Genre: Romantic Suspense

Setting: Arizona

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Some, but most of it occurs off page

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

Why I Read It: I enjoyed White Heat and Body Heat

My Grade: B

Killer Heat by Brenda Novak is the final book in her Department 6 Hired Guns trilogy. The books are loosely connected but stand alone very well. It’s not necessary to read them in order.

Jonah Young works for a private security company named Department 6. When the bodies of seven women are discovered in Skull Valley, Arizona, the local sheriff hires Jonah to assist in the investigation. Unfortunately for Jonah, the investigation brings him into contact with a former girlfriend, Francesca Moretti.

Francesca Moretti is a private investigator looking into the disappearance of a client’s sister. April Bonner met a man on a dating website and never returned home. When a lead brings her to the home of the man April met the night she went missing, Francesca panics and calls the police. To her horror, they show up with Jonah in tow – the man who betrayed her and broke her heart ten years before.

The police refuse to take Francesca’s suspicions seriously, leaving her vulnerable to the man she suspects is responsible for the murders. The only person who thinks her theory is worth looking into is Jonah. With the police refusing to offer her protection, Francesca is forced to rely on him. As the body count rises, they need to confront their past and see if they can carve out a future together.

Killer Heat is a very good book. The pacing is superb, the plot is compelling, and the characters are people I grew to care about. My reservations about the book lie solely with the romance element. I’ve been deliberately vague about Jonah’s betrayal of Francesca so as to avoid spoilers, but it is not something I could forgive someone for. Francesca does eventually forgive him, but I was never convinced by Jonah’s remorse. I had the impression that much of it lay in anger and frustration that Francesca was still hurt by what he did ten years previously.

Despite this quibble, Killer Heat is a fast-paced read and one which is bound to appeal to a lot of readers. I enjoyed all the books in the Hired Guns series and I plan to read more by Brenda Novak.

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Setting: Bordertown, Arizona

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Some, but most of it occurs off page

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

Why I Read It: I enjoyed White Heat, the first book in the Hired Guns trilogy

My Grade: A-

Body Heat is the second book in Brenda Novak’s trilogy of loosely connected books featuring operatives from a private security company named Department 6. The series is being released back-to-back between August and October 2010. It is not necessary to read them in order as the books stand alone very well.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophia St. Claire is Chief of Police in Bordertown, Arizona. Her position is tenuous. She was promoted at the expense of the more popular candidate, Leonard Taylor. Sophia uncovered evidence that Leonard had coerced an illegal immigrant into having sex with him in return for his silence. While the majority of the town council had sided with Leonard, the scandal cost him his job and earned Sophia her promotion.

As its name implies, Bordertown is located on the US-Mexican frontier. Many of the towns residents are of Mexican descent, but there is still a great deal of tension between them and the whites. The tension has reached epic proportions in recent months. A local (white) farmer was murdered, ostensibly while confronting a UDA (undocumented alien) who was on his land. Since then, someone has been murdering Mexicans who sneak across the border in hope of a better life. The case is particularly difficult for Sophia to investigate as most of the townspeople – including local law enforcement officials – have little sympathy for the victims.

Roderick Guerrero is a former SEAL and currently working for Department 6. When he receives a phone call from his estranged father, he finds himself reluctantly agreeing to return to Bordertown and help investigate the murders. Rod is the illegitimate son of a wealthy white  farmer who had an affair with Rod’s Mexican mother while she was working as a farm labourer on his land. Bruce ignored Rod for most of his childhood, and did nothing to stop his two legitimate sons from bullying Rod. Now that Rod is a war hero, Bruce suddenly wants to make up for lost time.

Rod is not thrilled by the prospect of working with Sophia St. Claire. His remembers her as a spoiled rich girl who broke his heart by standing him up for the Homecoming dance. He’s surprised she’s become a police officer as it doesn’t fit his image of her at all. He figured she’d marry well and have a few kids by now. To his amazement, he finds his former classmate has transformed from a cheerleader into a tough-talking, tattooed biker chick.

