"Panoramic setting & hope of life-altering love make this another winner."

For a last chance to save himself, Nate Burke came to Lunacy, Alaska, to take the job of Chief of Police. Racked with guilt over the death of his previous partner with the Baltimore Police Department, he's searching for something to live for. Then Meg Galloway kisses him on New Year's Eve under the Aurora Borealis and he begins to think his life isn't over after all.

But Meg is used to being alone, with a father who disappeared years ago and a mother more interested in herself than in Meg. She isn't sure she's ready for commitment of any kind. Before Nate can get used to the long nights and interminable cold, a suicide turns out to be a murder tied to one from years ago, and it becomes obvious someone doesn't want him and Meg together.

When I opened NORTHERN LIGHTS, I expected to be blown away, after all, Nora Roberts does that to me regularly. I wasn't disappointed. Her characters are original and have you rooting for them from the get-go. A panoramic backdrop, a small, close-knit community and the hope of life-altering love serve to make this story a real treat in true Nora Roberts' style. A very good read.

Reviewed by Lory Martin
Posted September 20, 2004

Summary

Lunacy was Nate Burke's last chance. As a Baltimore cop, he'd watched his partner die on the street—and the guilt still haunts him. With nowhere else to go, he accepts the job as Chief of Police in this tiny, remote Alaskan town. Aside from sorting out a run-in between a couple of motor vehicles and a moose, he finds his first weeks on the job are relatively quiet. But just as he wonders whether this has been all a big mistake, an unexpected kiss on New Year's Eve under the brilliant Northern Lights of the Alaska sky lifts his spirit and convinces him to stay just a little longer.

Meg Galloway, born and raised in Lunacy, is used to being alone. She was a young girl when her father disappeared, and she has learned to be independent, flying her small plane, living on the outskirts of town with just her huskies for company. After her New Year's kiss with the Chief of Police, she allows herself to give in to passion—while remaining determined to keep things as simple as possible. But there's something about Nate's sad eyes that gets under her skin and warms her frozen heart.

And now, things in Lunacy are heating up. Years ago, on one of the majestic mountains shadowing the town, a crime occurred that is unsolved to this day—and Nate suspects that a killer still walks the snowy streets. His investigation will unearth the secrets and suspicions that lurk beneath the placid surface, as well as bring out the big-city survival instincts that made him a cop in the first place. And his discovery will threaten the new life—and the new love—that he has finally found for himself.