I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I'd never read the author before, didn't know anything about her, or anything about the book. I saw it at a used book sale and thought that it sounded interesting so why not give it a try...and I was pleasantly surprised. This was a great book!Four years ago, New Orleans was terrorized by a serial killer that butchered prostitutes. ADA J.D. Damascus's wife broke the pattern when she was found in the same manner, and his two children murdered along side her. When a man was arrested and convicted (and later executed) J.D. knew it was the wrong man. He vowed to find the right one even as his life spiraled down the drain. Now he's a shell of his former self. And the fact that the killer is back and he was right is little consolation. The only bright spot for him is the appearance of Holly in his life. Despite the danger to her, she returns to New Orleans to try and save her best friend, a hooker the might have been taken by the killer. Soon J.D. and Holly are thrown together, trying to find answers and in the process trying to save themselves from the terrors that haunt them.Right from the start this book hooked me in. J.D. is such a tragic hero and Sutcliffe did a wonderful job portraying him. All I wanted to do was give the poor man a big hug. I also enjoyed Holly a lot. She's definitely not your typical heroine since she was once a prostitute and for most of the book, you know there's some big secret she's hiding. I found her rather interesting. And the romance between the two was rather intense. I could really feel the emotions between the two and I really wanted them to be able to work things out. They were two people who really needed each other.The storyline was good as well. I did guess fairly early who the bad guy was, but the plot still kept me hooked. I wanted to keep reading to find out where things would go and how it would all turn out.My one complaint would be that the epilogue could have been a little more thorough. It left out things I wanted to know, but not enough to really annoy. Just left me a smidge peeved that I didn't get enough.The creepiness of the story reminds me of a Karen Rose book, but the plot wasn't as intense or as developed. The book, though, reminded me a lot of Linda Howard's Cry No More...not really in storyline, though there's some similarity there...but in tone with the tragic heroes and heroines. For those of you who read and enjoyed the LH book, I think you'll like this one as well. But in general, this was a really good romantic suspense book...great romance, good storyline...I'd highly recommend it.
1. Our heroine calms herself after a nightmare with a Virginia Slim and a Fuzzy Navel Cooler. Um, no.2. Our hero has beaten up a judge.3. A sixteen year old boy listens to Creedence Clearwater Revival on his "walkman." In 2003. Um, no.There are several other anachronisms and examples of reasons I, personally, do not connect with these characters, but these three are the most egregious. About halfway through the book, I completely stopped caring who was murdering the hookers. I admit I skimmed the rest just to find out, and I was not surprised. Horrified, and grossed out, but not surprised.Oddly, the author does the best job when she is narrating from the killer's point of view. That's a little disturbing as well.It seems to me that I've liked books by Sutcliffe before, but this one really misses the mark. Skip it.
Do You like book Bad Moon Rising (2003)?
It was a good book and kept my interest, but it had a lot of "darkness" to it and more sexual content than I care for in the books I read.
—Lori
I really like my romantic thrillers. If they're a little dark, so much the better.I enjoyed this story although the hero and heroine ended up having feelings for each other rather quickly. The hero's 'relationship' with his sister-in-law had a bit of an 'ick' factor, but I think it was actually like the hero noted during the story. I don't think it was a deliberate action on his part so much as inaction due to his own messed up situation.The major problem I had with the story was that I figured out who the killer was early on. Even before the FBI profiler came onto the scene with her profile of the killer.
—Christine