Sophia is equally surprised by Rod’s transformation. She remembers him as being a lanky kid with a bad attitude. Now he’s all muscle and drop-dead gorgeous. Sophia’s life took a dramatic change for the worse after Rod left town, but she survived and made a decent life for herself. She’s deeply ashamed of the way she treated Rod all those years ago.

Despite a rocky start, Rod and Sophia agree to join forces on the investigation into the murders of the Mexican UDAs. They are both uncomfortably aware that the murderer is likely to be a local. Their mutual attraction soon leads to an affair, but neither of them expect it to develop into love.

Body Heat combines interesting characters and a compelling plot. Rod and Sophia are an unusual couple for a romance novel, especially Sophia. She’s not a kick-ass heroine, but she is tough and capable of looking after herself. Rod is a great hero. He’s strong, dependable and sexy. Despite the massive chip on his shoulder regarding his past, he’s a sympathetic character.

I know very little about the tensions on the US-Mexican border and I had no idea at how much damage local farms suffer as a result of UDAs passing through. While it’s a sensitive political issue, Brenda Novak did a good job at showing both sides of the story.

I thought the romance in Body Heat was more fleshed out than in White Heat. I definitely felt more connected to the characters, and this enhanced my reading experience. I enjoyed Body Heat and I definitely plan to read Killer Heat, the third book in the Department 6 Hired Guns series.

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Setting: Paradise, Arizona

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Some, but most of it occurs off page

Format: Digital

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley

My Grade: B

White Heat is the first book in Brenda Novak’s new Deptartment 6 Hired Guns trilogy. The books will be released back-to-back between August and October 2010.

Rachel Jessop and Nate Ferrentino both work as operatives for a private security company named Department 6. In their latest assignment, they’re required to go undercover to investigate some mysterious goings on in a religious cult.

The Church of the Covenant is a relatively new religious group which is led by the charismatic Ethan Wycliff. They’ve established themselves in a small ghost town in the Arizona desert, the appropriately named Paradise. Law enforcement officials have become increasingly concerned about the group’s alleged debauched practices, particularly since they were accused of attempting to stone a woman to death. They’ve also been implicated in the disappearance of a local girl.

Due to Wycliff’s wealth and influence, the police have made no headway with the investigation. Rachel and Nate hope they will be more successful. Their aim is to pose as potential new members and try to infiltrate the group. Pretending to be a married couple is particularly difficult for Rachel and Nate as they had a disastrous one-night stand several months previously, and have avoided one another ever since.

Their investigation develops an added complication when Ethan Wycliff takes a special interest in Rachel and decides that she is to be the Chosen One who will bear his son and heir.

White Heat is a fast-paced romantic suspense. The plot is interesting and I found the description of life within a cult frighteningly credible. Ethan was clearly an egomaniac, and I found the depiction of his quiet sidekick, Bart, far scarier.

Rachel and Nate worked well as a couple, but I would have preferred just a little more time devoted to the development of their characters. Their romance blossomed rather quickly against the background of murder and mayhem.

This quibble aside, White Heat was a compelling read. It’s bound to appeal to readers who like action-packed romantic suspense which isn’t depressingly dark.

I like the premise of the Department 6 Hired Guns series. I’ve already requested the next title in the trilogy, Body Heat, and I’m looking forward to reading it.

Note: White Heat will be released by Mira on 27 July 2010

Genre: Romantic Suspense

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: A few brutal scenes

Format: Digital (so far, there is no print edition available)

Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley

My Grade: B

Fatal Affair is the first book in a proposed series by Marie Force featuring Detective Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano. It’s a strong romantic suspense with plenty of twists and turns. I definitely want to read the sequel.

