Of Love and Loss by J. T. Bishop is the sixth book in a series that features Detectives Gordon Daniels and Aaron Remalla. The villainess Margaret has escaped custody and cleverly evades the police. She has secretly gathered a gang of ruffians who will do her bidding and is supported by the mysterious “Winnie”. When one of the henchmen is murdered, Daniels finds a disturbing photograph in the dead man’s pocket. Meanwhile, Rem struggles to come to terms with his trauma from a previous encounter. The lovely Mikey is interested in a relationship, but Rem fears Margaret will harm anyone he cares about. How can Rem protect those he loves?

Of Love and Loss by J. T. Bishop was a character-driven mystery. I liked the way the narrative provided glimpses into the minds of both the antagonist and the protagonist, placing them on an inevitable path toward confrontation. I sympathized strongly with Detectives Daniels and Rem, who were both well-rounded and likable characters. The clues in the narrative made me read on eagerly, hoping these men would solve the case and live to detect another day. On the other hand, Margaret was an enigmatic and chilling villainess. Her passion-driven insanity made her fascinating. I hoped she would be caught and prevented from harming others, but the fear that she would outsmart the detectives generated suspense. I was also impressed with the creation of such a strong female villain, as the majority of arch nemeses in detective novels have been male. The book had a great plot and kept me guessing throughout.

Detective Aaron Remalla (Rem) is at the end of his tether in the literal sense of the words. He is kidnapped by a cult and tortured in unimaginable ways and on top of that, he has lost his wife to the cold hands of death. Despite making it home, he is still being stalked by Margaret Redstone, a dangerous woman who wants him to herself and is ready to remove any obstacle in her way by any means necessary. Rem is ready to pack up and disappear, but on the eve of his departure, tragedy befalls a close friend, and Rem realizes that hiding is useless; his enemies will not rest until he is dead. Now he must fight back and face the consequences in Of Love and Loss by J. T. Bishop.

I was surprised by what looked like information overload as I read the initial chapters; it seemed J. T. Bishop was trying too hard to create a believable backstory to this enthralling tale, but as I progressed, it became apparent this was crafted to immerse readers without confusing them. The characters are individually interesting, and the way Bishop inserts everyday conversation into their interactions creates a well-paced emotional rollercoaster. Of Love and Loss combines an intriguing storyline with suspense-filled subplots in a manner that is guaranteed to hold readers’ attention. This is a masterpiece delivered by Bishop.