"Captivating Read"

Author Jude Deveraux is no stranger to romance novels, as her romance books have appeared on many a bestseller list over the years. With her latest, she deviates from the quintessential romance between two beautiful people to diverge into a tale of a mysterious murder in a small North Carolina town.

Famed author Ford Newcombe has settled into a small town to try to begin writing again after the death of beloved wife Pat. He fires assistant after assistant, as they never seem to measure up to his standards. After meeting Jackie Maxwell at a local party, he decides to offer a job to this very forthright woman who is currently a research assistant for a local professor. When her wedding to fiancé Kirk becomes a no-go, she shows up on Ford's door to take the job he has offered. Though Ford has been researching ghost stories to write his next book, he is intrigued with Jackie's tale of a woman who was covered in stones because she was in love with the devil.

Ford's journey to discover the truth behind Jackie's unlikely tale leads the pair to the small community of Cole Creek, North Carolina, where Jackie lived as a young child. Taking up residence in a Victorian-style home, Ford continues his research while Jackie assists him and indulges in her passion for photography.

The true crux of this read is the mystery behind the death of the devil-loving woman. As Jackie and Ford penetrate the townspeople's silence concerning this legendary tale, Jackie discovers some surprising truths about herself, especially her visions of tragedy before they occur. And romance is merely a byproduct of their close association as the twenty-something fitness enthusiast Jackie finds herself attracted to the famed writer Ford, despite his less than washboard abs and kooky extended family. A truly unique and captivating read, Ms. Deveraux's latest will hold the reader's attention despite the somewhat anticlimactic conclusion.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted May 21, 2003