When US Senator John O’Connor is found murdered in his apartment, Detective Sam Holland is assigned to the case. It’s Sam’s first investigation following a botched take down in which a child was killed. Although the shooting wasn’t Sam’s fault, she’s still wracked with guilt over the incident, and very aware that her professional reputation depends on her finding the senator’s murderer as quickly as possible.

Sam’s composure takes a further beating when she meets the senator’s chief of staff and best friend, Nick Cappuano. Sam and Nick had a passionate one-night stand six years previously, and Sam was devastated when he didn’t contact her afterwards.

Nick is shocked and devastated by his friend’s death. He and John had been friends since meeting in their freshman year at Harvard. Nick is considered an honorary member of the O’Connor family. As the murder investigation progresses, he finds himself confronted with shocking information regarding his friend and his politically influential family. To add to his grief, the lead detective on the case is Sam Holland, a woman who has haunted his fantasies for years.

As the case heats up, so does Sam and Nick’s relationship. It doesn’t take long for them to realise that a misunderstanding kept them apart six years ago, and they quickly move past that. As Sam is a detective on a case in which Nick is a material witness, they are forced to tread carefully with their blossoming romance. Their main focus is finding John’s murderer before he/she strikes again.

Fatal Affair is a strong romantic suspense. I often have issues with this subgenre as either the romance or the suspense fails to convince. Fatal Affair neatly avoids this trap by giving Nick and Sam enough backstory to make the rapid development of their romance credible. The mystery is nicely done with plenty of suspects and red herrings. I still had a list of potential murderers right up until the last couple of chapters.

Sam is tough but not invincible. In many respects, she’s tougher than Nick, yet he’s no wimp. Nick is fiercely protective of Sam and frustrated that he can’t shield her from the unforgiving media. Sam and Nick reminded me a little of Eve and Roarke from J.D. Robb’s In Death series, although their backgrounds are quite different.

I liked Sam’s relationship with her father. There is a thread there which was left dangling and I assume it will be continued in the sequel.

I appreciated the author’s ability to make even her secondary characters nuanced and not rely on stereotypes. The depiction of John’s politically ambitious parents was particularly well done. Sam’s partner, Freddie, is also an excellent character and I hope he features in future books in the series.

Fatal Affair is Marie Force’s first book for the new digital publisher, Carina Press. Its sequel, Fatal Justice, is due to be released later this year. If it lives up to the promise of Fatal Affair, this is a series to watch.

Genre: Romantic Suspense

POV: Multiple POVs in the 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: Some but pretty tame

My Grade: DNF

As far as I’m concerned, Stephanie Tyler’s Hard to Hold would have been more aptly titled Hard to Finish. I can’t in all conscience assign a grade to this book because I started skimming from page 214 before reading the final chapter properly.

On a positive note, I know Hard to Hold is the sort of romantic suspense beloved by many readers. I can see why it’s popular. Unfortunately, it represents precisely the sort of romantic suspense which rarely works for me.

Before I start listing my problems with this book, here’s a brief summary of its premise: Hard to Hold is the first book in a trilogy which will be published back-to-back over the next couple of months. Lieutenant Jake Hansen and his two foster brothers, Nick and Chris, are all Navy SEALs. They’ve survived some tough times together, both while they were growing up and in the line of duty. When they rescue Dr. Isabelle Markham, an American hostage in Africa, Jake feels a connection which he’s never experienced before. The circumstances surrounding Isabelle’s kidnap are such that her ordeal is not yet over once she reaches American soil. Taking a position as a military doctor – ostensibly for her own protection – Isabelle is pleased when Jake is assigned as her bodyguard. Naturally, sparks fly and Isabelle and Jake fall in love. But before they can find happiness, they have to survive the evil machinations of Isabelle’s captor.

