Customer Reviews

Charade

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After receiving a heart transplant, soap actress Cath gets a job offer with a TV station owner in San Antonio, Texas, and decides to change the course of her life by hosting a news program to assist in the adoption of children. The night she was "re-born," four people became heart donors due to tragic incidents. Suddenly, three of the recipients are dead, and Cat, the remaining beneficiary, feels like she is being followed and is getting strange mail foreshadowing that she is being stalked by a killer.

She spurns the romantic interests of her LA heart surgeon (who still carries a torch for her), then Cat meets and falls for crime novelist Alex Pierce, a former police officer. Unbeknownst to Cat, Alex is up to something... but what exactly we are not sure (though it does not take a brain surgeon to figure out that he had a relationship with one of the donors).

In a plot reminiscent of the movie "Blink," Brown keeps the tension (both romantic and suspense) and pacing throughout the story. Just when the reader thinks that they have discovered the bad guy's identity, you get reeled back in and have to re-evaluate your theories about the character's motivations, which results in a truly surprising conclusion.

miss. This book would have been great if it was comprised of only the first and last 5 chapters. Everything in between was a drag.

The characters weren't the least bit appealing. Cat was Brown's classic independent-type woman and Alex was a cheesy portrayal of a "tough-guy." Their relationship wasn't believable beyond a one-night-stand.

If you're looking for a good book by Brown read WHITE HOT or LED ASTRAY.

Sandra Brown has outdone herself with this story. I enjoyed the events throughout the book and had no idea how it would end. It has everything from love and romance to hate and death. It also gives the reader a twist to the life of a transplantee and how they feel about their new chance at life and what the costs may be. I recommend this book for adults and look forward to Sandra's next book.

Cat Delaney is a beautiful successful actress in a soapie and shocks her millions of fans by retiring at the peak of her career.She was the recipient of a heart transplant and,following her surgery, came to feel that she could be doing a great deal more to help the under priveleged,especially young children in need of a loving family.She sets up a TV program in Houston to act as a showcase for the available, needy children, showing them in natural settings to highlight their need for love and security.An alarming number of heart transplantees are found murdered in such a way as to appear to be accidental and Cat recieves three letters,warning her that she will be next,on the fourth anniversary of her transplant.
Enter Alex, an ex-cop, unbelievably handsome,sexy as all get out and a passionate affair begins until Cat begins to suspect that he has his own agenda.I found this to be a good, light,fast read with some very explicit love scenes which were very well written.

This was another amazing book by Ms. Brown full of twists and suspense. As with some of her other books, the summary made it sound a little odd and far-fetched. But once I started reading the plot began to make sense. As always, the plot and characters were well developed and realistic. I couldn't put it down for a minute in order to find out if my early guess of the killer was right - it was!
I have never been disappointed by Sandra Brown. I also recommend "Best Kept Secrets" "Mirror Image" "Fat Tuesday" and "Where There's Smoke." I also read Linda Howard for very good romantic suspense.

I read this book about two years ago and I think it is one of the best romantic/suspense stories I have ever read. It seems with only about eleven reviews that it is not one of Ms. Brown's more popular novels. But don't be fooled--this is an excellent read. In romantic/suspense one element suffers and it is usually the romance end of the story. But not so in Charade. Ms. Brown has put together an excellent mixture of both. I initially had reservations about this book because of the subject matter. I am not a fan of hospital murder mysteries. But not to worry, Sandra does not dwell on the medical end of the story. One reviewer was bored during the first seven chapters. I was not. The murderer is introduced within these chapters and the best part is you will never guess "who dunnit". I didn't until third chapter from the end. I think this is one of Sandra's best. Give it a try--you won't be disappointed.

One of the first I read of Sandra Brown's and in hardcover. I was hooked and started my collection. I have gone back to read her earlier ones which are difficult to find at times in paperback as I don't have room for all hardcovers. 'Charade' is
definitely a suspense thriller with romance thrown in. The intense level increases as you don't know who to trust or who is not the person they present to the reader behind the mask of disguise who is a psychotic killer. I've reread it several times also. I have some that I would consider my favorite in different ways, but I wouldn't collect and keep them if I didn't enjoy reading them, so having them all tells you my view.

I stumbled onto Sandra Brown's books quite by accident. I am not a big fan of her early novels, her most recent work is tremendous! Charade is probably her best work that I have read. It pulls you in from the begining, and won't let you go until the last page has been turned. There are so many twists and turns in the plot, but all plausble. The charcters are believable and likable. I spent the whole book trying to figure out who the killer was, and was totally blown away once revealed. Brown knows how to take a great suspense story and weave in a little bit of romance and do it all with style. She has definatley turned me into a fan with this novel.

This book kept me interested from the first page on. Our main character is Cat Delaney, lucky receiver of a donor heart, but not so lucky when she finds out that donors who received hearts on that day are dieing of fatal "accidents" on the anniversary of their surgery. Sandra Brown does a super job of keeping you guessing, right until the very end. She also delves into the subject of whether donor recipients receive more than just an organ. Do they sometimes receive characteristics of their donor as well? When Cat Delaney first receives her heart, she has, literally, a "change of heart" and goes from being a famous TV news personality to running a program for adoptive children. Cat doesn't know her donor's identity, and doesn't want to, until it is much too late. You will enjoy every page and will want to keep reading into the night. Cat Delaney is not even a likeable personality, yet Sandra Brown pulls this story together as easy as pulling a drawstring. This is the first time I have read this author, and I intend to read her more often. Highly recommended.

CHARADE is an interesting mix of romance and suspense. You have Cat Delaney who has a new heart and a TV show she's always wanted to do - a show about children with special needs. She meets an ex-cop who now writes books and together they begin a journey to find out why other heart transplant patients are being killed.

The storyline is not new, but the way Sandra Brown tells this story is great! When I was reading it I was laughing, crying and then immediately trying to figure out who could possibly be the villain. This book is much better than Brown's earlier attempts at mixing romance and mystery, but not as terrific as her later books. The more Sandra Brown writes, the better her stories become! If you've never read any of her books, I suggest that you start with the ones written about 1994 or later - they are definitely great parables.