Dream Man (Paperback)

by Linda Howard (Author) "IT WAS ELEVEN-THIRTY WHEN MARLIE KEEN LEFT THE Cinemaplex with the rest of Friday night moviegoers..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nadine Vinick, Marlie Keen, Detective Hollister (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Setting: Contemporary Orlando, Florida
Sensuality: 8

Never comfortable with her fame as an empath, lovely Marlie Keen has led a life free of clairvoyant incidents for several years. But her quiet, ordinary existence is shattered when the unwanted ability to read a murderer's mind returns with a vengeance. Knowing that publicity is sure to follow, Marlie nevertheless tells the police what she knows. Tough detective Dane Hollister first scoffs at her claim that she "sees" the serial killer who's terrorizing Orlando, but it doesn't take long to convince him that she's telling the truth. It takes even less time for him to recognize the attraction between himself and Marlie, but Marlie is incredibly vulnerable to the visions assaulting her and Dane must put his fierce desire on hold while he tries to track down a bloodthirsty madman.

A perfect example of why Linda Howard is a leading author of romantic suspense, Dream Man offers a plot that unfolds with precision, suspense that is taut and spine tingling, passion hot enough to peel paint, and breathtaking romance. This is Howard in top form. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly
Detective Dane Hollister has a tough life. He hasn't had a day off in a month, a serial killer with a predilection for slashing women to death is on the prowl and now a psychic who claims to witness the murders through the killer's eyes has come forward to share her visions. As far as he's concerned, the psychic is as twisted as the slasher. For her part, from the moment she walks into the Orlando police station, Marlie Keen is sorry she offered to help. Hollister (and everyone else) treats her gift of "knowing" with suspicion, but the detective's investigation into Marlie's past convinces him that her gift is genuine. Hollister moves into Marlie's home, nursing her through terrifying and exhausting bouts of clairvoyance. At the same time the two ease the sexual tension threatening to overtake them-which if it doesn't quite make for good police work, does make for steamy romance. The author (Heart of Fire) has obviously done her homework on the procedure used to develop a serial killer's profile and brings this process cinematically alive. Hollister makes the perfect romantic hero. As Hollister's partner says about him: "He's street-smart, woods-savvy, and sly as a fox. A real throwback. Mean, too. Damn, can he be mean! But he turns to putty where women are concerned." Howard's writing is compelling, especially the murder scenes. If you ignore an insipid epilogue bogged down in psychic overkill, this is Howard's best work yet.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671011324
• ISBN-13: 978-0671011321
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,323,830 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the few that made it to my keeper shelf, February 16, 1999

By A Customer

I've been reading romance for over 20 years (Yikes!), beginning with Woodiwiss' "Flame and the Flower", and I know a good book when I get my hot little hands on one. I have less spare time to spend reading, and less patience with bad writing or editing as I get older - I cherish the time I spend curled up with a great book. I'm tired of the "old boyfriend" (if he was a jerk the first time around, why give him a second shot?) and "hidden kid" (not very honorable) themes, and this current amnesia craze gives me hives. When I want to read a good romance, I want unique and intriguing plots, dominant and protective males who want a partner not a maid, witty dialogue, and smart savvy heroines. Most of all, give me authors who don't get bogged down in the scenery and details - don't tell me what happens, show me - if I can't picture the action in my head and like the characters enough to care what happens to them, you've lost me as a reader. Linda Howard is one of the very best, and her books consistently make it onto my keeper shelf, which I'm very picky about and which is populated by volumes authored by those familiar names like Garwood, Deveraux, Quick, Woodiwiss, Garlock, and Lindsey - if I don't love it enough to want to read it over and over, it's outta here. If you liked this one, try her others, including "After the Night" and "Kill and Tell", two of my other favorites.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of contemporary romance., August 3, 2001

By	mirope "mirope" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Dream Man (Mass Market Paperback)

When I first read this book 4 years ago, it was the first time I'd read a contemporary romance and I became a huge fan of both the genre and of Linda Howard. Only a great book could change my tastes in reading material, and this one certainly qualified. I re-read it recently and was just as impressed as I was the first time. This book has it all - great characters, sizzling sexual tension and an entertaining plot.

The heroine, Marlie Keen, is an empathic psychic who starts seeing horrific murders through the eyes of the murderer. Dane Hollister, a detective investigating the murders, is fiercely attracted to Marlie despite his reservations about her psychic abilities. Thanks to her past experiences reading others' emotions, Marlie is extremely wary of her own intense emotional reaction to Dane. As the two work together together to solve the murders, sparks start to fly. The romance that follows is compelling. Like Dane, I'm not someone who would buy the whole psychic thing in real life, but Howard makes it work in this book. Both characters are wonderfully developed. This is a great read for all readers, not just romance fans.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great LH Story!, November 11, 2002

By	Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dream Man (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of my favorites by this author. It combines suspense, romance, and the paranormal and the final result is a page turning story. Although you know who the bad person is early on in the story it is still suspenseful as you watch Dane and his partner with the help of Marlie track down the killer before he kills again. Don't be put off by the paranormal aspect of the story. You don't have to be a full believer to see it work in the story.

Marlie is a great heroine and a perfect foil for Dane. She brings out his protective instincts and at the same time stands strong on her own. The chemistry between these two is incredible and easily believable. This is a great addition to any personal library.