The Bottom Line: Murder, fashion and romance converge in T.K. Ambers’ most satisfying romp yet.
The third installment in T.K. Ambers’ Runway Dreams series finds siblings Bernie, Alex and Bell Price in San Diego for a swimwear photo shoot. The family is also trying to score backstage access to meet Antoine Lamour, an LGBTQ rock legend appearing at the local Pride festival. But like Hercule Poirot, murder seems to follow this trio wherever they go.
When the Prices enter Lamour’s dressing room, they find what appears to be a crime scene. Lamour is nowhere to be found. By the time his body turns up, dead from strangulation, the sibs are in the Grand Cayman Islands. Next, they hear news that a comedian named Franz Bellows, another LGBTQ star, is found dead in Las Vegas.
Could a serial killer be targeting LGBTQ men? If so, Alex fears, he could be among the prey. While that seems like a stretch, the seriousness with which the siblings take themselves is part of the wacky fun.
As in prior series books, Prideful Vengeance delivers ample doses of suspense and levity. Ambers’ wit is noticeably sharper than in earlier outings, delivered in dialogue that would be right at home on Schitt’s Creek (“I’m so angry and hurt by your disappearance and now this random reappearance”). Amid the stream of photo shoots, romantic musings, jealousy and danger, Ambers knows her cast well and employs their quirks more effectively than ever. As the plot thickens, prepare for twists that only the most active readers will see coming.
First-time readers can dive right into Prideful Vengeance, while longtime fans will enjoy the series’ strongest outing yet.
