Stevie‘s review of Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 08 Dec 15
One of the main criteria by which I judge romantic suspense is whether the heroine is capable of taking care of herself and, better still, capable of rescuing her friends or the hero, should circumstances call for that level of action. This book promised much, given that it included two heroines and at least one hero, so I was hopeful that I’d stand less chance of disappointment than has often been the case within the genre.
Fortunately my hopes were well founded. Madeline and Daphne were targeted by a dangerous man when young, and it was only Daphne’s quick thinking, along with some decisive – if not entirely legal – action by Madeline’s grandmother and a loyal employee, that saved Madeline from a serious assault. The girls’ families separated afterwards – Madeline and her grandmother moved away first, and then so did Daphne and her mother – and the girls lost contact. Both grew up to become successes in their chosen fields, although neither seems to have had much luck with relationships. Shortly after Madeline’s grandmother dies, leaving her in control of a profitable hotel chain, Madeline receives a call from her grandmother’s old employee warning her of danger related to that historic assault.
Returning to the scene of the event, Madeline is too late to save her former saviour from a brutal attack, but quickly realises what the intruder had been looking for – a briefcase hidden away by her grandmother, as ‘insurance’ against any trouble relating to the death of Madeline’s childhood attacker. Madeline, quite sensibly, calls in her head of security, Jack Rayner – a man with whom she has been working closely while sidestepping their mutual attraction – and also contacts Daphne to warn her that she may be another target.
This book has a wonderfully twisty plot with a whole family of potential suspects for both the modern day crimes and for the crimes documented within the mysterious briefcase. Even after the big reveal for the latter, any one – if not all – of the suspects could have a hand in the dangers facing the women, along with Jack and his brother – a love interest for Daphne.
I enjoyed the various contrast between the four main characters – while Jack is a fairly typical hero for the genre, his brother is very different – and Daphne has a skill-set that at first seems unlikely to benefit the characters’ investigations, but is soon turned to their advantage as she figures out the perfect way to help. My one slight issue with this book is that it feels very much like the beginning of a series, and while I’d like to see all the loose ends tied up in subsequent stories, I find myself wondering how many novels can be supported by the characters’ situations at the point where this one leaves them.
On the other hand, I definitely want to read more from this author. This is a romance, certainly, but more than that it’s a story about friendships – between two women who were once as close as sisters, and between two brothers who have chosen to go into business together. It’s also a story of family loyalties, both benevolent and threatening, but good definitely wins out in the end.
Grade: B
Summary:
Madeline and Daphne were once as close as sisters – until a secret tore them apart. Now it might take them to their graves.
Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother’s mysterious death. And at her family’s old, abandoned hotel – a place she never wanted to see again – a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.
Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts… and wants.
Jack is no good at relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes an intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack’s brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth…
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