'The Murder Between Us' by Tal Bauer
- Jan 16
- 2 min read
Author: Tal Bauer
Rating: B-
Vibe: FBI agents, serial killers, and a Vegas hookup that won't stay in Vegas
Sometimes you just need a book that doesn't ask much of you. The Murder Between Us is that book. FBI agent Noah Downing finally lets himself explore his sexuality during a conference in Vegas, meets the charming profiler Cole Kennedy, and has the kind of night that answers all his questions. Then he ghosts Cole to rush back to Iowa for a serial killer case—and guess who gets assigned to profile the murderer? It's exactly as soapy as it sounds, and honestly, that's part of the appeal.
This is a popcorn read, and I mean that affectionately. The mystery is gruesome enough to keep you engaged, the romance delivers on the "will they get together" tension (spoiler: they will), and there's a twist at the end that's just twisty enough to feel satisfying without being genuinely surprising. It's not reinventing anything. It's comfort food with a higher body count.
That said, the book does require some suspension of disbelief. Things line up a little too conveniently, and Noah spends a lot of the book being melodramatic in ways I couldn't always track. There's a lot of internal spiraling that felt disconnected from what was actually happening on the page. And while I appreciated having both the thriller and romance elements—it keeps things from getting stale—the connection between Noah and Cole felt rushed. You're told they're falling for each other more than you're shown it.
But here's the thing: I knew going in that the guy was going to get the guy. And that's fine. It was fun to watch it unfold, even when I was laughing at some of the more ridiculous plot mechanics. This isn't a book to overthink. It's a book to read after a long day when you want something with stakes, steam, and just enough suspense to keep you turning pages. It's not more than it appears to be—and that's OK.
