(1997)Couldn't finish this one. Supposed to be a thriller but more soap opera/romance. Only made it to the big sex scene between Mari & JD but bailed out after 239 pages of this 530 page tome. Set in Montana, Mari is I guress trying to find out why her friend died in a shooting ?accident? and why she inherited her estate. Didn't move along all that thrillingly.

I struggled up to p. 128 and then decided this is not for me. I cannot bear the thought of another 400 pages of tension between the main characters without much happening. ( )

Junk reading. Romantic Suspense.

This novel has all of the usual characters:

A woman in her late twenties, beautiful, has been hurt in the past, etc.

A man in his early thirties, strong, attractive, also hurt in the past, doesn't trust easily.

Villains with no redeeming qualities.

The basic story: Marilee Jennings travels to New Eden, Montana, ready for a fresh start after a bad love affair. She is determined to leave her old life as court reporter behind her, and even brings along her business suits to burn ritually. Her friend Lucy owned property outside New Eden, and while communication between the two had been short in the last year or so, Marilee is certain that her unexpected visit will be welcome.

When she arrives she finds that Lucy is dead. She was killed in an apparent hunting accident. Not only that, but her house is trashed, apparently by vandals attracted to a vacant building. It is in this house where Marilee meets J.D. Rafferty. From the start, sparks fly. Usually the reason is trivial, the two jumping at each other's throats for small things.

I am not giving anything away here. We all know how this comes out. Marilee becomes suspicious of the circumstances of Lucy's death but can find nobody who shares her concerns. Even as others are found dead she is still on her own with her suspicions.

To summarize: Marilee and J.D. have a rocky relationship, Marilee puts herself in danger, bad people are everywhere and she does not know who to trust.

One characteristic that is common to this type book is self-denigrating. Marilee is down on herself, thinks she's a failure etc etc. J. D. chastises himself. His brother Will thinks he's useless, and Will's wife Samatha can't understand what anyone sees in her. yada yada. I think if one were to pick any page at random there would be at least one paragraph of "how awful I am" on that page. I am sure that these thoughts constitute a good third of the book's volume. Of course they are the setup for the later changes in relationships. Again, I don't think I am giving anything away. It's all standard stuff. ( )

I have enjoyed reading Tami Hoag's novels in the past but this is the 2nd novel I have read in recent days and I have relatively the same commentary. This novel did not need to be >500 pages. It also begins in the same format as "Guilty As Sin" and I would assert that a prologue is not effective in every novel. In the span of a few chapters, I don't forget the personality and traits given to the main characters and yet the repetition for friends Marilee Jennings and Lucy MacAdam, brothers J.D. Rafferty and Will Rafferty, Uncle Del Rafferty, and Samantha Rafferty become almost unbearable. ( )

not bad ( )