Customer Reviews

The Chase: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Even as a diehard fan of Brenda Joyce, one thing has become clear to me. Her forte is clearly historical romance/fiction. Her last few books, The Third Heiress, and House of Dreams have not displayed her talent for writing. Instead, Ms. Joyce's Deadly series offer a much more interesting suspense and character development.
The beginning of the Chase starts out in a promising manner. However, as the reader continues this murder mystery, with Claire as the protagonist and Ian Marshall as a stranger with whom she connects with, one starts to wonder, why would he team up with her in this chase to find her husband's killer? Their chemistry is lacking. Instead, the heartier portion of the book which is devoted to the 1940's storyline (about the connection between Ian Marshall, Claire, and her husband's murder) is much more intriguing and definitely more well written. There is definitely suspense, but The Chase is not a book which you read every page of. Skip the beginning, and you'll have a pretty good book. I would recommend Linda Howard, Shades of Twilight, or After the Night if you're interested in contemporary romantic thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were perfectly matched and the device that BJ uses by taking us back in time is simply wonderful! Though I must say I did get more caught up in the love story that happened between Rachel and Eddy then Claire and Ian! Though Claire and Ian had more potential, but they didnt have enough time to dicover or explore there true depth! The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because my 5 stars is reserved for the Deadly series!
Thanks Brenda for another Great book!

Is Claire supposed to be likeable,clever and witty? I found her to be petulant, manipulative and intrusive. Why would a man who works for the FBI agree to engage her as a 'partner'; one attached with not just white glue, but Krazy Glue!
I especially winced at the part where Ian and Claire were being pursued by a man in a black BMW,when he caught up with them and got out of the car, it turned into a Mercedes! OOPS! Where was the editor on that one?? Or was there a ferry-god-mother on the loose?? o-well, what the heck, they are both German made vehicles.
The story line gains a smidgen of strength when BJ introduces Rachel and tells the story within the story. However; the depiction of 'true love' occuring within the amount of contact that Eddy and Rachel had was less believable than a Hollywood movie romance. I think they had one 'official' date before they married; and that was spent rolling in the hay and Rachel offering up her virginity to a virtual stranger!
The morning after they married and broke into Elgin's slum apartment,Rachel was appalled at a 'look' she had never before seen on Eddy's face. If the marriage had lasted, I am afraid Rachel would have been in for a lot of little surprises. But thank goodness it is all fiction; which leaves me wondering why BJ couldn't have done a more believable job since the only limitation to the story was her imagination.
This was my first Brenda Joyce book and my last....

Veteran romance author Brenda Joyce once again ventures into the sub genre of romantic suspense with stunning results. Claire Hayden's life seems perfect on the surface-a beautiful home in San Francisco with a ten-year marriage to David, a handsome attorney. But their marriage isn't exactly happily-ever-after, and when David is found murdered at his fortieth birthday party, Claire is consumed with guilt and despair.

After discovering that David's business associate, Ian Marshall, isn't who he seems to be, Claire demands answers. Ian isn't just a business associate-he works for the Bergman Holocaust Research Center and hunts Nazis. At present, he is searching for Lionel Elgin, a British man who was a Nazi spy. As Elgin is top on the list of suspects in David's murder, Claire needs answers and finds herself in the thick of things. Why was David involved with a Nazi fugitive, and why was he killed with a WWII antique knife?

Claire seeks to find answers as she accompanies a reluctant Ian as he searches for Elgin. And when the two find themselves in danger from an assassin as well as their attraction for each other, the pages really begin to heat up. But with their newfound love, Claire is still unable to totally trust Ian as Claire's father is at the top of Ian's list as the true Lionel Elgin.

While the romance between Ian and Claire is a little precipitous, their newfound attraction for each other adds spice to this read. With the mystery as the prime focus, the novel shines brightly, especially with the chapters referencing the long ago incidents in WWII England, shedding light on the present mystery. A sure winner, this one will captivate the mystery reader who enjoys the splash of romance.

