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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romantic Suspense in the Truest Sense, October 3, 2001
This review is from: The Gingerbread Man (Paperback)
In a departure from the fantasy element of earlier novels, Ms. Shayne has delivered one of her best yet, a novel rich with spine-tingling mystery and an abundance of suspense. Syracuse police detective Vince O'Mally oversteps the bounds of his profession and becomes too involved in his latest case. Two children are found murdered, and the only clue he discovers is an old library edition of THE GINGERBREAD MAN. That one clue leads him to Dilmun, New York, a small town on Cayuga Lake. There, Vince encounters Holly Newman, last-known borrower of THE GINGERBREAD MAN, and secretary to the Dilmun Chief of Police. Vince and Holly's paths keep crossing, and he senses that she could provide a connection to his recent case. Holly, deftly portrayed as the fragile, yet strong heroine, can't decide whether she is attracted to or disturbed by the very forthright Vince. Suddenly, many of Holly's old fears return as strange happenings grip the town of Dilmun leaving Holly and Vince in the eye of the storm. With a truly skillful manifestation of clues and possible suspects, the reader is kept guessing as much as any of the players. As Holly and Vince get closer to the truth and to each other, an eerily familiar series of events forces Holly to come to terms with her past. Can they catch the killer before it is too late? In some novels, the suspense is over long before the book is finished. Not so in this case, as the answer to "who done it?" is made known when it should be, at the novel's conclusion. The nail-biting conclusion will leave readers white-knuckled for some time to come. True romance readers won't be disappointed, either, as the love scenes become more memorable because they are not overplayed. With sizzling love scenes and suspense that just won't quit, Ms. Shayne has created a praise-worthy novel truly deserving of its classification as romantic suspense.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Run, run, fast as you can. You can't catch me,, December 19, 2002
This review is from: The Gingerbread Man (Paperback)
I'm the gingerbread man!" After giving a mother false hope for the return of her two children, Bobby and Kara Prague, detective Vince O'Mally becomes quite distraught after discovering them murdered in a old, dilapidated house in Syracuse. Through his search, however, he comes across a broken floorboard with a book called "The Gingerbread Man" hidden underneath it, which was last checked out at the Dilmun library in upstate New York. Thinking that it might be a possible clue to the crime scene at hand, he secretly stashes it away and continues his search for the killer, even after he's been taken off of the Prague case because of an extensive FBI involvement and because of letting himself get too emotionally attached to Sara Prague and her unfortunate mishap. Vince O'Mally was prepared for just about anything (mainly due to low expectations of uncovering any incriminating evidence) but what he wasn't prepared for was Holly Newman: a young, fragile beauty with a falsified demeanor as her life was based upon daily habits and continual order. It's when he senses a dark secret suppressed within her carefully constructed facade that her step becomes unsteady as her course is thrown off by the unnerving curiousity of the "stranger" in town, whom is welcomed with a cold shoulder by the small town locals. He manages to weave his way into Holly's life however and steadily unearths a ghastly memory that has haunted her for years. A memory that had once pushed her to take numerous pills and seek ample amounts of therapy. When he learns of Holly's secret (that Holly had witnessed the abduction of her little sister Ivy some twenty years age and was dying inside because of survivor's guilt), he perceives her as being stronger than everyone lets on and starts to lose himself in his determination to make all of the wrong in her life more barable. Then again he also sees Holly as the key; the missing piece to the puzzle, and begins to link the two murders together and suspect that they were done by the same person, and that he may even live here in Dilmun! "The Gingerbread Man" by Maggie Shayne is different from the other books I've read by her but if you appreciate good writing with hooking suspense and enthralling romance that's real and not sappy than this is a must read for it truly is amazing!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Read!, July 19, 2002
This review is from: The Gingerbread Man (Paperback)
"The Gingerbread Man" by Maggie Shayne is a first-class romantic suspense novel that kept me completely captivated from start to finish. With a thrilling plot full of twists and turns and vivid and sympathetic characters, "The Gingerbread Man" is a book you don't want to miss. Syracuse Detective Vince O'Mally made a promise he knew was a mistake. When the mother of two missing children made her umpteenth appearance in his office, Vince promised her he would find her son and daughter and bring them home. So when Vince and his partner follow up a tip on a bad smell coming from a run-down house, Vince is shattered when he finds the savaged bodies of little Bobby and Kara Prague. The only clue is a children's book hidden under the floorboards, "The Gingerbread Man", borrowed nearly twenty years ago from a library in a small town called Dilmun in upstate New York. Vince is haunted by this case day and night, and when the FBI takes the case from the local police, Vince is furious. Concerned with Vince's run-down appearance and obsessive behaviour, the Syracuse Chief of Police orders Vince to either take a month long vacation or see the police psychiatrist for an hour a day until the shrink deems Vince okay. Unable to let this go, Vince takes the forced vacation, traveling to Dilmun to follow up on his only clue. The small town of Dilmun, located on Cayuga Lake is a close-knit and quiet community. Upon his arrival Vince meets the beautiful and troubled Holly Newman, whose own sister was abducted and murdered twenty years ago while carrying the book "The Gingerbread Man", the very same book found in the house with Bobby and Kara Prague. But the thing is, the man who killed Holly's sister confessed and is currently sitting in prison for the crime. Seems open and shut, right? Vince doesn't think so. In fact, Vince is convinced that the man who killed Holly's sister is the same man who killed Bobby and Kara Prague, and he thinks that person lives right there in Dilmun. Vince knows that Holly is the key to solving this case, and that the answers he so desperately needs are locked somewhere in her mind. Vince spends more and more time with Holly as he tries to help her uncover the memories she has suppressed for all these years. And though he has told himself over and over that the seemingly fragile and needy Holly isn't any good for him, Vince falls completely and hopelessly in love. In addition to the two fantastic main characters, "The Gingerbread Man" is filled with intriguing supporting characters too, such as retired and reclusive movie star Reginald D'Voe and his troubled niece Amanda. And when a young girl is kidnapped at Reggie D'Voe's annual Halloween party, Holly finds herself re-living her worst nightmare. But amidst the horror and the fear, Holly finds a core of inner strength she never knew existed, and she and Vince race to find the girl before it's too late. "The Gingerbread Man" is a fabulous read and I found it extremely hard to put down. Shayne expertly kept me guessing through the whole book - the murderer was a complete mystery to me until the very end! Filled with brilliantly rendered images of raging storms and mysterious autumn nights, this book will provide all the thrills and chills you could ask for. The romance between Holly and Vince is beautifully depicted, and is filled with true to life passion and tenderness. "The Gingerbread Man" is a truly fine example of romantic suspense writing, so buy it today. You won't be disappointed!
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