Carla Neggers

Carla Neggers is well-known for her romantic suspense novels. Some of the novels are more suspense than romance and then this one is definitely more romance than suspense. I enjoyed it. Although I would define it as romantic fantasy of high school sweethearts and 15 years later both are single, still in love with one another, and no encumbrances of former/current spouse and/or child(ren).

Carla Neggers is one of those authors that is able to spin a tale with many characters and have you end the story feeling as if you know everyone. That rates high with me as many authors will bandy people around willy nilly and I feel completely worn out or worse feel as if I need to keep notes so I know whose who. That is not the case here. Two families, lots of police and still I followed it and absolutely loved it!

The first Sharpe and Donovan mystery was an entertaining story with fascinating characters.

The story begins when Emma Sharpe is called to the Convent of the Joyful Heart at the request of Sister Joan. The convent specializes in art restoration and other artistic endeavors. Emma herself was a novice there for three years before leaving to join her family's business tracking down art thieves and then later joining the FBI to do the same sort of work.

Sister Joan doesn't tell Emma what she show more wants. She finds a gate she thought open locked and goes to get a key to let Emma in. Before she can return, someone kills her by hitting the back of her head. Emma feels guilty that she didn't accompany Sister Joan on the key hunt and is confused about what Sister Joan wanted to show her.

A novice named Sister Cecelia saw someone in the garden but didn't recognize the person. She does indicate that there was a painting in Sister Joan's studio that is now missing.

Colin Donovan is an FBI agent from nearby Rock Point who is home for some downtime recovering from an undercover assignment - though his family believes he's a desk jockey. Emma's boss contacts him to look after Emma who is actually a desk jockey. Colin would rather be kayaking or camping but he's curious about Emma who provided some key information that helped finish up his last case.

Both Emma and Colin are great characters. They are both independent and smart. Emma has some concerns that her past as an almost-nun will cause her colleagues to look at her differently and Colin does some teasing about it.

The story quickly becomes more complicated as details of the missing painting are discovered with connections to Emma's grandfather. There is also a new priest Finian Bracken who has come from Ireland to fill in for the local priest's sabbatical who has an interesting backstory of his own and who provides clues that help solve the crime.

I enjoyed the growing relationship between Colin and Emma. I liked the Maine and Ireland settings. I liked learning more about Emma's family and their business. The story had nicely building tension as the clues were gathered and the villain was unmasked.

This is the first of a nine book series. I reviewed the third and fourth books back in 2013 and 2014 and had the first two on my TBR mountain since then so that I could catch up. Looks like I have quite a few more to read and am looking forward to it. show less

Declan’s Cross is the third suspense novel featuring FBI Agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan. Set primarily in Ireland, in a village with surprising links to Rock Point, Maine, this mystery involves theft, betrayal, blackmail and murder.

There are two primary story arcs in Declan’s Cross that eventually intersect – a murder and an art theft. Emma and Colin’s romantic getaway is interrupted by the death of a young woman in the Irish village of Declan’s Cross. The possibility of a show more link to a decades old art theft intrigues Emma while the dead woman’s connection to Julianne Maroney, a marine biologist from Colin’s hometown in Maine, and his brother’s ex girlfriend, has Colin on guard.

There is history between Emma and Colin that I am not privy to given I haven’t read either the first or second installment though Neggers provides some details of the couple’s past adventures. Their romance is new and Ireland is a chance for both to spend some time together away from the pressures of their job. Emma and Colin’s relationship is just one of the three romantic subplots that are part of this story – Julianne has recently had her heart broken by Andy Donovan, while Irish farmer/garda, Sean, and O’Byrne House Hotel owner, Kitty, have a long history of love/hate.

The plot isn’t terribly complicated though it does seem so at times given the the large cast of characters, their various relationships, and the shifts of setting between Ireland and Maine. The only real issue I had with the story is the pacing. It seems to take a long time for anything to actually happen, and there is some repetitiveness to elements of the story. Distracted by the elusive art thief that continues to taunt her grandfather, it is a while before Emma and Colin, with the the help of local man Sean, piece together the motive for Lindsey’s murder, resulting in Julianne being vulnerable to the killer.

As a personal aside, Ireland is one of the few places I would one day like to visit and Neggers makes the prospect even more inviting with lovely descriptions of the country’s rolling green farmland, rugged coasts and quaint villages steeped in history.

A quick and entertaining read, I think fans of the Sharpe and Donovan series will particularly enjoy Declan’s Cross for its romantic resolutions, but the mysteries should hold the interest of those unfamiliar with the characters. show less