Hurricane Bay [Mass Market Paperback]

Heather Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Bound together by danger, neither was prepared for what they would find....When the search for a missing woman leads Kelsey Birmingham and Dane Whitelaw into dangerous waters, they find themselves embarking on a wild ride from Key Largo to Miami to the Everglades. Thrown into a tempestuous world of seduction and deceit, Kelsey and Dane must put aside their mistrust for each other if they are to survive....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A major sea change works wonders for romance stalwart Graham (Night of the Blackbird), yielding a suspenseful, sexy thriller set in the Florida Keys. Sheila Warren has gone missing; given her penchant for drugging and carousing, this surprises no one but her old friend Kelsey Cunningham. Kelsey, who has a romantic history with Sheila's old boyfriend and local PI Dane Whitelaw, confronts him when she learns he was the last to see her. Though Dane knows Sheila is dead the killer sent him a photo of the body with evidence that would frame him for the murder he keeps mum. Kelsey moves into the duplex Sheila shared with their friend Cindy. With the help of boatman Jorge Marti; Sheila's ex, Larry; and Dane (the only one who knows he's looking for a body), Kelsey tries to find her. The four fear that she is a victim of a serial killer known as the Necktie Strangler, but they also suspect that Kelsey's reprobate stepfather, Andy Latham, had a hand in her disappearance. Things get more complicated when Kelsey surmises that Dane is the killer; Kelsey and Cindy are attacked; Kelsey's ex, Nate, has a run-in with Andy; and Dane learns a dangerous secret of Jorge's. The latter leads to a confrontation with one of Sheila's playmates, a local drug smuggler. Though the prose often goes purple and the dialogue sags in spots, Graham builds jagged suspense that will keep readers guessing up to the final pages. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A suspenseful, sexy thriller . . . Graham builds jagged suspense that will keep readers guessing up to the final pages." -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mira; First Thus edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551666650
• ISBN-13: 978-1551666655
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today best selling author, Heather Graham was born somewhere in Europe and kidnapped by gypsies when she was a small child. She went on to join the Romanian circus as a trapeze artist and lion tamer. When the circus came to South Florida, she stayed, discovering that she preferred to be a shark and gator trainer.

Not really.

Heather is the child of Scottish and Irish immigrants who met and married in Chicago, and moved to South Florida, where she has spent her life. (She has, at least, been to the Russian circus in Moscow, where she wished she was one of the incredibly talented and coordinated trapeze artists.) She majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over one hundred and fifty novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, horror, and Christmas family fare.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages, and has had over seventy-five million books in print. She has been honored with awards from Walden Books, B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA and more. Heather has also become the proud recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.

Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. Each year she hosts the Vampire Ball and Dinner theater at the RT convention raising money for the Pediatric Aids Society and in 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf region. She is also the founder of "The Slush Pile Players", presenting something that's almost like entertainment for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-Rate Romantic Suspense, March 25, 2002

By 

Sheri Melnick (Enola, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurricane Bay (Hardcover)

The Florida Keys is an idyllic paradise that harbors a murderer in this latest romantic suspense from Ms. Graham. When Kelsey Cunningham takes a vacation from her busy job in Miami, she agrees to spend the week at the Florida Keys duplex of old chum Sheila Warren. But Sheila is missing, and none of Kelsey's old friends seem concerned, as Sheila is somewhat of a free spirit. And Kelsey must, once again, confront Dane Whitelaw, an old flame and the last person to see Sheila alive.

As Kelsey and Dane attempt to discover Sheila's whereabouts, each is unwilling to trust the other, and Dane appears even more evasive, because his secrets would have disastrous effects if they became known. Their attraction becomes more volatile, and they are unwilling partners as their search for a possible serial killer leads them to Miami's strip clubs and the home of Sheila's sleazy stepfather.

The cast of supporting characters adds depth to the read as it increases the number of suspects implicated in Sheila's disappearance. There is Cindy, the enterprising fitness dynamo who owns a t-shirt business. Nate, Kelsey's ex, runs a local bar, and admits to having once had a relationship with Sheila. Larry, Sheila's ex, never really got over the divorce. Izzy may be Sheila's supplier, but no one knows for sure. And Jorge makes mysterious boat runs as he dumps cargo overboard.

The suspense is superb: it builds slowly and begins to spin out of control as the killer gets frightened that someone is getting too close to the truth. Readers won't be disappointed when this page-turning read packs one wallop of a conclusion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boring!, March 19, 2003

By 

mahikahn (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hurricane Bay (Mass Market Paperback)

Kelsey didn't have two brain cells to rub together evidenced by the fact that she intentionally involved herself in dangerous situations. She also acted like she was above everyone else and refused to believe that a friend she'd had little contact with for years could have "changed". There was virtually no character development and the romance was not at all convincing. What was the whole story behind St. Augustine and what happened between Kelsey and Dane after her brother's death? There were also pages of useless dialogue, who cares about an involved discussion of where to go to dinner. Again, boring!!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A huge disappointment, April 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Hurricane Bay (Hardcover)

As a longtime Heather Graham fan, I eagerly awaited the release of this book. I should have saved my money. The plot was trite, the characters were cardboard, the dialogue was poorly written, but worst of all, Sheila's murderer practically had a neon sign on his head pointing to him. The characters were basically unlikable, particularly the heroine, Kelsey.There was no compelling reason for her to believe Sheila hadn't just skipped town with her latest boy toy, but instead, she blows in from Miami and questions and suspects everyone in town, including her supposed best friends even after they tell her how Sheila has changed. The name Sheila also bothered me--anyone remember a murder mystery movie from the 70's "The Last of Sheila"? That's all I could think of while I waded through this mess. Throw in a serial killer, a copy cat killer (and oh yes, they all know one another)a PI with a tragic secret who slept with the murder victim and has a past with the heroine, who knows he's being set up to take the fall but stupidly doesn't confide in anyone and you can't believe you're reading a Heather Graham book. Skip this one entirely or borrow it from a friend, but save your money.