Stella Cameron: Key West

Zebra (Paperback), ISBN 0-8217-6595-7

A hurricane force in its own right, roaring with passion, Key West, Stella Cameron’s latest romantic suspense, should come complete with storm warnings. Gripping, intense but poignant, the plot twists and turns, whispers and screams, and doesn’t allow the reader a moment of rest. One word describes this book: mesmerizing. I read Key West from beginning to end in one sitting, then couldn’t go to sleep for thinking about it.

Far from ordinary, both major and minor characters capture the imagination, and lead the reader further and further into the tale. Heroes and villains arouse intense emotional response. In particular, the depravity, greed and utter criminality of the villains inspire total disgust.

Crippled in mind and body, Sonnie Giacano returns to her home in Key West to solve the mystery of what destroyed her life. Eight months previously, she crashed her car into a wall, lost her unborn child, part of her memory and mobility — or so people tell her. Now, Sonnie must discover the truth about her mental state — does she truly belong in an institution? She hears voices, you know.

Haunted by his own demons, Chris Talon, a burned-out cop playing piano in his brother’s bar, wants nothing more than to be left alone, but Sonnie needs someone. Chris may be the only someone who can help solve the problems she faces — life threatening problems that pose a real danger to them both. But will his demons allow him the freedom to do a search and destroy mission on hers? What about their mutual attraction? She’s married, she thinks. Supposedly, terrorists kidnapped her husband just before her accident. Did they?

If you didn’t grab Key West when it came out in hardcover, grab it now in paperback. You won’t be sorry if you love sizzling romance, danger, suspense and Stella Cameron’s writing. I do, and Key West delighted me.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White’s latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I’ve Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.