Connie’s review of Innocent As Sin by Elizabeth Lowell
Contemporary romantic suspense hardcover release by William Morrow 19 Jun 07
Massmarket paperback release by Avon 29 Apr 08 (book links to mmppb)
Contemporary romantic suspense often walks a fine line between the various elements that make them up. How to be contemporary without overloading on technical details. How to be romantic without sacrificing the suspense. How to be suspenseful without sacrificing the romance. This book didn’t do such a good balancing job.
All seems to be going well for Kayla Shaw until she barely escapes being kidnapped and accused of money laundering for a wealthy client. After five terrible years, Rand McCree may finally be able to get the man who killed his twin. The man who killed Rand’s brother is an international criminal and Kayla is slated to be his next victim.
Kayla decides to fight back and Rand needs her to get to the hated enemy so they join forces to stop him. Some people are realy evil and need to be stopped before more innocent people are hurt.
After more about gun-running and banking than I ever cared to know, they are trying to stay one step ahead and aren’t sure if they wil stop the evil but are willing to die trying. While they seemed to fall together pretty quickly, they forged a pretty good bond. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that believable or interesting to me.
I’d recommend this book only to fans of the author (of which there are tons – she’s a good author – better than this book indicates).
Grade C-
Book summary:
One day Kayla Shaw was an underpaid and under-appreciated private banker in Arizona. The next day, someone tried to kidnap her.One day Rand McCree was painting daffodils in the Pacific Northwest rain. The next day, St. Kilda Consulting offered him something he’d wanted for five years: the name of his twin brother’s murderer.
Kayla had nowhere to turn, nowhere to run, no one to believe that she wasn’t a money launderer hiding hundreds of millions of dollars.
She was trapped.
Until Rand McCree appeared, offering safety. For a price.
Kayla didn’t want to trust him, but had no real choice. No police would believe that she had been set up, that she was innocent. And no civilian alone could stand against the international criminal who wanted her dead.
Even her own government was suspect.
Rand trusted Kayla as much as he trusted anybody-not much-but what he really wanted was revenge for his brother’s death. Everything else came last.
Then the man who had killed Rand’s brother sent a killer after Kayla Shaw. The violence of the past exploded into the present, leaving only a future that might be too dangerous to survive….
Read an excerpt (nice long one)