The basic set-up is fairly typical romantic suspense fodder and bound to appeal to many readers. I prefer my romantic suspense to be dark and gritty, and this certainly isn’t. It’s reminiscent of Suzanne Brockmann’s style in the sense that the story is told from multiple points of view, complete with the odd flashback. Whereas Brockmann usually confines herself to a maximum of four POVs, I stopped counting the number of POVs in Hard to Hold once I’d reached eight. I don’t respond well to multiple POVs, particularly in a book which is only 370 pages long and which is supposed to be a romance novel. By the time I’d read thirteen chapters, I was confused as to who everyone was and why I should care. Jake and Isabelle’s romance felt like one subplot among many. Admittedly, I stopped reading properly after page 214, but from skimming the rest of the book, I didn’t get the impression that this changed later in the story.

Jake and his two foster brothers seemed terribly clichéed. What’s the likelihood of all three becoming SEALs? Seriously? Also, their father,  Kenny is a rock band-managing psychic. Yep, try wrapping your head around that one. I wasn’t sure how that fit into the context of this story, but I’m sure it’ll become more relevant in Chris’s book as he’s Kenny’s biological son and has inherited his father’s abilities. Isabelle wasn’t a bad heroine but I never felt I got to know her well enough to really care what happened to her.

I struggled to read this book. From skimming the second half of the story, I didn’t get the impression I’d missed much by not continuing. If you like Romantic Suspense Lite, and can cope with head-hopping, this book might be for you. As you can see from the other reviews I’ve linked to below, my opinion is in the dissenting minority. I know I won’t be continuing with this trilogy.

Other Books in this Series:

Too Hot to Hold (05 January 2010)

Hold on Tight (26 January 2010)

Other Reviews of Hard to Hold:

Dear Author – B-

Lea at Closetwriter – Desert Island Keeper

Pearl’s World of Romance – 9.7 out of 10

Book Binge – 4 out of 5

Avid Book Reader - C

Black at Heart is the third book in Leslie Parrish’s Black CATs trilogy. This is Lily and Wyatt’s story, which I’ve been looking forward to since book one. Thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint. Warning: As the events in Black at Heart are closely tied to those in Pitch Black, some series spoilers are inevitable.

Special Agent Lily Fletcher is still recovering from her horrifying experience in Pitch Black. In fear of her life, she faked her own death and has been living in seclusion with the aid and assistance of her former boss, Supervisory Special Agent Wyatt Blackstone and her friend and colleague, Brandon Cole. Lily is living in Wyatt’s old family home and training with a self-defense expert in an effort to regain her confidence.

Lily’s life in hiding is threatened when a sadistic killer starts targeting pedophiles. As the killer is leaving clues which point to Lily as the perpetrator, it seems to be a ploy to draw her out of hiding. Wyatt and Brandon do their best to keep her situation a secret from others at the FBI while investigating the case, but this soon proves to be an impossibility. Meanwhile, the man who murdered Lily’s nephew has his conviction overturned and is released from prison.

With Lily’s life in danger, and Wyatt’s career on the line, they soon find themselves in a race against time to unmask the killer before he hurts Lily.

Black at Heart is another fast-paced romantic suspense from Leslie Parrish. The characters feel real and the story kept me guessing until the very end. I appreciated the way Lily’s character developed over the course of the trilogy. I felt she and Wyatt made a convincing couple and rooted for them all the way.

My only criticism was Lily’s decision to keep her survival a secret from the FBI. While I understood her distrust as they had put her in danger’s path in the first place, her decision also jeopardized Wyatt and Brandon’s careers.

The conclusion to Black at Heart neatly wrapped up the trilogy, while leaving open the possibility of more books in the future. I certainly hope the series continues as I’d love to see Brandon Cole get his own book. Meanwhile, I’ll definitely be picking up Leslie’s new romantic suspense series which starts next summer. Grade: B+

Also Reviewed:

Fade to Black (2009) by Leslie Parrish (Book 1 in the Black CATs series)

Pitch Black (2009) by Leslie Parrish (Book 2 in the Black CATs series)

Pitch Black is the second title in Leslie Parrish’s Black CATs trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed Fade to Black, the first book in the series, and this one does not disappoint. As the killer from the first book is mentioned by name in Pitch Black, I strongly recommend reading them in the correct order.

