Lethal

This is the story of Honor and her daughter, Emily. Honor's husband, Eddie, was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. One day, Emily comes into the house and tells Honor that there's a man in the yard taking a nap. Honor goes out to check on him and he takes her and Emily hostage in their own home. Coburn is looking for something Eddie had and Honor has no idea what he is referring to.

Coburn is accused of killing people at a shipping warehouse the night before he shows up at Honor's house. When Coburn realizes that the police are getting close, he takes Honor and Emily and they leave their home and go into hiding. Not only are the police looking for Coburn, so is The Bookkeeper, but nobody knows who The Bookkeeper is.

Very well show more written, lots of twists. Didn't expect the ending but it was all wrapped up nicely. Believable characters. show less

I have read numerous novels by Sandra Brown but this one has become my new favorite. It packed a punch from the opening chapter as daughter Emily comes into the kitchen eager to tell her Mother, Honor Gillette, that there is a man lying down in the yard that must be sick as he’s not moving. But in the midst of Emily’s mission to come tell her Mother something really important her attention is captivated by her mother’s actions in frosting a cake with chocolate icing! But although Emily is delighted by her Mother’s reply about licking the bowl she’s also worried about the sick man in the yard. Honor is now in definite “Mom listening mode” and realizes that there is definitely something to investigate in her backyard. show more WoW!

Who does Honor trust when there’s corruption, betrayal, and murder? Does Honor trust the man that everyone else believes is a criminal? Or does she trust the people she’s always known? And as she tries to sort out the truth, how does she keep her daughter protected and safe? The stranger, Lee Coburn, is telling Honor things about her dead husband that she never knew and can hardly believe to be true. Honor has been grieving for Eddie for almost two (2) years now after a tragic accident. She knew him as an honorable man, a trustworthy man, a police officer, her husband and the father of Emily. Now everything seems inside out and upside down. Was her husband murdered? Was he murdered because he wasn’t a man of honor? Why is Honor having romantic thoughts about Lee? Is Emily’s reaction to Lee merely a child’s innocence to instinct or could there be more?

Sandra Brown has blended murder, corruption, and relationships between mother and daughter, father-in-law and daughter-in-law, brothers, husband and wife, mother and father of a special needs child, supervisors and colleagues in various law enforcement agencies into one thrilling, page-turning, intriguing and suspenseful read all with a romantic twist. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next and I wanted to hurry along but at the same time I didn’t want to miss any of the intrigue and details of each chapter that were building to the culmination of the truth and the reveal of how Honor would move beyond whatever answers were finally to be learned. I was totally captivated from cover-to-cover!

Some novels should carry warnings: Reader may need to save title for weekend or vacation reading time. If read before bed during work week, the alarm clock buzzing in the morning for work will seem unusually loud and quite annoying as reader may have read past normal bedtime without awareness due to story absorption. show less

LETHAL by Sandra Brown
Published by Grand Central Publishing
Hachette Book Group
ISBN-13: 9781455501472
ISBN: 1455501476
At the request of Grand Central Publishing, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from publisher): When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved show more late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

My Thoughts and Opinion: I have been a fan of Ms. Brown's for many years, I would even guess since from when I was in college, so we are talking many, years. However, and I don't know why, but it has been quite a while since I have read one of her novels. So when I saw that this book was up for review, I requested to be one of the lucky reviewers. I doubt there are many avid readers who haven't heard of this best selling author and/or read one of her many books.

I am so glad that I did because I realized just why it was that I became a fan so many years ago. I have to start with a caveat. Ever since I started book blogging, reviewing, meeting (through emails) and speaking to authors, publishers, and publicists, I have such a different outlook when I now read a novel. Yes, it still is for pleasure, enjoyment and entertainment but I now also think about what and how the author creates the characters, premise, the written words so that the reader can create their own imagery and be transported straight into the story and not even realize what is going on around them or even how much time has passed. How the author can create a cast of characters and weaves them together where they become so life like that you feel as if you know them is pure talent and Lethal had all that and more.

Lethal was a phenomenal read!! A pure adrenaline rush from start to finish. A novel that was a non stop page turning, couldn't put down, white knuckle read. This reader will not be letting so much time pass in between Sandra Brown books again because I definitely was the one missing out on some great reading.

