Customer Reviews

Enemy Within (Mira)

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

 

 

I did not enjoy Enemy Within as much as her other works. I read Deception and Suspicion and those were superb and grabbed you at the beginning. The Enemy Within did not really grab my attention until half way through. I was disappointed with the plot and the simplistic twists. The love story moved way too fast but I will have to say that the ending did throw me off which is why I gave it three stars instead of two. I will continue to read her books because even for a lackluster effort, it still was very well written.

This was another blockbuster novel by the new queen of suspense, Christiane Heggan! Heggan and Mary Higgins Clark are two of the best mystery novelists. Clark takes the readers more into the big cities like New York, where she has the big time cops solving crimes, while Heggan likes small-town investigating. Both are great! I have now read every single novel that Heggan has written and I believe that "Enemy Within" was her best or second best novel. The plot on the back doesn't make the novel sound super great. But make no mistake, IT IS super great. Great suspense, many amazing secrets about the characters involved, shocking surprises, greed, and an unthinkable ending. I have Heggan's newest novel "Blind Faith" in my possession and I'm looking forward to reading it.

This is the first book of Christiane Heggan I have read. I loved it I couldn't keep my nose out of it. I was up until 3:00 A.M. until I finished it, then I passed it on to my mother. I went out and looked for more of her books. Unfortunately, I only found one, but I'll keep looking for more. Her characters are real and you can relate to them. I thought I had everything figured out, but when I got to the end of the book I was surprised at who actually comitted the murders. I think if you want a really good, fast paced thriller you should buy this book and any others you can get your hands on.

Since I have enjoyed Heggan's previous books, was quick to pick this one up. However, I didn't think it was up to my expectations for her writing. The plot was interesting with a good many twists and turns. But as it was billed as a "romantic suspense" I felt it lived up to only half of the billing. I'm afraid us romance readers have come to expect a little more romance in our books than that of 20 years ago. But, yes, I will continue to look for her books, hoping that the next one will live up to the whole title of Romantic Suspense.

Rachel Spaulding loves winemaking. Her goal in life is to insure that her family vineyards are internationally recognized as some of the best. When her beloved Grams dies, Rachel inherits the vineyards while her sister Annie gains the house. Annie is livid because she is older and Rachel is adopted.

Using her feminine ploys, she persuades private investigator Gregory Shaw to investigate her sibling's biological mother. Inadvertently, Greg sets in motion a series of events that leads to the public exposure that Rachel is the daughter of Alyssia Dassante, the woman who killed her spouse and died soon after. Alyssia is actually living overseas. As an apologetic Greg agrees to help Rachel meet Alyssia, they fall in love. However, their inquiries have opened up a three-decade-old murder mystery in which the real killer plans to murder anyone who gets in their way.

ENEMY WITHIN is an exciting romantic suspense thriller that readers will fully enjoy. The story line never slows down as events keep coming that push the tale forward. Rachel is an intrepid heroine and Greg is the hunk who will do anything to keep her safe in his arms. The support cast adds a California wine country flavor to the book. Christiane Heggan can always be counted on for a tight tale and her latest novel proves the truth of that statement.

Harriet Klausner

I didn't start this book with high expectations, given that I read it only because the main charater and I share a name (Rachel Spaulding), and that amused me. Even with those low expectations, though, I have to say I was fairly disappointed--the book was very formulaic and even the plot twist was predictable if you know how this sort of book tends to play out. If you're looking for a quick, brainless read, this book is okay, but you're a good bit better off with Mary Higgins Clark. Still, Christiane Heggan has darn good taste in names for her heroine.

Really liked her books. Was a new author for me.
Had loved the Mary Higgins Clark books and these remind me a little of her books just a tad more racy in parts. Still a good read.

Sometimes, I've been told, you are your own worst enemy. But, "the enemy you least suspect...is the enemy within." It's not the same thing. Rachel had a good life at the age of thirty, going to Paris and representing the family's vineyards in California, and with an expensive diamond engagement ring on her hand to show that she is a success as a woman, too, and set to wed a California attorney.

When her grandmother suddenly dies and she inherits the Napa Valley vineyard, things turn dark and mysteriously dangerous. She had been adopted into the family after her birthmother had abandoned her on the steps of a convent (see 'Bundle of Joy') and just vanished as she had to stage her own death. Rachel's father had been viciously murdered, and everyone thought that she was an orphan. Her adopted parents, son of the vineyard's owner, died in a freak airplane crash, but she and Annie, the legitimate daughter, were left with the matriarch of the winemaking company which was getting rave reviews in the Paris press.

Sibling rivarlry surfaces as Annie wants to lay claim to the ownership of this successful enterprise. She hires a private investigator to get the facts about Rachel's past. He had been the object of Rachel's affection (she had a teenage crush) and now must do whatever is in his ability to keep her from harm.

When the real murderer is substanitated, he won't stop at anything to keep the doors to the past locked forever, even if it means murdering again. It is a "danger Gregory (the P.I.) was unaware of until he recovered the deceit left covered for three decades." His aim now is to save Rachel and marry her.

The writer visited and learned details of vineyards and the process to make the best wines imaginable in Calistoga and Rutherford, California. Being a non-drinker, the taste and aroma of wine mean nothing to me, but the details she sets forth will interest even a neophythe. I've read other books about vineyards in Europe and other places, but this research is the best so far. Other Christian Heggan books include SUSPICION, DECEPTION, and TRUST NO ONE. She was a journalist in Nice, France, where she was born and raised. She gives a French flavor to this romance and intriguingly suspenseful novel.

Christiane Heggan's latest romantic suspense, ENEMY WITHIN was superb--perhaps her best.

Can't wait for her next book!

I don't know how Ms. Heggan does it, but she's once again managed to write a wonderfully compelling book filled with enough twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats. I have read all of Ms. Heggan's books, and she is an author who does not disappoint. Kudos. Can't wait for her next book.