Maris Matherly-Reed finds the proverbial needle while wading through the haystack of unsolicited manuscripts submitted to Matherly Press, which her father founded. The author identified only as P. M. E. captivates her imagination with the story of three friends who rent a boat one evening. When the boat returns, only one is aboard. When questioned, the survivor says "Envy" was the root of the conflict which lead to the accidental drowning deaths of his companions. Following clues, Maris tracks down Parker Evans, not knowing she has just become a pawn in his 14 year pursuit of vengeance against her womanizing, duplicitous husband, Noah Reed. But as Maris is drawn deeper into Parker's plot, he doesn't find the satisfaction he expected his revenge to provide. Alternating her story with pieces of Parker's own suspenseful book, Brown builds tension as the layers of deception and betrayal are peeled away to reveal the truth of the past, and the present. In the end, justice and love triumph.

http://home.comcast.net/~ktoonen/summ... ( )

This book really should have been called Vengeance. Regardless, it was fabulous. This is my first Sandra Brown book, and what a way to start! There's so many twists and turns that I was afraid of getting whiplash. Brown's characterizations paint vivid pictures of her characters in your mind, right down to the smallest mannerisms. By the end, I liked everyone in the book except Noah, even Nadia, and I didn't suspect Mike's involvement until right before it was revealed. Parker's book is easily woven into the story. He drops a clue as to the true nature of his story fairly early on, and I'm not sure why Maris didn't catch it, but the final draft ends up being much worse, and much more, than you expect. And if all of Brown's sex scenes are so well done, I'm going to keep reading. My one complaint has to do with the audio version of the book I listened to -- the southern accents are a bit overdone. I've heard some pretty thick accents, and I don't know anyone who talks like Parker, Mike, Roarke, and Todd. ( )

Maris Matherly-Reed is a celebrated New York book editor, the daughter of a
publisher, vice president of Matherly Press, and wife of best-selling author
Noah Reed. It isn't often that an unsolicited submission so captivates her
that she feels she must immediately meet its author. But Maris has just
received a tantalizing partial manuscript submitted by a writer identified
only as P.M.E., with the return address of an obscure island off the Georgia
coast. P.M.E.'s blockbuster potential compels Maris to search for him.

On an eerie, ruined cotton plantation, she finds cantankerous, rude and
arrogant Parker Evans, a man determined to conceal his identity as well as
his past. Working with him chapter by chapter, Maris is riveted by his tale
of two friends who charter a boat with a young woman for a night of
revelry....an excursion from which only one person returns. As the story
unfolds, Maris becomes convinced that it is more than just fiction.
Disturbed about her growing attraction to Parker and gripped by a chilling
suspicion about his novel's characters, she digs for the undisclosed truth
about a crime committed decades ago. She begins to realize that there are
few around her she can trust, and that evil resides closer to her than she
ever dreamed.
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This book could have been a lot better than it was, I think. It was hardly
the "breathtaking story of suspense" that the jacket said it was, and the
ending was not a "shattering, surprise finale" that was promised. I figured
it out less than half way through so it was more a matter of seeing how the
author would go about the resolution of the story than a page turner. It
was a pleasant read, but not very gripping.

I'd give it a 2.5. ( )

I like Sandra Brown's writing but I enjoy Nora Roberts more. Yes - both write exciting stories that feature great heroes and heroines, usually some suspense and mystery and lots of fun and action. What is it that makes me rate a Roberts book higher than a Brown? General satisfaction. I guess with Roberts I think: "Oh good! What a terrific climax and wonderful way to end a book." With Brown (this one included) I think :"Well, I could see that coming a mile away." See? Slightly unsatisfied.
The basic plotline is a story within a story. Maris Matherly Reed, a successful editor, is mailed a prologue to an enticing story by mysterious, reclusive Parker Evans. He's a cantankerous, wheelchair-bound young-ish man with a phenomenal chip on his shoulder. Maris is sweet, caring, forgiving and intuitive but Parker stays bitchy and horrible to the end. I didn't like him and that's why the book left a bitter taste in my mouth. Give this one a try - it's not Brown's worst but it's certainly not her best. (Roberts is better!!) ( )

Excellent book -- I could hardly put it down!

Only "problem" I had with it was that it was just chock-full of foul language. And, while that "helps" to make the characters more "true", I'm sure, I still don't care for reading that sort of thing.

I overlooked that, solely because I've wanted to read this book for years, and I love Sandra Brown's writing. :-? ( )