SMASH CUT
Sandra Brown
Simon & Schuster
Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9781416563082
Sandra Brown is one of the few authors who is able to guarantee an enviable level of book sales with the presence of her name on the cover. And with SMASH CUT, her latest novel, Brown gives her readers their money’s worth by delivering what may be her best work to date, blending characters, plot and memorable vignettes into a rapidly readable mix.
SMASH CUT begins with a murder. A daring robbery carried out on an elevator at the Moultrie Hotel in Atlanta by a ski-masked bandit ends with the murder of Paul Wheeler, the CEO of Wheeler Enterprises. A widower who is a well-regarded pillar of Atlanta society, Paul was also a highly successful businessman. And it had been his practice to meet weekly at the Moultrie with Julie Rutledge, who, despite the disparity in age between herself and Paul, had been his companion for almost two years. Julie, the owner of Atlanta’s most successful art gallery, had just concluded her weekly meeting with Paul when he was murdered. The police initially have no significant leads as to the identity of the killer, although Creighton Wheeler, a thoroughly unsympathetic character, has the most to gain from his death, given that he is Paul’s nephew and testamentary heir.
Despite the best efforts of Creighton’s father, Doug, the 28-year-old waste of skin has absolutely no interest in the family business other than the extent to which it can be a cash cow to feed the maw of his own interests: call girls, fast cars, designer clothes, and --- most of all --- films, which he watches obsessively. When the police investigating Paul’s murder begin paying close attention to Creighton’s affairs, Doug looks to Derek Mitchell, Atlanta’s pre-eminent defense attorney, for representation.
Derek is unaware of what has taken place when he is initially contacted by Doug as he had just returned from a vacation in Paris. And although Derek is intrigued by the case, he ultimately turns it down, telling Doug that Creighton, who has an airtight alibi, is not a viable suspect in the case. But the reader soon learns that the truth goes deeper than that. Although Derek has an extreme distaste for Creighton, the real reason he denies the case is because he is attracted to Julie, which would produce a conflict of interest. When Creighton, who has always harbored a deep dislike of Julie, becomes aware of the attraction, it puts Julie and Derek --- as well as the real killer --- in his crosshairs as Julie slowly and inexorably becomes the primary focus of the police investigation.
This state of affairs occurs as the result of Creighton’s machinations. As unlikable as he may be, Creighton is a diabolical genius as well as an uncontrollable narcissist who will do anything to get what he wants. Using scenes from the classic films with which he is obsessed, Creighton blazes a trail of mayhem across Atlanta, with his ultimate target being an innocent who unwittingly holds the key to Paul’s murder. As Julie and Derek race to bring down Creighton, even as they themselves are pursued by the police, they get closer and closer to a climax where they must try to stop a seemingly untouchable foe.
Sandra Brown’s pacing and characterization make SMASH CUT a one-sit read. She saves her biggest surprises for the final pages of the story but sprinkles nuggets throughout with generous doses of sex and violence along the way. Put this one on your must-read list.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2009, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
