May 17, 2004
Jane Killian almost dies when she's run over by a motor boat in the opening pages of the latest mildly entertaining but formulaic romance thriller by Spindler (In Silence
; Dead Run
; Bone Cold
; etc.). This disfiguring event still haunts Jane, even though extensive surgery has reclaimed her beautiful face and she's married to "smart, charming and James Bond handsome" plastic surgeon Dr. Ian Westbrook. Then one of Ian's patients, Elle Vanmeer, is found dead in a hotel room, and Dr. Ian becomes the chief suspect after an initial investigation by Dallas police (led by none other than Jane's sister, ball-busting detective Stacy Killian). To make things worse, an unknown stalker begins sending Jane notes indicating he's the guy who ran over her with the boat—"I did it on purpose. To hear your screams"—and now he's back to finish the job. More women are found dead, and even Jane herself has moments of doubt about her husband's innocence. There are other suspects; in fact, virtually every male character at some point appears to be the guilty party. Plucky Jane takes it on herself to prove Ian's innocence, and with help from her dog, Ranger, and sister Stacy she unsurprisingly succeeds. All of Spindler's suspense novels are stylistically rooted in her romance-writing past and should be enjoyed as such. Serious suspense/thriller readers are advised to look elsewhere. Author tour.
Agent, Evan Marshall.