Pale Diamonds

In Stockmar’s latest thriller-romance (Merlin’s Triumph, 2012, etc.), Beau Donahue tries to play matchmaker for her songwriter friend, Melly, who may be targeted for murder.
When best-selling “authoress” Beau invites Melly Foulard on a horse-riding charity event in Colorado, Melly, the Oscar-winning composer, thinks it’s the perfect place to duck the paparazzi. Reporters are hounding Melly not for her work in movies, but because she’s engaged to Hollywood star Dom Michelson. Dom and Melly don’t have much in common, and fortunately, Beau has a replacement guy lined up: Scott McKay, a veterinarian. Melly, however, has other things on her mind, suspecting foul play in the supposed accidental death of her friend Tommy. The man responsible for Tommy’s murder, Joe Vitro, is unsure if Melly knows of his involvement, but just to be safe, he puts a hit out on her. The novel tends to favor romance over thrills. There are notable aspects befitting a thriller: Beau and Melly look so similar that they’re repeatedly mistaken for one another (which doesn’t bode well for Beau, since someone’s gunning for her look-alike), but it’s the blossoming romance between Scott and Melly that fills most of the pages. The novel entertains as a romance, detailing the lives of would-be lovers. This tack, however, diminishes the suspense. Antagonist Hamil Jamoul makes few appearances, and Beau is relegated to a supporting role. Stockmar establishes scenes well with vivid imagery, but the novel overdescribes certain character traits, like Dom’s egotism and Melly’s thin frame, resulting in an excess of anorexia jokes. There are great characters, like Joe, who requests so many “Trips” (Hamil’s term for hits) that it’s amusing, and Scott’s stepdaughter, Megan, who’s just as invested in pairing her father and Melly as Beau. But no one outshines Beau, confident enough to always carry a snub-nosed revolver and sign autographs for people who think she’s Melly.
Thriller fans should anticipate a considerable amount of canoodling, but most will find the protagonist appealing.