Former F.B.I. profiler Alec Lambert has been reassigned to the Black CATs following a case in which a fatal error of judgment caused the death of his partner. Alec has lost his confidence and is unsure of his place on this new team. He soon gets his chance to prove himself. The team is presented with a harrowing case involving a series of internet scams in which the unsuspecting victims were lured to their deaths. The killer’s M.O. bears a striking resemblance to an unsolved case Alec once worked concerning a serial killer nicknamed The Professor.

Reclusive Samantha Dalton is an internet scam expert. She’s the author of a bestselling book on the topic and runs a successful blog advising the public on how to avoid being conned online. When a boy she advised winds up dead, the F.B.I. arrive on Sam’s doorstep looking for assistance. Sam reluctantly agrees to lend them her P.C. and her expertise.

Despite their intense mutual attraction, Sam and Alec are determined to keep their relationship strictly professional – at least until the investigation is over. However, it soon becomes apparent that the killer has a vested interest in Sam, making her involvement more than a mere professional courtesy. The Professor appears to be using Sam’s advice column to stay one step ahead and devise even more cunning tricks to bait his victims. He also has a particular affection for Sam…

Pitch Black is an enjoyable and engaging read. Sam and Alec are well-drawn characters. They each have their own demons but they don’t let them get in the way of solving the case. I liked the slow-burn aspect of their relationship. Parrish’s characters seem very real, complete with idiosyncracies and issues which are not all neatly resolved by the conclusion.

Although I preferred the storyline in Fade to Black, the mystery in Pitch Black is also interesting and kept me guessing until the very end. There are quite a few twists and turns. To be honest, I had a specific individual pegged as the murderer from fairly early on, but I was oh so wrong!

The subplot involving Lily Fletcher and Wyatt Blackstone was very cleverly done without overshadowing the main storyline. I definitely want to know what happens to them in the third book, Black at Heart.

Pitch Black is another strong romantic suspense and confirms Leslie Parrish’s status as an author to watch.  Grade: B+

Also in this series:

Fade to Black (2009) by Leslie Parrish (Book 1 in the Black CATs series)

Black at Heart (2009) by Leslie Parrish (Book 3 in the Black CATs series)

Fade to Black is the best romantic suspense I’ve read in a long, long time. It was as if I’d sent Leslie Parrish a list of all my pet peeves in a romantic suspense, and she avoided every single one of them when writing this book.

Fade to Black is the first title in the Black CATs trilogy. Although this is Leslie Parrish’s first romantic suspense, she’s written numerous contemporary romances for Harlequin under the name of Leslie Kelly. The books in the Black CATs trilogy are being released back-to-back from July to September 2009, so readers won’t have to wait long for the next installment.

After years in the FBI’s violent crimes unit, Special Agent Dean Taggert has been recruited into a newly-formed Cyber Action Team with a specific focus on internet murder. The team is comprised of six members with a variety of skills. Some of them are former field agents, two are IT specialists, and one is a forensic analyst. Although they are all accustomed to dealing with violent death, nothing could prepare them for the horror of their first case.

They uncover a secret website called Satan’s Playground which caters to every perversion imaginable. Included on this site are a series of brutal snuff videos uploaded by someone called The Reaper. When the first victim is identified as Lisa Zimmerman, Dean and some of his colleagues relocate to Hope Valley, the small town where Lisa came from and where they suspect her killer still lives.

Sheriff Stacey Rhodes moved back to Hope Valley following the Virginia Tech massacre. She had been working for the Virginia State Police at the time, and was among the early responders. The scenes she witnessed that day left her traumatized. She was grateful for the opportunity to take over from her father as sheriff of Hope Valley. So far, a couple of bar fights at the local dive have been the most drama she’s witnessed.

