After the violent deaths of her parents seventeen years ago, Irene Stenson left the tiny lakefront town of Dunsley, Oregon. Now she's back, and determined to discover the truth about what happened that night. Armed with a shocking new lead and her experience as an investigative reporter, Irene dives straight into the mystery and finds herself in deep trouble. Lucklly, ex-Marine Luke Danner is on hand to pull her out, and his calm, quick-thinking response in the face of danger makes him the perfect ally. And as the intrigue deepens and the secrets turn deadly, Irene will need all the help she can find if she is to lay the past to rest.
This was my first Jayne Ann Krentz, and I was quite pleased with it. I found myself picking it up even when I only had a few minutes to read, which is a very good sign that it kept me interested. I also found myself changing my mind about it while reading… There is a cat that JAK lets out of the bag a little early in the book, and I originally thought that was a mistake. However, that cat turns out to be a dog (you get my metaphor here, right?), so instead of a disappointing plot slip you find you’ve fallen victim to a very good red herring. Never would I have guessed the real reason for Pamela’s death. And there’s just the right amount of romance mixed in with the suspense as Luke and Irene find some stress relief in each other. The epilogue is a little too sappy for my tastes, but I guess she wanted to make sure everyone gets their happily ever after.
