IN TOO DEEP

A fiery woman’s entanglement with dangerous men spirals out of control in Jhacks’ erotic thriller.

Jordyn Banks is quick-tempered, outspoken, and unafraid to show her sexual side. (Even her drink order announces her insatiable desires: “A Flaming Orgasm. Extra flame.”) When her ex, Eric, suddenly reappears in Los Angeles, she can’t help but be drawn in. Eric vanished without a word, but she “still feel[s] the pull emanating through the phone” when he calls and thinks about the bulge in his pants. Their reunion sparks an immediate and torrid sexual relationship, but Jordyn’s friends and co-workers begin to suspect that Eric is hiding something very sinister. Meanwhile, another man, Raymond Black, a confident music producer with a reputation as “a man’s man,” wrestles with his own jealous impulses and an unhinged ex, Felicia, whose fixation on him soon erupts into violence (and some unsettling sex acts). As the lives of these passionate people collide, their secrets and betrayals combine in a volatile mix of lust and danger that none of them can control. When Jordyn becomes entangled in a shocking act of violence, she finds herself accused of both sexual transgression and murder—and unsure of how she will escape the twisted, dangerous love quadrangle unscathed. Jhacks uses brisk dialogue and unflagging energy to propel this sprawling narrative; the pages are filled with outrageous fights and audacious twists. However, the book’s relentless plotting—the story is bursting with betrayals, side characters, and very graphic sex—results in a feeling of incoherence. The eroticism borders on absurd, making more serious moments of misogyny and police violence feel dissonant; the author’s tone swings from gleeful B-movie exploitation kicks to grim thriller elements so fast that readers will feel whiplash. There is fearless, irreverent humor to enjoy, and the trial in the latter half gives the narrative some much-needed focus, but the onslaught of nonstop chaos quickly makes even the most shocking sex acts feel numbing.

A whirlwind of sex and scandal that will leave readers more dazed than thrilled.