When Dean and his team come to Hope Valley with evidence of Lisa Zimmerman’s murder, Stacey agrees to join forces with them in the hunt for the killer. Lisa was reported missing seventeen months previously, but everyone assumed she’d skipped town with a druggie boyfriend. Realizing that the girl she once babysat was brutally murdered, Stacey vows to help the FBI in any way she can – even if that means unmasking a killer who lives very close to home…

Fade to Black hooked me from the very first paragraph. I literally did not want to put it down. The mystery is extremely well done and kept me guessing until the very end. Leslie Parrish skillfully avoids clichés and provides her readers with a tightly-plotted, original mystery.

Dean and Stacey are genuinely likeable characters. Their instant attraction was believable and developed naturally. I could see why they were attracted to one another, both on a physical and on an intellectual level. They have a lot in common and they approached the case in a similar manner.

Stacey is an atypical romantic suspense heroine. She’s neither kick ass strong, nor weak and vulnerable. She’s calm and capable and gets the job done. She’s doesn’t require rescuing, and knows when to call for reinforcements. When she’s presented with the opportunity to behave in a Too Stupid To Live manner by withholding potentially relevant information from the FBI, Stacey only briefly considers it before doing her duty.

Dean is an equally strong hero. He respects Stacey and acknowledges her abilities as a cop. He doesn’t second-guess her, nor she him. There are no Big Misunderstandings in their relationship, and all the major conflict is external. Dean and Stacey are simply two people who meet and recognize a kindred spirit.

Although Fade to Black is the start of a trilogy, the mystery is self-contained, and there’s no major sequel-baiting. There are just a few scenes featuring future main characters, and these were relevant to solving this particular mystery.

Fade to Black is an excellent romantic suspense with a strong crossover appeal to fans of mysteries and thrillers. I can highly recommend it. If this book is any indication of Leslie Parrish’s talent, she’s definitely an author to watch. Grade: A

Also in this series:

Pitch Black (August 2009)

Black at Heart (September 2009)

Stolen Heat is Elisabeth Naughton’s second novel and confirms her place on my autobuy list. It contains all the elements I like best in a romantic suspense: an interesting mystery, compelling characters, and a believable love story. Actually, Naughton’s website describes her as an author of romantic adventure and I think this is a fitting description of her stories.

We met the handsome antiquities dealer, Peter Kauffman, in Naughton’s debut book, Stolen Fury. Although now a legitimate businessman, Pete established himself in the trade by making dodgy deals with unsavoury characters. Utterly ruthless, he would stop at nothing to obtain a valuable artifact.

Turning on the charm to seduce Katherine Meyer, a young Egyptolologist, is all in a day’s work. Pete has heard rumours of priceless finds on the dig she’s working in the Valley of the Kings. Kat is intended to be Pete’s secret ‘in’. Everything is perfectly planned and coordinated…until Pete falls in love with her. Determined to clean up his act for the sake of a future together with Kat, Pete can’t resist making one last deal. When the deal backfires and his lies catch up with him, Kat is horrified to discover that the man she loves has lied and manipulated her. Before Pete can make amends, Kat is killed in a car bomb in Cairo. Devastated by her death, and guilt-ridden at the role he might have played in it, Pete decides to leave his rogue trading behind him and start afresh.

Six years later, Pete owns a hugely successful gallery in Miami. While auctioning off some of his Egyptian pieces in New York, he is stunned to encounter none other than Kat Meyer - very much alive and on a mission. This time, it seems, the lies are not Pete’s alone…

Stolen Heat is a great read. I loved Pete’s character in Stolen Fury and he more than lived up to his promise in this book. He is morally ambiguous and ambitious to a fault. Yet he is fiercely loyal to the people he loves. Kat starts out young and innocent, but circumstances force her to toughen up. Despite spending six years undercover and receiving considerable combat training, Kat retains an endearing streak of vulnerability. She’s tough because she has to be, not because she truly is. I believed in Pete and Kat’s romance and thought they complemented one another. Personally, I find romantic suspenses work best when the hero and heroine are already acquainted. As most romantic suspense novels are set over a relatively short time span, a love story between characters who already know each other is more credible than one which develops over the course of a week amidst life-or-death action.

