Dead Ringer [Mass Market Paperback]

Jasmine Cresswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Charlotte Gray's world has been turned upside down. Her husband has disappeared, and now FBI agents inform her that he is a wanted international terrorist. But before Charlotte has a chance to absorb these shocking revelations, a dangerous chain of events completely shatters her perceptions of good and evil. Kidnapped by a mysterious stranger, she is warned that things are not what they seem, and that the true danger lies deep within the most trusted of place. But Charlotte is not afraid. She's mad as hell. She will escape, and she will get even...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mira (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551667126
• ISBN-13: 978-1551667126
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complex thriller!, April 25, 2003

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Ringer (Mass Market Paperback)

The morning after Christmas 2001, Charlotte Leone finds her husband is missing. Panicked, she calls the police and begs them to find her Dan, convinced that he has been injured in a car wreck. In all her imaginings of the worst, she never would have suspected that in truth he had left her, but days later, Charlotte discovers that he signed the business he started over to her as part of a divorce settlement. Not only that, but Dan was not at all who she thought, but according to the FBI, a terrorist for the IRA's more radical side.

Bitter and hurting, Charlotte begins life anew in another state, and nearly two years pass. Then, she is contacted again by the authorities, seeking her help in nabbing "Dan". She is unable to help, however that does not stop her kidnapping shortly thereafter. The Frenchman who takes her into "protective custody" spins a good tale, but Charlotte is still suspicious. Matters escalate, and she finds herself on the lam from the law, not sure who the enemy really is, or who her captor is or is not. All she is sure of is that she finds him too attractive.

***** In this complex thriller, Ms. Cresswell is elevated to the level of Sandra Brown's best work. The plot is one that is all too timely, and chilling. Though savy readers will doubtlessly figure out one or two of the surprises before their revelation, that does not lessen the spine tingling adventure or the mental challenge presented. The hero is an enigma, and Charlotte a truly gutsy, clever lady with resilence that can only be admired. You will be left breathless and cheering. *****

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The "ears" have it, June 12, 2006

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Ringer (Mass Market Paperback)

After a family celebration and a night of making love, architect Charlotte Gray rolls over to sleep as husband Dan takes out the garbage, only to not return. When she calls the police, the FBI shows up and informs her that her husband is an international terrorist Danny O'Toole, a master of disguises who is wanted in connection with several bombings and arms deals in Europe. Suddenly, Charlotte's life as she knows it is a complete fabrication. After intense questioning and scrutiny, she relocates to Florida to get away from Iowa winters and memories of Dan.

After 18 months in sunny Florida, the FBI is once again at her door asking for her help in nabbing Dan, who they erroneously reported killed months earlier. Charlotte cannot identify Dan's voice in a recording, and soon agent John Hunsaker is pursuing her romantically. When John is incapacitated at a nightclub, someone moves in and kidnaps Charlotte. Richard Villier, advises her that he is a French agent and that he was asked to take into protective custody to preclude the Armagh Army (a violent faction of the IRA with intentions of bombing the Kennedy Space Center) from kidnapping her. What she does not realize is that Richard is actually Dan, and he is not the monster she has been led to believe, and realizes that she has never really gotten over him.

With the Armagh Army, the FBI, and assorted bad guys moving in, Charlotte and Dan race against the clock to insure that the Armagh Army is not successful in its mission. Charlotte does not know who is wearing a white hat, and who is wearing black. This is a fast-paced thriller with just the right amount of sizzle that at times is predictable, but pulls the rug out from the reader in the end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, March 9, 2004

By 

Elizabeth "lking173" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Ringer (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my first book by this author. I was pleasantly surprised. What a different take on a contemporary romance novel! How would you feel if the man you married and thought you were in love with disappeared one night while taking out the garbage? Would you believe he abandoned you, or was he hurt, kidnapped, etc.? What if, after worrying and thinking the worst, you find out you were actually married to an international terrorist? This is the basic premise of this book. Charlotte Gray's world gets turned upside down when first her husband disappears, and then to make matters worse, she finds out he is a terrorist. Finally, when Charlotte thinks things can't possibly get any worse, she is kidnapped because of her husband. I truly liked the main heroine Charlotte Gray. I found her a very believable and likeable character. I also liked the fact that she was a fighter. In this book Charlotte has to come to terms with her husband and his life, and how to not only learn to trust again but learn to love again. I would highly recommend this book.