The above is not entirely accurate. She gets the roses well after the trial. She does not immediately think that Lozada killed her rival. The “handsome young detective” assigned to her case isn’t even a cop. He’s an ex-cop with who screwed up the investigation of his brother’s killing at Lozada’s hands. He is working on the case at the behest of his brother’s ex-partner who is a cop in Fort Worth where Rennie lives. Of course he’s kind of a hot head with more passion than common sense at times, but a heart of gold etc. etc. etc.

The story hung together pretty well but lacked intensity. The bad guy was just like all the other bad guys I’ve read about; delusional and cruel but sneaky enough not to get caught too often. Typical. Also typical was the ‘star crossed lovers’ bit that surrounded Wick and Rennie. She was a wild child as a young girl because she saw her father screwing her piano teacher. As revenge she went about seducing dad’s business partner. One day when he was at the house and her father walked in on them in a clinch, the partner was shot. Rennie took the blame but it didn’t take a genius to figure that dad really shot the guy. So Rennie has been carrying this burden of guilt over her sexuality and therefore is practically a virgin when Wick and she finally do it. No mention of how it must have hurt, of course.

Before the bad guy is trapped, he’s threatened her and killed a couple of people and her 5 horses. But then an obvious trap is sprung and fails to capture him. So another more devious trap is sprung using one of Lozada’s unwilling accomplices and he is caught. It is hinted that Wick and Rennie will live happily ever after. Yawn.

Tom Wopat did a pretty good job with characterizations and I usually forgot he was Luke Duke in a former life. I did keep singing the theme song to the Dukes of Hazzard though. Retch!

Very slow in the begining, about more than half way done with the book is where my intrest was. ( )

Sort of predictable but also not. You weren't quite sure what else she would throw in. A surgeon with a sordid past, and an ex-cop brought in to help get a killer who killed her brother.
11/16/03 ( )

All of Sandra Brown's books are good. This book is about a killer and a member of his jury. Sent this book to SSG Kott who is a section chief in Iraq.

During Jury Duty, Dr. Renne Newton convinced jurors Ricky Lozada, a gun for hire did not have enough evidence to put him away. From then on, he was infatuated with her and felt she was in love with him. He killed all five of her horses in revenge when she showed interest in the detective. She was a surgeon and saved the detectives life. In the end, Ricky was shot and killed. ( )