"Page-turning Romantic Suspense"

Sandra Brown delivers once again with this compelling tale of revenge and obsession. Career criminal, Ricky Lozada, is stalking Dr. Rennie Newton, a brilliant and beautiful surgeon at a Fort Worth, Texas hospital. A professional hit man, Lozada was acquitted of murder by a jury where Rennie was the foreman. Though Rennie voted to acquit based upon the evidence, she was constantly aware of Lozada's incessant stare, which lead to his sociopathic conclusion that he and Rennie had some type of bond.

When Dr. Lee Howell, a colleague of Rennie's, receives the promotion she wanted and then is subsequently murdered, Rennie becomes Detective Oren Wesley's prime suspect, especially when the Detective discovers that Rennie has been receiving roses and phone calls from Lozada. Oren decides to bring in Wick Threadgill, a former Fort Worth police officer on indefinite leave. Wick's desire to see Lozada pay for the murder of his brother has the potential to help Oren nail Lozada, as long as Wick keeps his temper in check.

But with a classic Brown twist, Wick becomes enamored of Rennie, though she fights her attraction for him, alluding to secrets behind her sanitary life free of attachments of any kind. And when Lozada discovers that Wick is interested in Rennie, the hit man's obsession becomes even greater, leaving a terrified Rennie wondering what his next "gift" will be.

Ms. Brown has succeeded in masterfully crafting characters whose depth is slowly revealed as she sheds light on their destructive pasts, i.e. Rennie's change from promiscuous teen to a solitary adult, Wick's derailment of the investigation into his brother's murder, and Lozada's resentment over his ill brother's preferential treatment. The gritty reality of one woman caught between two enemies adds to the suspense of the novel taking the reader on a wild ride that you won't want to miss. A true page-turner, this is romantic suspense at its very best.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted October 11, 2002