Description
The prologue of a novel arrives in the Manhattan offices of a bookeditor, who's intrigued enough to chase its mysterious author, identified onlyby his initials, to his decrepit plantation on an island off the Georgia Coast.That's the first clue that fiction is stranger than fact; few publishers (ifany) would go to that sort of trouble for anything less than a new J.D. Salingernovel. But bestselling author Sandra Brown makes the most of her far-fetchedpremise, setting up a convoluted plot that keeps the reader engrossed despiteits flaws and foibles.Maris Matherly-Reed is more than an editor. She's also the beloved daughter ofthe publishing house's highly respected and successful leader, and the wife ofMatherly Press's second-in-command, the smooth, suave, double-dealing Noah Reed.Reed, it develops, is the real target of the literary scam set up by thereclusive writer of the novel whose opening pages so captivate Reed's spouse.P.M.E., the writer, has a score to settle with Maris's husband, and he doesn'tcare whom he hurts as long as he brings Noah down. At least, not until he meetsMaris, who has an unfortunate habit of falling in love with her authors (seeabove; that's the second clue). Brown is a master at romantic suspense, andEnvy displays the talents that have won her a devoted following: a defthand at evoking the vulnerability and humanity of her protagonists, a surecommand of narrative tension, and a nice sense of place. This is a terrifichammock read, just right for a summer day as sultry and humid as Envy'sLow Country setting. --Jane Adams
