"fine romantic suspense thriller"

Ten years at Luke AFB USAF Office of Special Investigations Special Agent Captain Cleo North made inquiries into an alleged threat made by Staff Sergeant Thomas Mitchell to his girlfriend Sergeant Debra Smith. Although she had a hunch there was more to the case, her superior pulled her off it because she found nothing out of the ordinary. Not long afterward Mitchell and Smith were found dead together in what was ruled a murder suicide. North left the air force and opened up her own personal protection firm.

A few years later, Cleo accidentally meets Debra's sister who believes the air force covered up the murder as her sister feared a Greek sounding name officer. Cleo learns of retired Colonel Alexander "the Greek" Sloan, but could not do anything further. However, the opportunity eventually arrives when her former commander General Barnes needs her help at the Santa Fe Film Festival to protect spoiled film star Marisa Connors, who Cleo knows as a pit-bull with nuts caught in an animal trap; Alex heads the gala which includes a North Korean communications expert that the military wants on their side. To keep Cleo in line, Barnes assigns her former lover Major Jack Donovan.

Fans of romantic suspense thrillers will enjoy Merline Lovelace's latest terrific military tale as various key players including the heroine have agendas that collide with one another. Cleo is a wonderful protagonist who still ahs deep feelings for Jack, but will not allow him, the military or the FBI/CIA consortium stand in her way of proving Alex killed the two sergeants. A final twist adds a fantastic climax to another five star triumph.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted April 29, 2005

Summary

Ten years ago, former special agent Cleo North ignored her gut instinct -- and a young sergeant wound up brutally murdered. Finally she is in a position to find out what went wrong.

Cleo is certain the official story -- a murder-suicide -- is wrong. Now she has a new assignment working with Major Jack Donovan and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, offering security to a pampered celebrity as a front for a terrorism fact-finding mission. At last she has access to the one man she's sure is involved in the decade-old murder.

But as Cleo is plunged into a tangle of violence and lies, she must quickly decide who the real victims are. And who's covering up a first deadly mistake.