"Tension-packed mystery with fascinating characters."

Dr. Rita Brooks is finally ready to try a relationship again, this time in a rather unusual manner. She met Brian LaPorte on the Internet and feels a strong connection with him. Unfortunately, she's in a bad accident before they can meet, spending a short time in a coma in the hospital.

When she awakens, Rita wonders why Brian didn't contact her. She'd had a vision while in the coma of a man who came to her and tried to tell her something. When a good-looking man shows up at her office, she finds out that Brian has a brother and not only that, Brian recently tried to commit suicide and was lying in a hospital. Compelled by the intense feelings they had shared online, Rita felt that she needed to go see Brian. She also couldn't shake the idea that he wouldn't have tried to kill himself.

She travels to New Orleans, Brian's hometown, and ends up staying at Brian's house with his brother, Christopher LaPorte. As she and Christopher tackle the mystery of Brian's life and investigate whether or not he would have tried to commit suicide, she finds herself drawn to Christopher.

Ms. Wainscott knows how to put together a tension-packed mystery. As usual, she drags you into her books with an intriguing storyline and fascinating characters. Rita and Christopher are flawed but likable, each struggling with their own demons. If you prefer a rather dark and intense read, you'll enjoy this book. The romance elements in it are not a major part of the story.

Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Posted September 20, 2004

Summary

On the brink of falling for a man she met on the Internet, Dr. Rita Brooks naively assumes Brian LaPort is everything he says he is...and all that she's hoped for. But before she can come face to face with him, Rita is nearly killed in a horrific accident. Or was it an accident at all?

Emerging at last from a disturbing, vision-plagued coma, Rita is confronted by a stranger who is convinced she knows more than she's telling about her own past-and his brother's. Cryptic e-mail records have led Christopher LaPorte to Rita while Brian lies near death in New Orleans from a suicide attempt. Or was it?

Desperate to unlock her own muddled memories as well as Brian's secrets, Rita returns with Christopher to New Orleans. There, amidst the chaotic revelry of Mardi Gras, she is plunged into a bizarre masquerade where elaborate masks cleverly conceal familiar faces-as well as murderous intent...