This is the first in a trilogy featuring John Medina (ultimate spy). He doesn't have much play time in this book though as it's centered around yummy Marc, a cop from New Orleans and the withdrawn Karen, nurse from Ohio. Her estranged father winds up murdered in New Orleans and since he was ex-military Marc wants to help Karen find out what happened and also to help her get over her self-protection mode. It gets a bit steamy in places and they do seem to spend a lot of quality bed-time getting to know each other in between dodging people trying to kill Karen for a mysterious book her father sent her right before he was killed. I'm enjoyed this book although it didn't have some of the fun wit that a couple of the other's I've read had. I am looking forward to All the Queen's Men which tells John's story. ( )

Karen Whitlaw's mother just died and she gets a package from her estranged father, who left them when she was small. She packs it away and forgets about it. Sometime later, her father is murdered in New Orleans. She flies down to identify the body and begins a relationship with Detective Marc Chastain. Soon after returning home, her mother's house burns to the ground and someone breaks into her apartment trying to kill her. Someone is after the contents of the package her father sent, but who?
The plot of this book is excellent. Suspenseful, intricate, and realistic, it's easily the best thing about the book. Karen and Marc have some halfway believable chemistry, as well. The real flaw in the writing is Howard's love scenes. Her terminology is cringeworthy. Fortunately, there is no important information or dialogue during them, so go ahead and skip them. Focus on the mystery, you'll be all right. ( )

Karen Whitlaw was abandoned by her father when young, and her mother died recently. When she receives a mysterious box of papers from her father, she packs them away and forgets about them. However her father had given her evidence of a murder and now those who paid for the killing want the evidence back. When her father is killed in New Orleans, detective Marc Chastain gets the case. He gets in contact with Karen who flies down to claim the body and gets Marc's as well!

There is one mega hot love scene in this book, but other than that there are so many implausibilities that neither the mystery nor the romance hold up all that well. That Karen and Marc should fall in love and commitment so quickly beggars belief, and the character of the villain is both predictable and not very interesting. This is a reread for me, but not a keeper. I bought this book on impulse and I'll pass it on, but it held your attention while you were there. B- ( )

Karen Whitlow is recovering from her mother's recent sudden death, working hard at her job as a nurse. She suddenly finds out that her father is dead. She hasn't seen him in years but she finds herself now having to go to New Orleans and identify the body. There she also finds Marc Chastain, a detective who is interested in her. Her father's death is taken as being just a horrible accident.

When she returns home she finds that the story isn't over. She has to work with Marc to get her life back in order, she also finds that she's very attracted to Marc.

It's more about the relationship than the mystery and while interesting is somewhat shallow. ( )

I read this a while back, so I'm struggling to remember it all. I usually remember if a book was a huge stinker. This one must have been pretty good, because my lasting memories of it are first, how steamy it was, and second, I really like Marc Chastain's character. I'm ready to read it again, and that's always the sign of a good book. ( )