19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exceptionally gifted author., September 4, 2000
This review is from: Glass Houses (Hardcover)
On the heels of her successful Key West best selling author Stella Cameron has brought back the crafty Aiden Flynn for a suspenseful adventure of his own. In Glass Houses as a master of disguises, Aiden is caught up in a trap not of his own making or is it? When he encourages an ordinary English Miss, through emails, to cross the big pond losing his heart is the least of his worries. Apparently someone is stalking the young women for supposed secrets she may possess and Aiden has unwittingly fallen into a trap someone has set for him as well. Can they be connected?
Aiden, a NYC detective, while in a fellow officer Ryan Hill's apartment to take care of his orchids, uses this man's computer to pick up his own email. What he finds is that Ryan has been corresponding with one Olivia FitzDurham, but under the assumed name of Sam. Added to this, Sam's characteristics mirror those of Aiden. When he digs deeper into the correspondence he finds less and less to his liking. So, against better advice from his own partner Vanni, he sends a few emails in the guise of Sam encouraging Olivia to come to the states. Why he feels he needs to protect her is not clear, but his own suspicions of Ryan's activities are put into high gear.
Olivia FitzDurham is an ordinary English Miss who earns her way as a freelance photographer, but on one of her assignments she apparent has taken pictures she shouldn't have. Even the owner of the place as left for parts unknown and has encouraged Olivia to do the same. However, this is not before Olivia has been contacted to kill the assignment, has someone willing to pay big bucks for the photos but could they be they be willing to kill her as well? A bit naïve and ordinary, Olivia has been pouring out the story to her cyber friend Sam, who has encouraged her to leave London. Alarmingly along the way toward that end she is witness to a subway accident of woman who is curiously dressed like her as well is being followed by a man who is set on paying her for the photos. Is it any wonder she is keen on leaving England to reach America where cyber pal Sam has offered to help, but can she afford his kind of help?
When she arrives in the States it is our hero, in the guise of Sam, who meets her at the airport. Aiden knows that Ryan(Sam) is up to no good but he and his partner aren't sure just what Ryan is involved in, but they know they must protect Olivia from Ryan's scheming. What they are not prepared for is how Ryan and his partner, when they learn that Aiden are on to them, have skillfully implicated both Aiden and Olivia in a crime. Our couple are now on the run from those who after Olivia's photos and the police community who have labeled Aiden a rogue cop. Staying one step of the bad guys is made even more complicated as Aiden has more than brotherly feelings for Olivia.
At times the story seems to bog down with a large cast of villains and it would have been nice to have had a scorecard to keep them all straight, especially as they fought as much with each other as our couple. Aiden, even with his endearing rough edges, at times does not come off in a good light as a hero when he seems to lose it with Olivia's self debasing. She on the other hand is a bit of drab dish rag, who needed a bit more color through thoughts or actions if she was to be deserving of our hero. Because of these quirks or shortfalls in the characters it is hard to understand at times how brilliantly sensual their couplings are. However, this is one area where Ms Cameron is a master and can be forgiven a lot for this often time slow and confusing tale.
I found the first half of the book to be the most enjoyable, but got bogged down near the end as I struggled to finish. For me this story lacked her usual mounting edge-of-the-seat suspense which is crucial to move me along toward a satisfying end. Yet, as a reader (rather than reviewer) I wouldn' t have put the book down as I wanted to arrive at a conclusion that satisfied: this one provided a limited satisfaction lacking her usual style. For Cameron fans, especially those who enjoy her romantic suspense, GLASS HOUSES will be a must read. However, Glass Houses is not the book I would recommend for first time Cameron readers: French Quarter or Key West are books that showcase this exceptionally gifted author's talents making her one of the Queens of Romantic Suspense.
Ultimately, the lesson offered here is to follow her example and carve out your own path.
Jody S. Allen, Reviewer
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An author who defines romantic suspense & great plots, August 9, 2000
This review is from: Glass Houses (Hardcover)
To the despair of his friend and partner Vani, NYPD detective Aiden Flynn has no social life outside of the cyber-zone. When Aiden's computer goes on the fritz, he goes upstairs to use his neighbor's computer. His neighbor is also a cop who happens to be away on vacation. While going through his e-mail, Aiden finds several notes addressed to FBI agent Sam Ryan from a terrified British photographer Olivia FitzDurham. Aiden thinks his neighbor Ryan, aka Sam, must be dirty and has involved Olivia in something dangerous. Aiden pretends to be Sam and asks Olivia to come to the States so he can protect her.
A series of frightening incidents leads Olivia to conclude she is safer in America than her home in London where people want to buy some worthless photos. Ryan convinces his superiors that Olivia and Aiden are violent criminals and now have all of NYPD chasing after them. Ryan and his cohorts want them dead so Aiden and Olivia flee the city, ring to catch the criminals and clear Aiden and Olivia's name. While on the run they fall in love with each other.
The amazement of a Stella Cameron novel is that her taut romantic thrillers contain offbeat humor that leave the audience laughing yet concerned, and definitely hooked. GLASS HOUSES is one of Ms. Cameron's best works due in part to the innocent heroine caught in someone else's web, the befuddled hero trying to protect her from bumbling crooks, and a dog with iron teeth. This novel is another winner from one of the great authors of the past decade.
Harriet KLausner
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Glass Houses, August 2, 2000
This review is from: Glass Houses (Hardcover)
The hero in this book, Aiden Flynn, made his first appearance (along with his killer collectible cars) in "Key West". This book is a fast-paced and believable tale of Aiden's rescue of the heroine, chases across country by the villans, a reappearance of the hero and heroine of "Key West". Both Aiden and Olivia are enjoyable characters. The book is not as good as some of Ms. Cameron's earlier contemporaries, but is well worth reading. I buy very few romances in hardback -- Stella Cameron, Jayne Krentz and Linda Howard being the exception. This book is worth every penny!
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