There's a straightforward, even simplistic element to Dailey's (Notorious, 1996, etc.) follow-the-numbers murder mystery, but the quirky, determined Delaney Wescott—and her romantic pursuits—keep a fire going under the otherwise predictable proceedings. Security expert Delaney is a woman in a man's world—needless to say, she attracts a lot of attention, from the men she works with to the men she is hired to protect. When rock/movie star stud- about-town Lucas Wayne is shot by his ex, Madonna-clone (though this one's career is on a downward spiral) Rina Cole, he hires Delaney, and quickly develops more than a professional interest in her. Rina blames Lucas for her career woes, and she's hot on his tail; to get as far away from her as possible, Delaney, Lucas, and entourage head west, to Lucas's Aspen hideaway, but Rina is soon in pursuit. Once in the mountains, Delaney is confronted not just with Lucas's affections but also with the increasing attentions of her partner, Riley, and the reappearance of her own ex, Jared McCallister, who broke Delaney's heart years before when she found that he had been duplicitous and unfaithful. Jared's other ex-wife, Aspen native and snide art dealer Susan St. Jacque, complicates the situation by getting herself shot and killed—by Delaney, no less, who's under the impression at the time that she's shooting Rina, thus saving Lucas's life and doing her job. Subplots (as if they're needed) include Jared's missing little sister, Delaney's dad's peculiar hijinks, and the problems surrounding Lucas's brain- damaged brother Toby, but the real question comes across loud and clear: Who's going home with Delaney? A lot of plot threads and themes, but too little resonance. Fans will be satisfied, but hardly satiated.
Pub Date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-06-017698-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1997
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may...
A dog trainer and a wood craftsman dance around love and danger in the Pacific Northwest.
Fiona Bristow is the only victim who got away from serial killer George Perry. Now a copycat, inspired and perhaps guided by the jailed Perry, is on her trail. After Perry murdered her fiancé, Fiona rebuilt her life as a dog trainer and search-and-rescue expert on lovely Orcas Island. She’s recently met talented woodworker Simon Doyle and his misbehaving puppy Jaws, and her dormant love life is about to revive as she and the reluctant Simon slowly build a complicated relationship. Though she’s done her best to overcome her fears and make herself whole again, this new series of killings, with herself as the ultimate target, can’t help but strain her nerves. As the police and FBI track the killer, a persistent reporter makes Fiona’s life more difficult by printing information about her life and location. Through it all, Fiona keeps working. As she continues to go on rescue missions with a team that may soon include Simon and Jaws, her friends help to keep her balanced. But ultimately it will be the trust she has built up with Simon and the talents of her dogs that will change her life forever.
A little slower-paced than the typical Roberts romantic mystery (Black Hills, 2009, etc.) but every bit as steamy. It may well add dog lovers to her legion of fans.Pub Date: July 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-15657-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
A smooth blend of suspense and romance. As ever, the author's trademark effortless style keeps a complex plot moving without...
Megaselling Roberts (River's End, 1999, etc.) goes to Napa Valley for the tale of an Italian-American family wine producers rocked by scandal and a series of murders.
Dynasty head Tereza Giambelli knows that her granddaughter Sophia is the only family member capable of running a multimillion-dollar wine business—and no one contradicts La Signora. It's just as well the lovely young woman is still single: Tereza has plans for her. The matriarch has recently married Eli MacMillan, the American founder of another famous wine company. Eli's grandson Tyler knows everything there is to know about producing wine, from the vineyard to the vat. Ruggedly handsome, intelligent and earthy, he's a perfect match for public-relations whiz Sophia—or so thinks Tereza. The two young people begin to work together; Tyler teaches Sophia the fine art of making wine and making love. But other family members hope to claim their share of the Giambelli fortune, and people start dying mysteriously, including Sophia's good-for-nothing father, Tony Avano. Long divorced from long-suffering Pilar Giambelli, Tony led an opulent, self-indulgent life that provides plenty of murder suspects. He might have been killed by the mob, or a jealous mistress, or his spoiled brother-in-law, Tereza's lazy son, who's produced a passel of brats with his foolish Italian wife in the hopes of making Tereza happy. Everyone has a motive, and nothing is what it seems, Sophia discovers, but Tyler stands by her. Then a bottle of tainted merlot kills a company exec. A tragic mishap caused by poisonous plants growing near the vines? Or deliberate product tampering intended to destroy the company? Sophia and Tyler will need to delve even deeper into the convoluted and sometimes unsavory history of the family and its three-generation business.
A smooth blend of suspense and romance. As ever, the author's trademark effortless style keeps a complex plot moving without a hitch.Pub Date: March 19, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-14712-8
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001
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