Sprawling has always been the trademark in Joyce's contemporary novels as in her gothic thriller House of Dreams (2001). Only this time round her scope has widened with sheer ambition to juggle both romance and suspense to a perfect pitch.

Within a day, Claire Hayden discovers her marriage to successful Sans Francisco attorney David becoming diluted and meets his enigmatic friend Ian Marshall who sparks her suppressed desires. Her husband is slashed in the throat after his birthday party presided by herself - and suspects sprout hideously including her art-collector father Jean Leon along with close friends William and Elizabeth. Even the lurking Ian Marshall is not spared either from her paranoia...

After this point, The Chase begins relentlessly with pulsating suspense where Claire teams up with Ian as a Nazi Hunter to link the murder of David to a German spy Elgan. The story interweaves from the contemporary to 1935 North Wales to connect a poignant sub-romance plot on Elgan's cousin Rachel with Ian's uncle Eddy. Murder, deceit and espionage spearhead Joyce's venture into WW2 with vivid portrayal of the historic Holocaust. Joyce has painstakingly created the ghoulish atmosphere through anti-Jewish sentiments, rampant air-raids and battles and accurate descriptions of armaments in RAF like Spinfire.

While the plot may be over-reaching and in different time-period, Joyce stays focused in her development of central characters and romance. Claire and Ian display palpable chemistry as the investigating duo; Rachel and Eddy as star-crossed lovers in WW2 with doomed fate resonates with tenderness. Equally good is the suspense that jolts you with twists and hooks to make readers plunge to the next chapter - and the rousing epilogue finishes the chase to a climactic showdown to unmask the killer and link the Caroubet portrait to the murder.

No less gripping is the car-chase sequence and sprayed bullets. The jugular action catapults the taut thriller to breakneck speed, fusing the dark mystery and multi-generational romance seamlessly. The Chase will leave you breathless - with awe - for Joyce is at her electrifying best.

Only the treasured few "favorites" have their permanent place on my bookshelves. Since reading The Chase for the third time, I've realized I have a genuine liking to mysteries surrounding WWII. BJ's contemporary novels are favored, but several others grace my keeper shelves. You won't regret the read. I highly recommend The Chase.

The storyline was great and pretty unique...but the delivery left a lot to be desired. I'm not sure if The Chase was one of Joyce's first works or one that was just a bit "off" but it sure didn't read like her normally flawless style...

The past tense writing read well, but when the characters were in present conversation mode it was just very awkward. And another thing that bothered me was that she explained the same scenario over and over and over again...it's like give me a break already, I get it! I mean I'm smart enough to buy your book right?! I've never noticed her doing that in her books before so I don't know what happened...

And yet again if this is your first Brenda Joyce book don't start out with this one. Instead try...

"Splendor"
"The Finer Things"
"The Third Heiress" or
The Masters of Time Series

I really like this book, I read alot of Brenda Joyce's books. Great Author. The only thing I didn't like was on the Missing words, you only seen part of if. And some of the lines where to close to each other. But the over all it's good.

This is the first book I have read by this author and absolutely loved it. I love the depth of the storyline plus the romance I like mixed in with the mysteries I read. I will definitely be looking for more books to read by this author. I am, however puzzled on which "series" I should read since I liked this one. I don't want to go into a series with different characters until I finish these if it is a series. I went to the website but haven't received an answer.

I liked this one. It reminded me alittle of Suzanne Brockmann's way of telling a story in a story.

Claire finds her husband dead on his birthday. She is at the point of asking for a divorce. But with his death she finds herself plunged into a mystery, not only for today but a mystery connected to a spy during WWII.

Ian Marshall is a Nazi Hunter that her husband contacted before he was killed. He has his own reasons for hunting the spy.

We learn the whole story, through flashbacks that touch our hearts. A wonderful love story that didn't have a proper end.

Togather, through twists and turns we are kept on edge looking for our spy. This book truely has a different and wonderful ending. I greatly enjoyed the adventure and romance.