"solid romantic suspense"

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 DePalma, her personal life looked as settled and contented as her profession. However, that illusion is shattered when she suddenly finds out too much to live.

Hiding in the North Carolina Outer Banks, Christy's collapsing life falls further apart when she stumbles on a dying woman on the beach and sees the shadow of the murderer. She flees only to catch Luke Rand on her beach property. A FBI agent, Luke wonders how his surveillance of Christy could go so wrong as he tries to learn what she knows about her boss Michael. That same night Luke rescues Christy from an attack from the shadowy figure she saw earlier. Marked by a serial killer, the mob and the FBI, Christy's first day in the Outer Banks makes Atlantic City seem safe.

This romantic suspense novel opens at a very fast-pace, continues throughout with plenty of action and never lets up until the final moment. This leaves readers breathless trying to keep up. Christy and Luke are a delightful lead couple struggling with attraction vs. commitment (to a job that is). Though the diverse subplots (serial killer and mob) take adjustment to keep track of since the female protagonist is caught in the crosshairs of both, fans of Karen Robards will value this terse thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 5, 2003

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?