"A fabulous mystery romance."
If readers want an engrossing, heart-stopping adventure
novel, loosely based on a real lawsuit yet embellished
with fiction, this book is guaranteed to fit the bill. Jeannette LeFleur has just landed her dream job. Fresh out
of school, she gets hired to work on a groundbreaking
project, the Living Lens, otherwise known as the Epi
Project, which takes donor corneas in eye surgery as
surgical implants for improving eye-sight, like a
permanent contact lens. She jumps in to the job full tilt,
ready to make a difference on the project, for her
supervisor. Unfortunately, one of her first discoveries is poor record
keeping for patient records, and billing. She takes her
concerns to Dr Byron Rutherford, the lead in the project
but he says not to worry and to do whatever she needs to
fix the problem. However, the more she looks, the more
problems she finds. She discovers there is a lot more to
this than bad records and failed grafts. With the help of her lawyer boyfriend Charles Carter, and
her late husband's best friend Dr. Scott Fontenot, she
uncovers more then she bargained for. They find serious
problems, ranging from money laundering and fraud to "the
body Mafia," which is implicated in illegal trafficking of
body parts. Now her life is in danger, as are those of her
friends, and everyone involved in helping her uncover the
extent of the illegalities of the Epi Project. Will she
get to the bottom of it and get enough evidence to convict
involved parties before she gets killed? Wow! What a ride this story is! It is an adventure from
the first page to the last. The opening prologue sets the
tone for what is to follow, immediately giving readers a
sense of the risks Jeannette will be taking throughout the
story. The storyline progresses gradually at first, slowly
leading up to the heart of the plot, then steamrolls
through from there. This book takes numerous twists and
turns weaving back and forth and doubling back on itself,
just like the snakes and lizards living in the Louisiana
bayou. A few different storylines all interrelated, but slightly
apart from one another, are seamlessly interwoven to give
the overall picture and just how much is at stake for
Jeannette, her family and friends. There is also an
undercurrent of love stories to be found, which adds
another level of richness to the plot. But don't
misunderstand, there is love and romance in the story, but
this is most definitely not a romance novel, the primary
focus being on the mystery. Having read other works by Ms. Michaels, this reviewer
knew what to expect in writing style, but this was a whole
new genre at which the author could try her pen. Ms.
Michaels does not disappoint in the mystery genre either.
Her trademark of rich storylines with strong plots is very
evident here. This is just one more reminder of why she is
fast becoming a favorite author for this reviewer. © Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2004. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted August 15, 2004
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