"Once again the SSD (Serial Services Division) of the FBI is tracking down a serial killer."
Reviewed by Viki Ferrell
Posted January 6, 2011
Romance Suspense
Samantha Kennedy is the who to recognize the pattern of a serial killer. Male college students in their early twenties, who are from wealthy families, are being kidnapped and held for ransom. If daddy pays, the kid comes home. If daddy doesn't pay, the kid still comes home, only in pieces. Two young men have been returned and two have been killed, all in the Washington, D.C. area. Samantha is out to prove that she can still do her job. She was almost killed herself by one of these serial killers and still has nightmares. The psychologists have approved her to return to work, but her boss and many others at the SSD don't think she is ready for field work. Sam goes to one of the bars where these students are being abducted and does a little investigating on her own. At the bar, she meets Max Ridgeway. Samantha totally loses herself in Max's presence and has some incredible sex with him. She figures she'll never see him again. But something keeps yearning inside of her to find him. Their paths cross again at a party, not coincidentally, but she is called away when one more college student is left in pieces at his parents' front gate. When she and Max meet again at the bar, Max's own stepbrother, Quinlan Marlowe, is abducted right out from under them. Max is not aware that Samantha is an FBI agent. When the kidnapper's call comes, she insists on being with Max and his family. She secretly sends text messages to the SSD about what is happening. Through her cover, she is able to help the SSD get leads on this serial killer for the first time. Being an FBI agent is only one of the secrets that Samantha is keeping from Max. And Max is holding secrets of his own. Their relationship becomes very passionate as they work together to find Quinlan, hopefully alive. Cynthia Eden's character development is extraordinary, taking her serial killers to a whole new level. Don't miss this fast-paced thriller in the third book of her Deadly series. SUMMARYShe wants to hide the past
FBI Special Agent Samantha Kennedy is haunted by memories
of the serial killer who abducted her. To keep the
darkness at bay, she pretends to be a different, more
confident woman.This Samantha doesn't fear every unknown
face. So she throws caution to the wind and shares a night
of unbridled passion with a handsome stranger.
He needs to uncover the truth
One night isn't enough for successful entrepreneur Max
Ridgeway. He wants more of the sexy, smart, mysterious
woman who slipped away before dawn. When they meet again,
their attraction is undeniable-until his stepbrother goes
missing, and Max realizes that Samantha isn't who she
seems. But they must trust each other to trap a ring of
bloodthirsty kidnappers before the nightmares that
terrorize Sam become irrevocably real.
As a merciless criminal spins a web of . . . DEADLY LIES
EXCERPTSam wasnโt normally the type for casual sex. She was the
kind of woman who
went for commitment, romance, and candlelight.
No, she had been that kind of woman. Now she
was different, and she
needed. Needed to forget who she was and just
feel.
Canโt work the cases. Canโt sleep at night. Canโt
even close my eyes
without rememberingโฆ
Sam took a deep breath.
Forget.
Right then, sheโd do just about anything to forget.
Sam had left the crime scene hours before. When sheโd
gotten back to her
place, the invitation to this expensive party had been
waiting on her porch,
courtesy of her meddling mother. The woman thought Sam
might find a potential
mate at one of these boring society gigs.
Sam didnโt want a mate. She just wanted a screw. Hot
sex. Hard and wild. And
she knew the perfect man to give her everything she
needed.
Her perfect man stood across the room from her,
separated by the crush of
bodies. The party was too hot and too noisy by far with the
fake laughter and
high voices and the people who were pretending to be
interested in each other.
Pretending. She was so sick of pretending.
Sam snagged a drink off a waiterโs tray. She downed the
champagne in two
gulps and pushed her way toward her target.
Heโd know who she was. Sam didnโt doubt that. Well, heโd
better know.
Theyโd had sex two weeks ago. Sex that had left her sore
and aching and
satisfied. Satisfiedโfor a time.
Until sheโd wanted more.
She really hoped that the man remembered her.
She sure remembered him.
Max Ridgeway. Tall, dark, and sexy. The man whoโd made
her come in two
minutes. The man whoโd made her scream.
The man whoโd turned her on to casual sex.
Max was lover number three in her lifetime, not that he
knew that. Sheโd
been sure to play the game. After all, she could pretend
too. Sheโd acted cool
and confident and made sure that she didnโt screw things
up.
"You." His voice, deep and rumbling, caught
her, and she looked up
to see him striding toward her.
Game face, girl. Get it on. Sam lifted her chin
and let her lips
curl into a smile that was as fake as all the others in the
room. Forget.
Forget everything but him.
Why try to pick up someone else when he was there? Heโd
be all she needed.
Heโd beโฆ
Hot enough to banish the chill from her body.
Max caught her wrist and pulled her close. All around
them, men stood in
their perfect tuxedos and women smiled in their designer
dresses. A high-end
party. One packed with people who had too much money and
too much alcohol.
His faceโreally not handsome, but sexy, so sexyโleaned
in close to hers. At
six foot three, Max was big and muscled with skin tanned a
light brown. His
midnight black hair curled just a little too long over the
back of his collar.
The first time sheโd seen him, sheโd known that he would
be the one for her.
Sheโd gone into the bar, taken one look, and picked the
strongest man in the
place.
"You left without a damn word."
Huh. Anger hummed in his words. She wet the lips that
sheโd carefully
painted for tonight. Part of the mask. Normally,
she didnโt care at
all about makeup.
Sheโd come to this party for one reason. Him. She wanted
more.
"Iโm here now." She rose onto her toes and whispered the
words close to his
mouth.
A muscle flexed in his jaw. "Baby, your timing is
shit."
BOOK SERIES
| 
© 2003-2026