"Exhilarating "Troubleshooters" novel"

With his mom recovering from breaking her wrists in a fall, US Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter is on leave in Southern California to help her with her recuperation. He also takes a temporary assignment with Troubleshooters, Inc managed by his former military superior Tom Paoletti.

Filmmaker Jane Chadwick has received threats because she is making a movie on the relationship between two gay World War II heroes. Jack Shelton and Hal Lord fought courageously, won honors, met, fell in love, but the latter could not come out into the sunshine ending their relationship. As Cosmos and Jane fall in love, he and his teammates must stop a killer probably protected by a neo- Nazi group demanding the movie not be shot because Hal is a legend. Cosmos knows his beloved must also accept his Hello Dolly mother and the danger of his occupation if they are to become permanent.

Though too many key players are in the cast to follow easily, fans will appreciate Suzanne Brockmann's exhilarating "Troubleshooters" novel that focuses on Cosmos and Jane, seemingly opposites fall in love while he tries to keep her safe. The homosexual relationship theme of the "movie" and that of Jules seeking a gay partner to love and be loved for a lifetime in the sun is also well done and a strong step towards the romance genre doing what mystery has already done, allow gay leads; this also explains the myriad of subplots. HOT TARGET is a strong breakthrough tale that trashes activist presidents "protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife."

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 4, 2004

Summary

New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann knows exactly what makes hearts race and pulses pound: peril and passion. No one succeeds more brilliantly at blending these exhilarating elements in breathtaking novels of men and women forced to grapple with the deepest emotions and the highest risks. And there's no better proof than her new novel of suspense: Hot Target aims to thrill on every level. Like most men of action, Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter never learned how to take a vacation. So when he finds himself facing a month's leave, he offers his services to Troubleshooters Incorporated. Founded by a former SEAL, the private-sector security firm is a major player in the ongoing war against terrorism, known for carrying out covert missions too volatile for official U.S. military action. But the first case Richter takes on is anything but under the radar. High-profile maverick movie producer Jane Mercedes Chadwick hasn't quite completed her newest film, but she's already courting controversy. The World War II epic frankly portrays the homosexuality of a real-life hero--and the storm of advance media buzz surrounding it has drawn the fury of extremist groups. But despite a relentless campaign of angry E-mails, phone calls, and smear tactics, Chadwick won't be pressured into abandoning the project. Then the harassment turns to death threats. While the FBI appears on the scene, nervous Hollywood associates call in Troubleshooters, and now Chadwick has an army of round-the-clock bodyguards, whether she likes it or not. And she definitely doesn't. But her stubbornness doesn't make FBI agent Jules Cassidy's job any easier. The fiercely independent filmmaker presents yet another emotional obstacle that Cassidy doesn't need--he's already in the midst of a personal tug-of-war with his ex-lover, while fighting a growing attraction to Chadwick's brother. Determined to succeed--and survive--on her own terms, Chadwick will face off with enemies and allies alike. But she doesn't count on the bond she forms with the quiet, capable Cosmo Richter. Yet even as their feelings bring them closer, the noose of deadly terror all around them draws tighter. And when all hell erupts, desire and desperate choices will collide on a killing ground that may trap them both in the crossfire.