Innocent as Sin

This is book 3 of Ms. Lowell's "St. Kilda" quintet of romantic suspense novels, which are heavy on the suspense and on the violent side. This one is particularly well done, featuring Rand, a landscape artist drawn back into the murky covert world of St. Kilda consulting for a chance to avenge his twin brother's death at the hands of a ruthless Russian gun runner. It also features Kayla, a young and somewhat naive personal banker who is set up to take the fall for laundering said gun runner's dirty fortune. Their paths cross in the Arizona desert, and sparks and bullets start flying.

It's a very fine diversion if you are in the mood for a fast-paced thriller and not too concerned about the body count.

This was another excellent romantic suspense title in the St. Kilda series by Elizabeth Lowell. It begins in Africa when two twin brothers are spying on an arms sale in order to find evidence against a man they know as the Siberian. When discovered, one of the twins is killed and the surviving twin vows revenge.

Five years later and in Arizona, personal banker Kayla Shaw finds herself involved with a very rich man and his wife. She soon discovers that he might be laundering money and that, since her boss gave her the account, she is probably liable for assisting in the money laundering.

Unknown to her, but not to St Kilda, is that the man she works for is the Siberian now with a cleaned up image and an international passport. He is also show more planning another attempt to overthrow an African country so that he can capture their oil reserves. St Kilda is determined to stop him. They recruit Rand McCree who has become an artist but has never stopped wanting to find the Siberian and exact his revenge.

Kayla and Rand meet at an art contest arranged by the Siberian's wife. He is immediately attracted to her and determined to protect her. She shares his attraction and definitely needs her help if she is going to stay out of prison for money laundering.

The story was packed with danger for both main characters since the Siberian has lots of evil henchmen in his employ. But St Kilda isn't without its own resources.

I really enjoyed this story which was originally published in 2007. It didn't feel at all dated though some references to Watergate and the 9/11 attack were woven into the plot. show less

I haven't read much of Elizabeth Lowell's work. This is only my second of her books and so far I have few complaints. I've read other reviews of this book that describe it as poor. I'm not certain why. It is hardly Pulitzer Prize quality literature, but as quick, fun reads go, it certainly fits the bill. I'm a bit of a stickler for details and this book did not present me with any overly absurd moments or utterly unbelievable characters. It is exactly what it is intended to be: fiction mingled with suspense.

This mystery/thriller takes place in and around Phoenix, Arizona. Kayla Shaw is a banker serving the upper echelons of Phoenix society. Her top client convinces her to deposit money of unknown origins into his account, and she is soon trying to extricate herself from a world of gun running, murder, war profiteering and worse. This is the second book of Lowell's that I have read and I enjoyed this one much more. This book is fast-paced and the characters are believable even if this situation is not. I was a bit disappointed that some of the facets of this book were completely made up including an African nation and a valuable material mined there -- I wish the author had invested the time to find real entities to weave into the story show more instead. show less

Arizona investment banker Kayla Shaw is in over her head and sinking fast. She's just realized she's the fall-gal for a powerful billionaire with an international vita and bloody hands.

Ex-idealist, ex-mercenary, landscape painter Rand McCree lost a brother to a gun-running Russian killer. Now the killer's resurfaced, and Rand's determined to take him down.

St. Kilda's provides the connection, but as the bullets and the sparks start flying, Kayla and Rand both have a lot to learn about the wages of sin and innocence.

In spite of the witty dialogue and likable enough characters, the story is hamstrung by cardboard cut-out villains, too much political detail and not enough plot. Predictable, trite, and mediocre. Read instead Tell me no lies show more or Diamond Tiger. show less

Lowell delivers another exhilarating romantic thriller. Kayla is a banker who has been tricked into laundering money for an international arms dealer. Rand's twin brother was killed by this same man five years before. They team up with help from St. Kilda to stop him before he kills them.
With fascinating dynamic characters, well reasoned motivations and plot lines, and decent writing, this book is highly recommended.

No disappointment here!
I'll start off by saying that I have read a fair amount of Elizabeth Lowell books. Overall, I didn't think this was one of Ms. Lowell's best books, but it was close to being the best and she didn't disappoint me in this terrific story. The story moved along at a brisk pace with me trying to anticipate what was going to happen next. Ms. Lowell ensure that the main characters Rand a Kayla were well defined and left no doubt in my mind that they were the key that made this story. This is a great late night read. Enjoy it.