Customer Reviews

Heartbeat

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While investigating a serial mercy killer of terminally ill children, Jack Kittrick meets attorney Maggie Wainwright, one of his suspects. As they get to know each other better, they begin to fall in love. However, Jack has problems with Maggie being an alcoholic since it reminds him of his unhappy childhood growing up with a drunken mother. Maggie feels guilty that she caused the deaths of her husband and one of her children, and the brain damage suffered by her other child.

As the couple becomes intimate, they realizes that a deranged killer targets Maggie's surviving son as the next victim. Maggie and Jack must quickly act to halt the plan of a maniacal serial killer, before more tragedy strikes the pair. If they fail in their quest, their potential future together may also die from the subsequent despondency.

HEARTBEAT is a brilliant romantic suspense that novel will remind readers of some of the best works of Nora Roberts and Tami Hoag. The lead characters will steal the hearts of readers as they struggle to surmount tragedies from their past and stop a new calamity from happening in order to forge a future together. There is some graphic sex scenes that might turn off some readers, but fans of serial killer mysteries or romantic intrigue will devour Joan Johnston's terrific tale.

Harriet Klausner

I've enjoyed all of this author's books that I've read but, wasn't too jazzed about this one. The plot idea was good but I too figured out who the culprit was about half way through the book.

The characters were not well-developed. Because of the fact that we didn't get enough background, it was not easy to figure out their motivations for the things they did.

Jack's attitude toward Maggie was arrogant & self-centered. She was good enough for him to have sex with, but not good enough to have anything more with because she was an alcoholic. Who by the way hadn't had a drink in almost ten years and during that time gone to law school and had a thriving practice. I realize his mother was an alcoholic but his mother NEVER stopped drinking! And it's not like he was perfect!

This book was a disappointment as someone looking for an easy romance. Its nothing like the Hawk's Way series and, to my mind, I read for enjoyment and stress reduction. Reading about dead children, brain damaged children, a cold blooded murderer without a conscious, a drowning and comatose child, and alcoholism is just not my idea of a relaxing read. And what happened to the breathtaking romance Joan Johnston created in prior novels? You will not find it here. I say skip this one in favor of the Hawk's Way novels if you are seeking a romance read.

Maggie is a sober alcoholic hauling around a decade's worth of guilt. Jack is a Texas Ranger who can't let go of a murder he failed to prevent. Lisa is a beautiful attorney who won't believe the man she loves can behave any differently than her long-absent father. Roman is a brilliant surgeon whose workaholic habits have blunted his ability to perceive and express love. Porter is a Texas aristocrat who pontificates over a powerful law firm and protects his own while extracting more than a pound of flesh as repayment. Victoria is a Texas Tiger Lily with ice in her veins. Who's killing hopelessly ill children in Texas hospitals? Will love triumph over neurosis? Read Joan Johnston's book to find out.

I found myself reading compulsively till the end, although about two thirds of the way through, I'd figured out who done it - the tension in the plot doesn't let up until the last chapter. My only criticism was the pace of the book - it actually covers only a few days, so I suppose the fact that it sometimes seemed to move too fast, is understandable. I would have rated it 5 stars if there had been a little more character development to contribute to the romance - maybe a few more flashbacks to flesh out the roots of these characters' angst, rather than simple explanation passages in the narrative. Still, a fairly good read, with an original twist and nicely flawed (human) characters - even if the Texas characters are somewhat stereotyped!

Because of the comprehensive reviews given I will keep this one very short. The story is excellent for good reading material. You won't lose out in reading it.
Lisa and Maggie are talking -- Is Maggie going to let Jack get away? Lisa assumes that Maggie is in love with Jack. Her comment - "I've seen the way Jack looks at you." Maggie replies "That's lust!" Lisa insists that Maggie is not the type of woman that men lust after. Maggie laughs - not insulted "Oh? What type am I?"

Lisa says, "Wholesome. The one-man-one-woman-till-death-so-us-part type." -------- "Well, phooey!" [from Maggie] --- "What's the matter." [Lisa] ------ "I think Jack's the love-'em-and-leave-'em type."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and others by Joan Johnsten, especially the Captive series [4 books] plus