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"solid romantic suspense"
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 5, 2003

Though the tie-in to the Jersey mob is in her blood and further connected through her mom's relationship with Uncle Vince, corporate attorney Christy Petrino always adhered to the law, having nothing to do with criminal activities of friends, family, or sponsors. As the fiancée to her boss Michael Read more...

"Sizzling Romantic Suspense"
Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted September 16, 2003

Ms. Robards is at the top of her game with her latest novel packed with a touch of humor, plenty of steamy romance, and eerie suspense. Philadelphia attorney Christy Petrino is hoping to get some semblance of normality back into her life after she learns that her former fiancé Michael, Read more...

Summary

Christy Petrino hadn't planned on a vacation on Ocracoke Island, but when she learns her fiancéé and boss, suave Michael DePalma, is a "made man" and the Philadelphia law firm where she works is a front for the mob, she breaks her engagement and quits her job. But no one walks away from the DePalma family business so easily....Only if she delivers a locked briefcase to a motel on Ocracoke Island will she—and her mother and sisters—be free.

But after clandestinely making her drop-off late at night, Christy suspects she is being followed on the moonlit beach— and unwittingly runs into a new kind of terror. Now a witness at the center of a homicide investigation, Christy learns the police are hunting a serial killer they refer to as the "Beachcomber" because beautiful young women—women who in fact resemble her—have disappeared recently while vacationing at nearby beach communities. Christy doesn't know whom to fear more—a serial killer who believes she might be able to identify him, or the DePalma family, whose tentacles she can't seem to escape.

Only when she's with Luke Rand, her big surfer-dude next- door neighbor, does she feel safe. But with Luke's asking so many questions about her ex-fiancéé and his showing up almost too conveniently whenever danger strikes, she can't help but wonder if his interest in her is due to more than sexual attraction. Can she trust this handsome stranger to help her survive a hot and deadly summer?