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Sunday, January 15, 2006

Thrilled to Death by Jennifer Apodaca

Kensington
320 pages
ISBN: 0758209886
February 2006
Hardcover

In Jennifer Apodaca's newest installment of the Samantha Shaw mystery series, Thrilled to Death, Sam manages to be just as entertaining and just as impetuous as she has in the past, but she also manages to show growth along with very real, very human feelings.

This is one of Apodaca's strongest gifts. Making us believe in--and love--her very real characters.

And in this book we get to learn a lot about magicians. Sam's beloved grandfather Barney is acting mysterious, and Sam soon learns that he is a suspect in the murder of a magician he--once upon a time--mentored. A magician who became a "spoiler," or someone who made his money, and his entire act, upon revealing the secrets of other magicians. In short, a magician who made a lot of enemies. Sam knows her grandfather could NOT have killed anyone, and so, as is usual, she must investigate and see if she can find out just WHO the murderer is--before it's too late.

This extremely readable author offers up a great, fast-paced read, complete with witty dialogue, fast-paced suspense and tension, and of course, hot sex.

Apodaca has a gift with the creation of the romantic triangle, and she makes you wonder just who Sam should end up with, even if you are mostly pulling for her hunky younger boyfriend Gabe Pulizzi.

A series is sometimes hard to hold up, and I'm thrilled to say I was not even slightly disappointed in Thrilled to Death, and I know that fans of this series will feel the same. I also think that Apodaca can bring in some new readers who will learn to love Sam, and hunky Gabe, just as much as this reviewer does.

The Prey by Allison Brennan

Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0-345-48023-6
January 2006
Romantic Suspense

The Prey is the debut book of author Allison Brennan, and the first of a three part series, being released in an interesting marketing plan from Ballantine. The Prey hit bookstores in December 2005, The Hunt is due this month, and The Kill next month.

Brennan's writing is reminiscent of early Iris Johansen books, which should endear her to romantic suspense fans worldwide.

In The Prey, Rowan Smith is an author of suspense novels, living in a borrowed Malibu beach house while her latest bestselling novel is made into a movie. She is a former FBI agent with secrets she is not willing to share with anyone. But when a twisted murderer starts killing people, in exact copies of murder victims in her books, Rowan has to face up to her past.

She is forced to open up her life to strangers, including a bodyguard who is a former Delta Force officer with his own mysterious past. The two share a connection, whether it is the twisted secrets they hide from the world, or their own desire to do the right thing--and protect the underdog.

This book is a solid first effort from Brennan, and we learn enough about the protagonists in the next few books to be anxious to hear their stories, too. The characters are well-defined, the momentum is non-stop, and you can't put the book down.

Brennan is a new author to watch.