Light In Shadow

Zoe Luce is a woman with secrets. She has set herself up as an interior designer in Whispering Springs with a specialty in working with newly divorced people who want to remake their homes. However, Zoe runs into a problem with her latest client. Her talent for feeling a room leads her to believe that her client has killed the wife he claimed ran off and left him.

Zoe hires PI Ethan Truax because he is the cheaper of two PI firms in town. Ethan is rebuilding his life after a bankruptcy in Los Angeles and the costs of this third divorce. He takes the job of checking out Zoe's client believing that she wants a background check on him as a potential dating partner. He doesn't expect to find out that the client murdered his wife. Nor does show more he expect the client to attempt to murder Zoe when she sets Ethan on him.

Besides being psychic and able to enter a room to know that violence occurred there, Zoe is on the run from a family that committed her to a mental institution when she made scenes after her husband was murdered accusing another family member of the crime. She's escaped the mental institution but needs to stay hidden for another couple of months before she can confront her suspected killer at the annual board meeting. But someone has sent her a blackmail note indicating that they know where she is.

Now, Ethan and Zoe are on the track of a blackmailer who might also be a killer.

This is classic Jayne Ann Krentz with engaging characters, a fast-paced plot, snappy dialog, and a realistic romance. This one was first published in 2002. show less

As with a lot of this author's work, this is a mix of romance, suspense and extrasensory perception. Zoe is an interior designer with two secrets: one is that she picks up sensory clues from places where negative emotions have impressed themselves, often from a crime of violence. This provides the impetus for her to hire a private detective, Ethan, to investigate the possibility that a new client may have murdered his wife. The other secret is shared with a friend of hers, and provides the main plotline.

The main characters were fairly convincing and the romantic aspect not overplayed, with the sex scenes not cringe making. There was also some light and humorous interplay from Ethan's young nephews. I did find some of the dialogue more show more like something from a corporate brochure than how people actually speak.

There could be a trigger for some readers as two minor characters have a propensity for sexual violence against women, though they don't actually succeed in their attempted rapes. The female protagonist is active and courageous, and does not passively await rescue by the hero when danger ensues, which was positive. On the whole, a nice light read but not a keeper, so for me this rates 3 stars. show less

What I really liked in this book was how easily Ethan accepted everything Zoe threw at him: murder, blackmailing, escaping from the mental hospital, extra senses - no problem, everything will be fine, you can trust me. He was always on her side and I loved it. Five stars and a little heart for Ethan :)

Interior designer Zoe Luce suspects that one of her clients murdered his wife—because she senses rage coming from the bedroom walls. She can’t go to the police because she has escape from a private mental hospital where her late husband’s family paid dearly to keep her confined. Instead, she hires a private investigator, Ethan Truax. He quickly helps wrap up the murder mystery but is soon in deep, helping Zoe evade blackmail and recapture and pursue revenge against the ones who killed her husband and locked her away. Sparks flare between them, but will Ethan’s prejudices against psychics and interior designers tear them apart? The plot makes for an entertaining beach read, though the resolution with the true villain feels show more contrived even by those standards.

The audio version is well-read. Men’s voices are often a weakness of audio romance novels, but these are relatively well done. show less

Having been lodged in a psychiatric institution because she was judged insane, Zoe Luce finds it hard to trust anyone. But when her job and her abilities clash she feels a need to find someone to investigate. When Ethan Truax gets involved suddenly there's more than just a financial obligation involved. Then her hidden past come back to haunt her he decides to help her.

It's a fun read, rollercoaster ride of a book with a lot of fun from the two main characters.

Light in Shadow is the first of a short 2 book series following two women who escaped from a mental hospital. (It's followed up by Truth or Dare.)

Zoe Luce can "feel the emotions" of a room. When working as an interior decorator, she feels something wrong in a bedroom she is about to redecorate and hires Ethan Truax to solve her little mystery. This mystery was solved in the first half of the book and really had me wondering what was going to fill the rest of the pages. But, Zoe's past comes back to haunt her and Ethan is there to help.

Jayne Ann Krentz is a prolific author and this was another solid book. Good romance, plot and character development. The touch of paranormal (with Zoe's "psychic" ability) adds a nice twist in what would show more be a rather ordinary story. I listened this this book on CD (which prompted my blog on audio books). The reader did a great job. If you're looking for a romantic suspense, then I'd recommend trying this book.

http://www.romancing-the-book.com/2007/11/jens-review-light-in-shadow-by-jayne.h... show less

I borrowed this from the library as an audio book. I enjoyed it but it wasn't anything more than a light 'listen'.