RITUAL IN DEATH -- J.D. Robb: When Lt. Eve Dallas is
attending a party with her husband, billionaire
extraordinaire Roarke, the evening is livened up when a
blood-covered, naked man barges in, knife in hand, unsure
of where he is or what he's done. Well, of course, before
Eve is finished, she'll know who did what to whom, how they
did it and the all-important why. Classic Eve and Roarke
why-done-it. Never disappointing, Ms. Robb is at her best --
just as we've come to count on whenever we need an escape.
LOVE ENDURES - Mary Blayney: It's 1814 and Summer
Cassidy is rudely awakened by the news that Reggie, her
gambling-addicted husband, has been badly injured. When he
dies, she's faced with a choice -- penury for herself and
her small daughter or trust in the man she's loved since
before her marriage -- the man who not only broke her heart,
but afterward encouraged her husband to gamble money he
didn't have. However, Reggie may not be completely gone.
His ghost is here to stay until he makes right the wrongs
he committed against Summer -- and the love of her life.
Great slice of period life with love, a bit of heartache
and the relentless Reggie, ghost of the dearly departed.
Lovely characters you want to win, especially Summer. She's
down-to-earth and lives in the "now" knowing she only has
herself to count on. But as hard as she tries, she can't
make herself get over her first love.
COLD CASE - Ruth Ryan Langan: Sam Hunter, a hardened
New York homicide cop, is lost in a storm of freezing rain
in the countryside of Vermont. He's decided he's done with
the miserable life he's lived and is ready to start over
somewhere far away from New York City. Avoiding another
car, Sam slams into the ditch. With his car dead, he starts
walking in the icy storm. Just before he gives up, he
happens upon a farmhouse where he's taken in by Mary
Catherine, her sister Anna and their stepfather Hoag.
Stranded by the storm, Sam falls for Mary Catherine and she
for him. However, getting her away from the overbearing
Hoag may be more than Sam can accomplish. This is a very
unusual story. The great visuals and fast pace had me
shivering with the cold and tight with tension as I
followed Sam through the story. Just what you'd expect from
Ms. Langan; a topnotch tale that keeps you guessing until
the utter end.
WAYWARD WIZARD - Mary Kay McComas: Marie Barnett has
pretty much failed as a mother. But she's trying to make it
up to her son, Hugh. They're at a museum when Hugh picks up
a strange artifact and disappears. Well, Marie immediately
does the same thing, hoping to follow wherever he's gone so
she can bring him home. What they find together is Nester,
a wizard who's able to do amazing things, like travel
through time and space. But it's only reliable if he has
the artifact she left at the museum. Marie and Hugh are
determined to get back home and Nester is determined to get
the artifact, so off they go, hop-scotching their way
through time from 2060 and the office of a homicide cop to
the room of a 19th century gambling ghost to the ice-
encased farmhouse in Vermont before finally making it back
home. But is home the same welcoming place if she has to
say goodbye to Hester?
I thoroughly enjoyed SUITE 606. It's a mixture of history,
fantasy, romance and even a bit of action; there's
something here for everyone. Magic is in the air and it
connects SUITE 606 to all the characters and storylines.
And don't forget Marie & company -- a very clever way to
keep the common thread woven throughout. A good read.