Sandy M’s review of Ricochet by Sandra Brown
Romantic Suspense published by Simon & Schuster 15 Aug 06

Every time I pick up a book by Sandra Brown, I always ask myself why in the heck I waited so darned long to read her again. She keeps me riveted to the page, she keeps me guessing, she keeps me interested, and she keeps the story right where it should be, front and center on the main characters.

Deception is always the name of the game in a Sandra Brown novel. Deception among and between characters and deception for the reader. One thing seems to something but it’s usually something else. The hero, Duncan Hatcher, is being deceived left and right in this book, but he’s a cop and most of the time he can keep the bullshit separate from the truth. This time around, however, when it comes to Elise Laird, he’s so drawn to her that he wants to believe her, trust her, but all the evidence begins to pile up and it looks like she’s guilty of murder.

Twice. Duncan is a good man, an honorable man. He takes pride in his police work. When his recent perp is released by Judge Cato Laird, Duncan begins to question if he’s doing any good when it comes to getting criminals off the streets. Then he meets Mrs. Laird and even his morality, like the sanctity of marriage, begins to crumble.

If Duncan is straight up honest, Elise is as evasive and dishonest as you can get. He doesn’t believe a word she says when he and his partner investigate a shooting in her home, the smoking pistol in her hand. Everything looks and sounds above board as explained by the judge, but Duncan has that gut feeling that something’s not quite right. The more they dig, the more questions come to light until their case has grown into a very elaborate one covering a multitude of characters.

Elise is a very complicated character. You never know whether to trust her or not and you feel for Duncan, knowing he has feelings for her and there’s not a damned thing he can do about it. As we learn more and more of her story and the woman she truly is is revealed little by little, both you and Duncan are in loads of trouble. Every character in this book has multiple sides and you get to see every one of them.

The storyline itself has just as many sides, but you never get lost, you just keep hanging onto every word through all the twists and turns, ricocheting from one unbelievable event to another, until it’s finally time for you to find out exactly what the story is. Ms. Brown is one of the best at romantic suspense, keeping us riveted with hardly any effort at all.

I’ve made a promise to myself not to wait so long in between Sandra Brown books. And I’ll keep it if I know what’s good for me.

Grade: A+

Summary:
Homicide detective Duncan Hatcher is called to the home of a superior court judge to investigate a fatal shooting. Enter Elise Laird, the judge’s trophy wife, who’s awfully cool, calm and collected considering there’s a dead man on the floor of the study.

Elise’s account of the shooting is sketchy at best, and Duncan begins to suspect it’s a fabrication to protect herself from prosecution. His investigation into Elise’s murky past convinces him she’s a liar, a manipulator, and more than likely a killer.

And then she throws him for a loop.

Not knowing whom to believe, Duncan is ensnared in a murder case that tests his logic, his reliable gut instinct, and his unshakeable integrity. He trusts the word of no one except the ruthless crime lord who has pledged to eliminate him.

And he trusts least the woman he wants most.

Read an excerpt.