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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I Do Not Know What Fate Awaits Me", July 14, 2007
This review is from: High Noon (Hardcover)
Phoebe MacNamara's life was irrevocably changed as a young girl when she was forced to make some pretty tough decisions, life and death decisions concerning her small brother and mother. Years later those decisions help shape her into the woman she is and the career she has. After a brief stint with the FBI Phoebe came home to Savannah and the local police department and is now a Lieutenant and the top hostage negotiator.
When the fiery red headed Lt. walks onto the scene of a jumper, Duncan Swift has several thoughts about the woman in charge, all making him to want to know more about the sexy woman with a badge.
The chemistry between Duncan and Phoebe is more subtle than usual; there is a mutual attraction at first then it slowly builds, with a more natural and realistic progression. Phoebe is a single mom and has her reservations, having been burned a time or two in the past. Duncan is confident, persistent and utterly charming. Their relationship kicks up a notch after Phoebe is attacked. After the attack, Phoebe starts receiving strange offerings at her doorstep and soon discovers someone is out to harm her and those she loves.... And so the mystery begins.
At first I thought Phoebe was going to be another ultra independent, cool, detached heroine, like Eve Dallas. But Nora ended up writing a tough woman with a soft heart. Duncan was a loveable hero who didn't take any crap from the heroine. The side characters were just as intriguing. Phoebe is surrounded by tremendous family with a lot of personality; Duncan has a family built of friends.
I gave it the 4 star rating because the conclusion seemed a little rushed and left a few loose ends. Also the book didn't flow like I am used to with a Nora read, on this rare occasion I could actually set this book down and come back to it. The book was good it just lacked the usual pull her reads typically generate for me. The mystery portion was excellent. I really thought I knew who was behind the terror... Huh, foiled again! What I love about a Nora book is that you are guaranteed an enjoyable read, she never disappoints. I was thoroughly entertained and it leaves me completely satisfied while waiting for the next Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb tale.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
High Noon, February 6, 2008
This review is from: High Noon (Hardcover)
Phoebe MacNamara is a a hostage negotiator for the police department in Savannah. While she works to help a young bartender who is determined to end his life, she meets his former boss Duncan Swift. As they work together to save a life, sparks fly between Phoebe and Duncan. Duncan is living the dream many would envy. He is very wealthy, but Duncan didn't inherit it or earn it, he actually won the lottery.
As Duncan pursues Phoebe, he learns the reasons she doesn't want to get involved with anyone. She has an ex-husband that has dropped out of her daughter's life, and a mother that is home bound by choice. As Duncan invades Phoebe's life, she learns he really is fond of both her mother and daughter.
When she is targeted and terrorized, Phoebe must solve the mystery behind it before her family or Duncan are lost to her.
What a good read! The characters are well written, and the story is wonderful. I haven't read many stories about hostage negotiators, and I learned a lot. It was a little more violent than I am used to, but it was important to the story.
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53 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not her best, July 22, 2007
This review is from: High Noon (Hardcover)
I waited a week to write a review. Mostly because my review differs so much from all the others. But I read Linda Howard's latest and Julia Quinn's latest and Cherry Adair's latest since reading this one and they all are so great (5 stars each) and better than this one. I love Nora Roberts books. I have read nearly all, I believe. I love the In Death series also. What stands out for me in a typical Nora Roberts book is the fantastic painting of the scenery. Also the great characterizations and relationships. I felt this book lacked in those areas. The h/h just seemed to be thrown together, their relationship less personal for the reader. I liked the secondary characters almost better than the main characters. What I did really like, though, was the ending (here I also differ). It was suspenseful and nail-biting.
Now, for the reason I gave it only 3 stars. Nora Roberts, of late, has taken to writing her characters speaking in incomplete sentences. For instance, instead of something like, "that will never happen", she would write, "never'll happen". This book was so riddled with that kind of dialogue, practically the whole town of Savannah spoke that way. People don't naturally speak that way. I could believe one or even two characters speaking that way but not constantly. But this was throughout the whole book. It is annoying and very distracting. It makes the characters sound tough, or too cool for the reader. I thought of Eve Dallas whenever Pheobe would speak. I thought of Eve whenever Liz would speak. Heck, I thought of Eve whenever Duncan would speak. Catch my drift? If this is a writing gimick that is supposed to be the hot new thing, then I am disappointed to say the least. I wish Nora Roberts would just write the same great way she has always without this new gimick.
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