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The "thriller" aspects of Sandra Brown's books just keep getting better. And while the "romance" aspects may not be at the forefront, they're still present with all their steamy seductions and stormy affairs. In RICOCHET, one of our favorite and most prolific authors brings together all of the elements that we seek when we pick up a book for pure entertainment. Although many of her novels reflect in-depth research and provide detailed backdrops, Sandra Brown has chosen to simply write a great story filled with characters who bring it to life. And she never fails to include situations that cause us to reflect on our own values and to make judgments that are based on more than mere feelings. If all that weren't enough to send you running to the bookstore, she has enhanced her use of humor and provided some broad smiles and laugh-out-loud-chuckles.
Detective Duncan Hatcher of the Savannah, Georgia Police Department has a history with Judge Cato Laird, and it's not a pleasant one. So when Judge Laird declares a mistrial in Hatcher's case against drug dealer and murderer Robert Savich, Hatcher loses it. His outburst in court earns him jail time and moves him closer to forced retirement, if not being fired outright. However, when the Judge's trophy wife, Elise, kills an intruder in their home, Hatcher's relationship with both of the Lairds becomes much more intimate though definitely not more cordial.
Can you guess who the love interest will be for our hero? That's ok. Some degree of predictability is what we hope for when we pick up a thriller with romantic overtones. But acting on the attraction between him and the perpetrator in a suspicious shooting would surely ruin Hatcher's career and violate the value system that he has always lived by. In fiction, as in life, often the lust hormone trumps the intellect hormone, and the ensuing story provides an exciting sidebar to the mystery that develops around the shooting.
When other bodies turn up and past secrets are revealed, the plot thickens. Elise is seen with Robert Savich, the ruthless criminal who recently escaped conviction. An investigation shows that there may be a link between Savich and Judge Laird, and that others who were to testify against Savich have been killed. The clues are there for the reader to follow right up to the exciting conclusion.
RICOCHET follows a pattern that has become familiar to mystery fans, but it can never be called a formula because there are too many surprises and shockers no matter how much you think you have it all figured out. As evidence mounts against Elise, Hatcher is drawn away from his values in his attempts to prove her innocence. His partner (and part-time conscience), Detective DeeDee Bowen, has to work overtime to keep him from slipping over to the dark side. She knows Hatcher better than he knows himself and can accurately read his moods. He is her mentor, and she does not want to see him throw away his career by breaking the very rules he has been sworn to uphold.
As always, Sandra Brown pulls all of the threads together and creates a satisfying tapestry that we are fortunate enough to be able to thoroughly enjoy --- especially if we like happy endings!
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a covert Parrothead and substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. She reviews for www.faithfulreader.com and www.womenonwriting.com. To contact Maggie, e-mail Magster2@cox.net.
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