"Dynamite romantic suspense"

Assistant District Attorney Faith Barclay needs time away from the job following the Jimmy Clement prosecution that led to his execution and subsequent proof of innocence and an ancient leaning judge letting free abusive ex-cop Hank Baymon on probation. Before leaving Philadelphia for her hometown of Thunder Creek, Wyoming, Faith arranges for Hank's wife and children to disappear because she knows he will kill them.

In Thunder Creek, Faith and Zach McCallum are stunned to see one another for the first time in a decade since he left her to marry his pregnant girlfriend in Texas. Now divorced, he raises his son Dillon by himself. Faith and Zach realize they remain attracted to one another. Unbeknownst to her, Hank is stalking her as he plans to first take care of Faith and then his wife and her kids; no one walks out on Hank and lives to tell it. Meanwhile Zack courts a reluctant Faith who does not trust him while someone has begun killing people in Thunder Creek with Faith seemingly in the center of the bulls-eye.

The suspense is high and increases throughout the twisting plot as the audience anticipates a showdown between the villain and the heroine. Adding to the tension is the likable lead couple who belongs together, but must overcome their history. Jill Gregory wisely also sends his too precocious son away on vacation so he is not a pawn of the killer or a matchmaker both over done in literature. The final twist seems improbable, but romantic intrigue fans will still take delight in the third terrific Thunder tale (see THUNDER CREEK and NIGHT THUNDER).

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 17, 2005

TWO LONG-AGO LOVERS. ONE UNFORGETTABLE PASSION. Prosecutor Faith Barclay has made a successful career putting bad guys behind bars. But the work is starting to get to her. Haunted by the one misstep that set a stalker free, Faith escapes to her family's cabin in Thunder Creek, far from the big city and the recent menacing calls that have her spooked. When she arrives, she encounters another kind of danger: Zach McCallum, the sexy, wild- hearted cowboy who walked out on her ten years before. A SECOND CHANCE IN THE TOWN WHERE IT ALL BEGAN... Zach will never forget those hot, lazy nights in Faith's arms he prayed would never end. Now the beautiful attorney is back in the Wyoming town where they first tasted passion, and this time Zach is determined not to let her get away. But someone else is watching over Faith, leaving threatening messages--someone who has tracked Faith all the way to Thunder Creek. And as passion and danger ignite, it's up to Zach to protect the fiercely independent woman he never stopped loving--no matter what the risk....