The Betrayal by Chris Taylor

When much decorated Australian Federal Police officer Declan Munro is accused of illegally accessing confidential police files containing child pornography, his world is turned upside down. Fronting the investigation into his alleged criminal behaviour is Senior Internal Affairs Investigator Chloe Sabattini.
A veteran investigator, Chloe is taken aback to discover that not only is Declan likeable, but his protestations of innocence are believable. Furthermore, despite her best efforts, she finds herself drawn to him.
But the evidence can’t be ignored and Chloe vows to investigate the matter with all of the resources available to her.
The more she delves, the more she’s convinced of Declan’s innocence. Someone is framing him. But who? And why? And what does a high ranking Government Minister have to do with it?
An innocent man’s life hangs in the balance. Will she discover the truth before it’s too late? And will she be able to handle the fallout when she does

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Legal drama with a decorated federal agent as a suspect of a heinous crime.
That alone got my interest, but there is so much more into the story, big families, love interest across the legal sides of the story, behind the scenes drama, twists in the plot that kept the interest high...
The story has fascinating details of the investigation, interrogation, and legal steps to be taken. The attraction between Chloe and Declan is immediate, but because of the investigation, they can't act on it. I enjoyed how the romance side of the story was played, it was genuine, sweet, as well passionate and loving.
Part of the story is also told from the villain's point of view., always adding more depth to the story. The twisted manipulation, lies, and criminal actions are endless, and cruel. He leaves so many victims in the path, just to fulfill his own fantasies, and desires.
Yes, the story is from Australian legal and police system, but both the language and the customs were not difficult to understand, the Australian slang kept to a minimum. Even though this story is part of a series, can be easily read as a standalone novel.
A captivating and engaging book, that kept my interest from the first page to the last. Many surprising elements in the legal matters, as well as alluring love story, and meddling families
~ Four spoons