Such an absorbing, thoughtful read, Izzie. I love the way you handle cases, plot intricacies, etc. You really create the feel of an episode in your stories. *And* you get in a first time strand, a wounded Doyle, a wound up Bodie and an envious Cowley! I think Cowley comes across well here - the envy is credible, yet the way you write him, there's sympathy too.

The image of Bodie happy as a puppy with a new chew toy has already been picked out, so I'll go for this, which you know I liked a lot. So clear and so very Bodie.

Wait," he said, as if that was all that was needed to bring Doyle out unharmed. Bodie, ever-cool-under-pressure, felt his blood pumping faster, felt a light sprinkling of sweat under his polo neck and barely resisted the urge to hit the nearest thing, even if it was Cowley's unyielding face.