Baby Jane Doe by Julie Miller (The Precinct Series Book 4)

Reopening the murder case of an infant media dubbed Baby Jane Doe didn't exactly stir up any favor with KCPD Police Commissioner Shauna Cartwright's critics, but she couldn't let a questionable confession slide. After witnessing hard-nosed Internal Affairs detective Eli Masterson in action during a botch bank robbery, the knew he was just the man to get the job done and unearth the truth. 

Still living with a tainted reputation due to his corrupt former partner ("In the Blink of an Eye"), Eli doesn't have any problem stirring the proverbial pot but when a stalker begins targeting Shauna his protective instincts take over. 

Unfortunately, the sexual attraction between the two might result in the most scandalous part of the endeavor. While there is an age difference between the two (she's older), giving in to temptation breaks some serious rules within the department. 

Briefly introduced in "Search and Seizure", Shauna is a mature career woman with two grown children in their twenties and an ex with a gambling addiction. She's juggling dues as the top brass and most public face of the department as well as a grisly murder and a possible saboteur on the force. 

Eli has some skeletons including a corrupt former partner (See "In the Blink of an Eye") and a kid sister who's an addict. Not exactly the pristine background needed to associate with a police commissioner let alone make something more permanent. But despite his younger age, his maturity is exampled by taking custody of his two younger sisters while a college student levels the playing field a bit for the two. 

These character traits make them relatable to the average reader. We may not be able to associate with their roles as commissioner or detective -- or hopefully the stalking. But for most of us, we can relate to having someone depend on us, either as a parent, sibling, child, or even employee; knowing someone else relies on us to do our job. This makes these characters some of my favorite in the series. 

The heat level is a little stronger than most as the temperature rises in the room from mere looks between the characters. Shauna finds it hard to understand why this younger hunk can't seem to keep his hands off her. Even her kids see the chemistry between them but the romance remains on the mild side of hot. 

Overall a really great story. While Ms. Miller kept you guessing who was responsible for all the issues, the culprit was easy to figure out, though his motivations and methods were certainly unique. On a side note, it should be noted that while the storyline was born in the imagination of the author, it was inspired by true events. Hopefully, it serves as a reminder of just some of the evil our police departments face every day, often without positive outcomes to their nightmares. For this I thank them.