"Sultry Southern Suspense"

Karen Robards is truly a master of the romance genre, alternating from historical to contemporary novels. Her latest suspenseful novel takes the reader to the small town of Benton, Georgia, in the heat of the summertime.

Carly Linton has returned to her hometown to claim the old home she inherited from her deceased grandmother. Ready to start anew, she has journeyed with friend Sandra from Chicago as they plan to open a bed and breakfast, leaving behind memories of painful divorces. But the first familiar face Carly sees is Matt Converse, now the town sheriff, and then, the childhood friend who slept with her after prom and ignored her afterwards. It is said that there is a fine line between love and hate, which would clearly explain Carly's simmering anger, even after a twelve-year period.

When the two women take up residence in the old mansion, they decide to install new locks and a security system, convinced that a burglar was present the day they arrived. The suspense builds, as both Carly and Sandra still seem fearful of the dark old home, and the possibility of an intruder seems both imminent and certain.

But the real crux of this read is the attraction between commitment-phobic Matt and Carly, delivering some really steamy love scenes. Still, the likelihood of a lasting relationship between the two seems to strain credulity. Though they practically grew up together, the evolution of their personalities over the past twelve years seems to be forgotten as bedroom scenes begin before they even get to know each other again.

That not withstanding, the suspense packs a powerful punch amidst the sultry Georgia summer nights. Hints of dead bodies, crimes of long ago, and a murderer following Carly catapult this read into a sizzling page-turner.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted January 16, 2003

From New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards, whom Newsweek magazine calls "one of the most popular voices in women's fiction," comes a thrilling new novel of romantic suspense set in a sultry small southern town.

Summary

Carly Linton is hell-bent on starting over. After a bruising divorce, she moves back to her tiny hometown of Benton, Georgia, to start up a bed-and-breakfast in the old house she inherited from her grandmother. The whole town remembers her as the proverbial good girl, but Carly is tired of being good—she's ready to walk on the wide side, and she knows exactly where she wants to start.

Matt Converse, the town's former bad boy, is now the local sheriff and a pillar of the community. But he hasn't forgotten his wild days, or the magical night of the senior prom he shared with Carly years ago. When Carly's dog unearths a dead body on her property, Matt is forced to spend time there, and Carly decides to use her newfound wiles to seduce him. But when someone breaks into Carly's house and tries to take her away, Matt is the only person who can protect her from a mysterious enemy who's making it all too clear that Carly should never have come back to Benton.