Love Is Murder

Starred review from April 9, 2012
If a person is known by the company she keeps, then the company of the 30 romance and suspense writers in this stellar all-original anthology speaks volumes about bestseller Brown. From Lori Armstrong’s sexy “Holding Mercy” to Vicki Hinze’s sweet “Wed to Death,” there’s romance aplenty. But there’s also loads of suspense, including Lee Child’s “I Heard a Romantic Story” and Cindy Gerard’s “Dying to Score.” Hankering for a flight of romantic fantasy? Take a trip to a bizarre Savannah neighborhood in Dianna Love’s “Deadly Fixation” or to the Chicago of Patricia Rosemoor’s “Hot Note.” The action spans the globe, imparting a real feel for locales as diverse as the Mexican jungle; Halifax, Nova Scotia; London, England; and south Texas. There are familiar characters such as Allison Brennan’s Lucy Kincaid (“Vacation Interrupted”) and new ones readers are sure to want to see more of, like William Simon’s Nicholas White (“Spider’s Tango”). Chockablock with nifty plot twists, these stories aren’t to be missed.

June 1, 2012

The third International Thriller Writers anthology (after Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down) offers 29 stories of romantic suspense by authors who range from veterans with many books in their arsenal (e.g., Lee Child, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Heather Graham) to those who have only recently made their debut. Though one or two pieces are forgettable, the collection as a whole is a cornucopia of delights. Readers will find sexy, edgy stories; spooky, supernatural, and paranormal suspense; heavy action; great twists (some of O'Henryesque brilliance), tales of black ops featuring female (and male) heroes, naked women, hard men, and husbands/wives/honeymooners/lovers in peril. Not to mention hostages, terrorists, traitors, kidnappers, murder victims (of course), sympathetic vigilantes, bad cops, prison gang enforcers, stalkers, cross-dressers, drug cartel hit men, bodyguards, and much more. As editor Brown notes in her foreword, romantic suspense is a potent mix of genres giving readers an emotional thrill that crackles with electricity. VERDICT Hang on, fans, you're in for a wild ride! In the end, love may be murder, but it also conquers all--or make that almost all. Highly recommended, with something for everyone. [The reviewer is a member of ITW but has never met or corresponded with the authors.--Ed.]--Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

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