Key West [Hardcover]

Stella Cameron (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Contemporary Key West, Florida
Sensuality: 7

Sonnie Giacano returns to Key West, Florida, eight months after her tennis-star husband was kidnapped and a devastating car crash stole Sonnie's unborn child and threatened her life. Scarred but determined, Sonnie feels compelled to regain her lost memory of that fateful night. Former police detective Chris Talon, now a private investigator, takes one look at the vulnerable Sonnie and knows he should refuse to help her. But fate has plans for Chris and Sonnie if they can only manage to unravel the complicated skein of secrets that conceal the truth about that horrendous night. Too many people, however, have a vested interest in keeping Sonnie uninformed and they'll stop at nothing, including murder, to ensure that she never learns the truth.

The heat and tropical flavor of Key West provide a colorful backdrop for the intricate plot that revolves around a refreshingly unique hero and heroine. Toss in an oily brother-in-law and an evil sister, along with a cast of intriguing secondary characters, and you've got a novel with enough suspense and romance to make your reading hours fly by. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

Steamy, atmospheric and fast-paced, Cameron's romantic suspense novel delivers on all fronts. Wealthy Key West doormat Sonnie Giacano can't remember exactly what happened eight months ago, the night her brash, tennis star husband, Frank, was apparently kidnapped, because she wrecked her car and miscarried her unborn child. Although Frank had just declared his intention to leave her, saying, "I do not find pregnant women sexy," the loss of her baby torments Sonnie. Emotionally scarred, she bartends at a local dive under the caring eyes of Roy Talon. Roy knows Sonnie's tragedy is tangled up with murderous deceptions, and, luckily for her, Roy's brother Chris is a disillusioned former NYPD police officer who retreated to Key West to escape his own nightmarish past. A reluctant Chris is dragged into investigating the case after Sonnie starts hearing voices singing a lullaby, "Hush little baby, don't you cry.... " When her husband's brother and her own sister show up on the island with a shrink in tow, it seems the family is conspiring to wangle control of Frank and Sonnie's considerable fortune. Whether the plot is to get Sonnie committed or killed, Chris fights for her life, now believing that Sonnie is both sane and the perfect woman for him. The mysterious voices persist as a fire at Sonnie's house reveals a body, hinting that Sonnie may be more unhinged than her new lover thinks she is. Cameron (French Quarter) makes Sonnie's sanity more questionable with every turn of the page, while depicting Chris's growing conviction that his emotions can't be denied. Subplots involving missing cad Frank, his Jag-driving look-alike brother and Sonnie's cruel sexpot sibling add strength to a solid plot. The elysian Key West setting is dramatized by the hurricane season's menace, but readers will most enjoy the good-guy/good-girl romance that blossoms amid an evil family's convoluted schemes. Author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books; 1ST edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575664542
• ISBN-13: 978-1575664545
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stella Cameron is the New York Times best selling author of the acclaimed Court of Angels Series, the Bayou Books and many others. There are fourteen million copies of her books in circulation worldwide. She is the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Achievement Award for distinguished professional achievement and for enhancing the stature of the Northwest Literary community. She lives in Washington State.

Stella's current titles include OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF BODY and OUT OF MIND from her critically acclaimed Court of Angels series as well as her recent exclusive eBook releases BREATHLESS (contemporary romantic-suspense) and BARGAIN BRIDE: A NOVELLA (historical romance).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Key West is Sensational!!!, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Key West (Hardcover)

Stella Cameron has always had a talent for bringing a place and time alive. Whether you are reading one of her historical novels set in Regency England or a contemporary, Cameron can make you feel like you are there. However, in Key West Cameron perfects, if it is even possible, something I first noticed in her French Quarter. The location becomes a third main character. I have never been to Key West but in this book I was there. It breathed and had substance that permeated the book. I was blown away. The Key West chamber of commerce should make this book required reading for its members and sell it in every bar as well as every bookstore. Sonnie Giacano and Chris Talon, the heroine and hero respectively, are running in different directions. Sonnie is running to try and capture her past. Chris is running away from his. These runners collide in Key West. Eight months ago Sonnie lost her husband, her unborn child and her memory of how it all happened. Friends and family tell her to leave the past buried and move on. She cannot. Voices invade her mind and provide mere suggestions of a horror so profound it may push Sonnie over the edge. When she starts seeing things she cannot possibly see Sonnie wonders if maybe she has already lost her mind. Still, she wants to discover what really happened that night eight months in the past. Will the reluctant Chris Talon help her? Chris is a former police detective who suddenly retired at age 36 and is hiding out in his brother's bar in Key West. Unlike Sonnie, he does not want to face his demons. He also does not want to help her. He cannot help himself. Something about Sonnie draws him to her. He is not sure that he can both keep his past in the past and assist the troubled woman who is so desperate for that assistance. As he is inevitably drawn to Sonnie's side he discovers not only a strength he thought he had lost but also a nightmare with which he hopes Sonnie can cope. Make sure you have a fan and plenty of ice at the ready when you sit down to read this book. No matter where you are, you will be in Key West.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PAGE-TURNING SUSPENSE, April 29, 2000

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Key West (Mass Market Paperback)

The publisher of this novel markets it as "Romantic/Suspense, although there is some romance (this can easily be ignored without disturbing the plot), the main theme is suspense.

Sonnie Giancano has settled in Key West to try and put her life back together. Eight months earlier her husband was kidnapped and she was in a horrible accident, injuring herself and killing her unborn child. Sonnie can't remember much about the accident, but she is plagued with nightmares of the incident. When she begins hearing and seeing things, she begs for the help of Chris Talon, an ex NYC cop. At first Chris refuses to help (for reasons that become clear as the story unfolds), after spending some time with Sonnie, he agrees.

As the two main characters investigate what happened, they realize Sonnie's life was built on lies and deception, and the accident was actually a carefully thought out plan.

Stella Cameron keeps the pace fast and the storyline moving.

Anyone looking for entertainment (ignore the sappy love scenes) will enjoy this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book., October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Key West (Hardcover)

Key West provided me with hours of enjoyment. The plot was well thought out and very complex. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. (and the passion was even better!)