Blue Smoke and Murder [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Lowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008

Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of the son of two of St. Kilda Consulting’s premier operators. But when a string of ominous events -- including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings -- culminates in a threat to her life, Jill finally calls in a favor.

Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. Though he’s got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn't his preferred way to spend time. But Jill is in deeper waters than she’s ever known, and she’ll need his protection; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting. Together, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in the blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death. . . .

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A picture is worth a thousand words—and millions of dollars—in Lowell’s new romantic thriller. In the novel’s early pages, Arizona river-rafting guide Jill Breck saves the life of Lane Faroe, whose father runs St. Kilda Consulting, a powerful private security firm. Jill’s heart-stopping heroics earn the eternal gratitude of the elder Faroe, who promises her the services of his company should she ever get in a jam. So when her aunt perishes in a suspicious fire, Jill calls St. Kilda right away. (She suspects the blaze is connected to paintings kept hidden by her late eccentric mother, the sometime lover of legendary western landscape painter Thomas Dunstan.) Protection arrives in the form of sexy St. Kilda operative Zach Balfour, who teams with Jill to determine the provenance of the paintings. Though her plot is too contrived, Lowell (The Wrong Hostage, 2006) provides intriguing insight into the lucrative and fiercely competitive world of art collecting, where strokes of the brush can lead to brushes with death. --Allison Block

About the Author

Elizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Arizona and Seattle, Washington, with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.

---

Las aclamadas novelas de suspenso de la autora Elizabeth Lowell incluyen varios bestsellers en la New York Times. Lowell ha vendido mÁs de treinta millones de ejemplares. Vive con su esposo en Seattle, Washington y Sedona, Arizona, con quien escribe novelas de misterio bajo un seudÓnimo.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1ST edition (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060829850
• ISBN-13: 978-0060829858
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell has numerous historical and contemporary novels in print, including her four-book series of suspense novels featuring the unforgettable Donovan family--AMBER BEACH, JADE ISLAND, PEARL COVE and MIDNIGHT IN RUBY BAYOU. Ms. Lowell's current release, DEATH ECHO, is Book 5 in her St. Kilda Consulting series and features twin yachts, international gangsters, and plenty of romantic-suspense. There are more than thirty million Elizabeth Lowell books currently in print. Ms. Lowell lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Characters are great but plot falls flat, June 15, 2008

By 

Romantic at Heart - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Smoke and Murder (Hardcover)

I am a devoted Elizabeth Lowell fan and own everyone of her books that I can find. I am sorry to say that this book was really hard to finish because the story was not all that interesting.

In her usual voice, Lowell does a fantastic job of describing her main characters. Jill and Zach are an interesting couple who have a palpable attraction for each other. Lowell has shows you how they meet and gives you circumstances that unite the couple for a good cause (i.e., staying alive long enough to unravel the mystery of Jill's art inheritance).

I lost interest in this book about 50% of the way into it. At that point, the story didn't really leave any mysteries for the reader as I had already figured out the rest of the book. Instead, I felt like I was waiting for Lowell to get on with it so I could go to my next book.

This book is probably the least satisfying read out of all her books. Since Lowell doesn't publish very often, I was pretty disappointed in how uninterestingly this book was written.

For other Lowell readers, I would recommend checking this book out at your local library and not spending money on it until it comes out in paperback.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same Story......, August 5, 2008

By 

K. Provencher "Kate" (NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Smoke and Murder (Hardcover)

While "Blue Smoke and Murder" is an interesting story it is a tale that Lowell has already told readers. The art theme is very interesting but Lowell needs to learn to use it differently regarding the overall plot. The story was so formulaic that I could predict the "twists" within the first 3-5 chapters, for me that does not make an interesting book. I also felt that some of the information about the art world was overdone and was reminiscent of the beginning textbooks I used in my one and only art history course in college. Despite the negatives of the book I did give it three stars because it was a fast paced moving story and many elements are interesting. I don't recommend buying it in hardback, either borrow it from the library or buy it in paperback.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Blue Smoke and Murder, June 22, 2008

By 

J. Loveland "jlorain" (Cedar City, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Smoke and Murder (Hardcover)

I have read every thing Miss Lowell has written, including what she used to write in the category series. I have to say that I was disappointed in her making the character an ex-Mormon Fundamentalist. That's a contradiction. "Mormons" are LDS and haven't practiced polygamy since 1890. About the only thing we have in common with Fundamentalists is sharing part of a name (FLDS). And the only time I have ever heard of "Mormon" tea, was when as a child my Dad steeped Chaparral brush to drink to clear his sinuses. I call diet Coke....diet Coke. Course, I was raised in Las Vegas. To me the character spent too much time distrusting all men and there wasn't much time to develop a romance between the characters. I will forget this book, except to remember its' inaccuracies, but I will look forward to her next one.