My Rating: 5 show less

Lethal
4 Stars

Accused of multiple murders, Lee Coburn is on the run. Desperate and dangerous, Coburn seeks the answers he is looking for with Honor Gillette, whose late husband may have left in her possession the key that can bring down a vicious web of deceit and the depraved megalomaniac who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.

Sandra Brown has always been a must-buy author for me and Lethal has all of the characteristics that make for a high-octane read: smooth pacing, a gripping plot, and compelling characters. Nevertheless, the weak romance, logical inconsistencies and disappointing ending ultimately undermine an otherwise entertaining book.

The man-on-the-run plot inevitably adds another layer of excitement to any romantic show more suspense novel and this is no exception. Coburn is your typical strong, mission focused, law enforcement type - a man with a hard past who finds it difficult to relate to or bond with others. Honor is a sweet heroine but also rather naive and what little chemistry she and Coburn have is not sufficient to make their romance believable.

While the suspense plot is action packed and the villains’ machinations ratchet up the tension, the identity of the Bookkeeper is glaringly obvious and given who the person is, the far-reaching influence they seem to have doesn’t make much sense.

Finally, the ending is a serious letdown and not in keeping with the nature of the genre. Romance readers have certain expectations and having an open ending like this one can ruin a book.

Overall, the book is entertaining but not as good as some of Brown’s earlier works. For a similar and more satisfying story, The Witness is a better bet. show less

What I liked about this book is that it was a quick read with all the proper set up of a cheap mystery romance novel, but without the lame addition that I feel dumber for reading it. It was actually well written. I felt the big reveals came a little sudden and unexpected, not in the climax sort of way. More in the, "huh? Wait, what just happened. Did I miss something?" Also, as others commented, the sex scenes were a little unexpected and graphic. I think they added a nice element to the story line, but they could have been a little more tasteful, less raw, to match the writing style of the rest of the book. I'm looking forward to reading more from Sandra Brown, as soon as I the desire to gain book knowledge through non-fiction or show more historical fiction gets out of my system. show less

Incredible! This was such a fast paced thriller that I couldn't believe how quickly it was over! Things go wrong for Honor Gillette when her young daughter alerts her to a man's presence in their front yard. It's just the beginning of a harrowing 'venture (as her daughter says) that all connects to her husbands death and a conspiracy that has roots within their community...and far beyond.

I was so impressed with how well this story was written. For having so many characters involved, the author introduced them in such a way that it will not overwhelm or confuse the reader. This made reading the story pure enjoyment, the plot of which is one of the best mysteries I've read in long while. There were plenty of surprises and shocking twists show more to keep me frantically turning the pages. I also applaud Ms. Brown's ability to write child/adult relationships that are believable and entertaining. Emily is an adorable little sprite and softened Coburn's hard edges nicely.

I didn't really feel the romantic connection between Coburn and Honor, but that was realistic as well. They were neck deep in trouble and (IMO) it just isn't realistic to write a fully fleshed out romance in this situation without causing the mystery aspect of the story to suffer. I think the balance was done very well and having just enough attraction for the start of a relationship was a wise choice.

As for the ending...WOW! I'm just saying. I never would have guessed!

A fantastic overall book with a complex plot and diverse characters. I highly recommend this to all adult Mystery and Thriller/Suspense fans. show less

The lives of Honor Gillette - a young widow, and her 4-year-old daughter Emily, are disrupted when a wanted man, Lee Coburn, enters their house and demands Honor cooperate with him or Emily will be harmed. Coburn has been accused of killing seven men the night before, and now he is inexplicably (to Honor) seeking some mysterious unidentified information he claims was hidden by Honor’s late husband, who was a policeman in the small town of Tambour, Louisiana. As the local police and FBI launch a manhunt, Coburn takes Honor and Emily with him on the run, and Honor discovers nothing is as it seems and her closest friends are not who she thought they were.

There are lots of suspenseful moments, twists, red herrings and romantic encounters show more in this very readable thriller. Even though you can sort of tell from the beginning where it’s going to go, that doesn’t diminish at all the fun of getting there.

The ending, by the way, is almost a mirror image of the ending of Jennifer Donnelly’s The Winter Rose. Makes you wonder if Brown read Donnelly’s book. Or if both writers just knew it was a wonderful scene with which to end a story.

Discussion: The author, on her website, says she had to do research on cell phone technology for this book, but hmmmm, wonder where the info on the hot sex scenes came from?

Evaluation: I have never read this author before, but I liked this quite a bit. I will definitely seek out more of her books. show less