"Strong Francesca Cahill mystery"

Francesca Cahill is a twenty-year-old woman born of very wealthy parents who want her to marry only a man from a socially prominent family. In 1901 NYC, if a woman didn't find a husband, she was considered an old maid but Francesca doesn't care about such frivolity. She wants a career as a sleuth and has successfully solved three murder cases to date.

Her parents are putting pressure on her to see Calder Hart, a wealthy and prosperous lady's man who cares more about Francesca than she is willing recognize. Instead Francesca loves Calder's half brother Rick Bragg, the New York Police Commissioner, who also happens to be a married man. When Bragg's niece is kidnapped, Calder, Rick and Francesca put aside their personal differences and work together to get her out of the hands of a murderer who will kill her if he doesn't get what he wants.

Each Francesca Cahill mystery is better than the one before it. Brenda Joyce writes an exhilarating mystery that ends satisfactorily. However, the characters' stories continue in the next book in the series so that readers always have a feeling of homecoming when they pick up the latest Francesca tale. Personally, this reviewer can't wait for the next romantic mystery in this enthralling series to come out.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted April 10, 2002

Read an Excerpt

Brenda Joyce has enthralled millions of readers with her New York Times bestelling novels. Now, join us in the next chapter of her unforgettable storytelling: the Francesca Cahill novels. Embark on an adventure of danger and romance and let yourself be transported to another era where your senses will be stimulated and your emotions stirred...

Summary

The time is turn-of-the-century New York City. Society's elite hosts glittering balls inside sprawling mansions while outside, the teeming streets harbor secrets of their own.

New York City's Police Commissioner Rick Bragg has been called upon to investigate a shocking crime. Reluctant to pull Francesca into a case that could be very dangerous, Rick also knows the beautiful and brilliant heiress has a natural ability for sleuthing that could aid him-even if it means working side by side with a woman who tempts him like no other. And so Francesca and Rick begin a harrowing journey through the squalid underworld of the city that plunges them deeper and deeper into a peril neither could have imagined-and a desire that only continues to grow...