The book is only 320 pages long and I would have preferred it to be a little longer. There are some gaps in Kat and Pete’s respective backgrounds, especially regarding Kat’s childhood and where she was and what she did during her six years undercover. While this information wasn’t strictly necessary to the development of the plot, I was frustrated at its absence as allusions are made but never elaborated upon.

Naughton’s strong suit is subtle characterization. While her secondary characters play very minor supporting roles, she manages to imbue them each with a distinctive voice and make the reader hope to learn more about them in future books.

My criticisms of her first book lay in a superfluity of unnecessary secondary characters and uneven pacing. In this regard, Stolen Heat is an enormous improvement. The supporting cast is kept to a minimum and the story moves along smoothly. There was a moment around the middle of the book when I was getting irritated with Kat and Pete for constantly sniping at one another, but thankfully they stopped doing this soon after.

Stolen Heat is a strong romantic suspense and bound to appeal to fans of the genre, especially to those who prefer the emphasis to be on the love story. Elisabeth Naughton’s third novel is Stolen Seduction and will be released in January 2010. I definitely plan to read it. Grade: B+

Also Reviewed:

Stolen Fury (2009) by Elisabeth Naughton (Book 1 in the Stolen series)

Stolen Fury is Elisabeth Naughton’s debut novel. It’s an Indiana Jones-style romantic suspense set in the world of ancient artifacts and the treasure hunters who seek them.

Archaeologist Lisa Maxwell has spent the last fifteen years searching for three ancient statuettes of the mythological Furies. When she finally discovers Alecto in a cave in Jamaica, little does she know that she’s about to become embroiled in an international intrigue.

Rafe Sullivan has his own reasons for wanting to acquire the three Furies. Already in possession of Megaera, Rafe is determined to wrest Alecto from Lisa, by fair means or foul. Posing as Spanish academic, Rafael Garcia, Rafe inveigles an invitation to Lisa’s hotel room. When Lisa wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache, she discovers Rafe has absconded with her statue. Down but definitely not beaten, she displays more than a little fury herself and determines to find him.

When she finally tracks him down in Florida, their confrontation results in an uneasy truce. They come to the reluctant conclusion that the most effective way to find Tisiphone, the third and final Fury, is to cooperate. The ensuing search soon becomes more than an adventure, fraught with attempts on their lives and the dawning realization that they are in way over their heads.

This was an entertaining read, if flawed. I liked the premise but I would have preferred just a little more archaeological detail. There is a superfluity of secondary characters, many of whom serve no purpose in advancing the plot. At least six of them could have been left out and not affected the story in any way. At times, the book was almost too fast-paced and I had difficulty keeping up with who was doing what and where they were. The conclusion to the suspense plot is far-fetched and overly melodramatic.

These criticisms aside, I liked the book well enough to read it in one sitting. Elisabeth Naughton is particularly good at creating believable characters.  I liked both Lisa and Rafe and I was particularly intrigued by Rafe’s friend and business partner, Peter Kauffman. Details from Lisa’s past provide clues for the mystery and I appreciated the fact that certain aspects of her past are not over-sentimentalized. At times, Rafe skates a very thin line between right and wrong, but is ultimately redeemed.

The second book in the trilogy, Stolen Heat, will be released in August. It features Peter Kauffman as the main male character and has received a glowing advance review from KristieJ. I plan to read it.  Grade: B-

Also Reviewed:

Stolen Heat (2009) by Elisabeth Naughton (Book 2 in the Stolen series)