details
Reviewed on: 06/18/2025
Genre: Romance/Erotica
Other - 1 pages - 978-0-593-81737-7