Light in Shadow: A Whispering Springs Novel [Large Print] [Paperback]

Jayne Ann Krentz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

Zoe Luce is a successful interior designer who's developed an unusual career speciality - helping recently divorced clients redesign their homes, to enable them to forget the past and start afresh. But Zoe knows that some things can't be covered up with a coat of paint. And when she senses that one of her clients may be hiding a dark secret, she enlists private investigator Ethan Truax to find the truth. Working together, they start to unravel the mystery, but Ethan's investigative skills start to backfire on Zoe: she never wanted to let him find out about her former life; she never wanted to reveal her powerful, inexplicable gift for sensing the history hidden within a house's walls; and she never wanted him to know that "Zoe Luce" doesn't really exist. But now, Ethan may be her only hope, as just when Zoe started to dream of a normal life and think about the future, her own past starts to shadow her every step - because the people she's been running from are getting close to finding her...

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Hiding behind an expensive, black-market-created identity, Zoe Luce has built a successful interior design business in Whispering Springs, Arizona, and hopes that she has just as successfully buried her past. She can't ignore her unique psychic abilities, however, and when she walks into a new client's bedroom and hears the walls scream and moan, she knows something terrible has happened in the house. Did her client murder his wife? She's determined to find out, but investigating a possible murder is beyond her expertise, so Zoe turns to Ethan Truax, a private detective new to the small Arizona community. Solving the murder of the businessman's wife is a piece of cake for Ethan compared to the complicated enigma that he finds in Zoe. Mysterious nightmares haunt her and when a would-be blackmailer is found dead, Zoe's past inexorably collides with her new life, threatening their dreams of a future together.

Author Jayne Ann Krentz is at the top of her form in Light in Shadow, a nonstop roller coaster ride of thrills and chills. Romance, suspense, humor, and danger challenge an intriguing cast of characters and blend seamlessly in a plot that twists, turns, and surprises. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

If Krentz's newest thriller doesn't send your pulse racing, dial your cardiologist's number. With more than 30 bestsellers under her belt, Krentz (Smoke in Mirrors; Uneasy Alliance) is primed for another roaring success with this rewarding romantic thriller. Zoe Luce is the premier interior decorator in Whispering Springs, Ariz., hampered by one severe handicap; when she enters a room in which a murder or other violent act has taken place, she can sense the pain and rage echoing from the walls. When her uncanny ability leads her to suspect that a local businessman has murdered his wife, she finds herself unexpectedly allied with Ethan Truax, Whispering Springs's newest private investigator. Both have suffered losses in the past, but just when it looks as if true love may be in the offing, Ethan discovers that Zoe is not who she pretends to be. She knows things she shouldn't, operates under a black market-issued identity and wakes screaming from nightmares about a mysterious place she calls Xanadu. Krentz's storytelling shines with authenticity and dramatic intensity: no opportunity for a thrill is missed, and her characters are skillfully crafted. Tightly written and packed with twists and shockers at every turn, this top-notch thriller keeps readers on the edge of their seats till the explosive ending. Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody main selection; BOMC, Mystery Guild alternate selection.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 541 pages
• Publisher: Large Print Press (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410401642
• ISBN-13: 978-1410401649
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,335,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print.

Building on the success of her DREAMLIGHT TRILOGY in 2010, Jayne is now focused on writing the LOOKING GLASS TRILOGY. This series will follow the Quicksilver Mirror (a paranormal artifact) through all three of Jayne's worlds covering a time span of several hundred years.

The first LOOKING GLASS book, IN TOO DEEP, will feature Fallon Jones, a recurring character from Jayne's contemporary ARCANE SOCIETY series of novels.

When she's not writing, Jayne can be found at her favorite social networking site posting messages to her fans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light In Shadow, April 19, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light In Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

Zoe Luce has been in hiding in Whispering Springs, Arizona. She is a decorator with very special abilities. She can hear past tragic events in the walls of a room. When a recently divorced man hires her, she is disturbed by what she senses in the bedroom. Zoe is convinced the man murdered his wife, and is compelled to help, but she is unsure what to do since she is living a lie herself as an escapee from a mental institution. She decides to hire a private investigator to help her. Ethan Truax has just taken over a small operation in town, and Zoe reluctantly hires him. They clash from the first time they meet, but that doesn't stop the attraction from coming to the surface. Ethan is trying to piece together his life after his brother's murder, and another failed marriage - his 3rd! He also hates psychics, and makes no secret of it.

As the pieces begin to fall into place in solving the mystery, Zoe's life begins to fall apart. One of the guards at the mental institution has tracked her down, and decides that it would be more profitable to blackmail Zoe than take her back. When Zoe goes to Ethan for help they are drawn even closer to each other, as he now understands her past. When Ethan delves deeper into Zoe's life it comes out how her deceased husband's family had her put away to keep her from her inheritance. To keep her safe, he decides to marry Zoe.

I liked the characters of Ethan and Zoe and was rooting for them to be together. It was interesting that the main case was solved early on only to fall immediately into another to solve. Different concept not often seen.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Krentz is back!, January 4, 2003

By 

Jackie L. McCollum "J. McCollum" (Centennial City, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light in Shadow (Hardcover)

The last 6 Krentz books have been less than stellar. But now she's back in stride. Characters you care about, enough of a plot to keep me reading all night--and on a work night yet. Hope the rest of the series are as good as this one.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This author ROCKS!, April 17, 2003

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light in Shadow (Hardcover)

Zoe Luce was an interior designer and owned a shop called Enhanced Interiors. She had talent that she considered to be a curse, walls spoke to her. Well, in a way. If any strong emotion happened in a room, such as lust or fear, it would sink into the walls. So when Zoe went into a client's bedroom and the walls "screamed", Zoe could not leave fast enough! Whatever horrible thing happened in that room was recent. The client said he was going through a divorce. Zoe believed he murdered his wife in that bedroom. Without proof, cops would laugh at her. Besides, she could be wrong. The wife could be sunning herself on a tropical beach somewhere. Zoe simply needed a computer whiz to discretely find out.

Ethan Traux had taken over Truax Investigations from his uncle. Zoe would be his first case. It should have been simple. Only a few minutes on the computer to see if a lady was using her credit cards or an ATM. Instead, Ethan found a corpse.

Zoe and Ethan became attracted to each other. All seemed to be going well. However, Zoe's dark past was about to catch up to her. After a year of hiding under a different name, they had finally found her!

***** Wonderful! Zoe always seemed to be bubbling over with optimism no matter how awful things became. But she sure had to tap deeply into a bottomless well of optimism to get through all this! Zoe was a strong willed character that needed an extra ordinary man in her life. Author Jayne Ann Krentz did a wonderful job in creating just such a man.

This novel was like having two books in one, a murder mystery and a romantic thriller. The "client" part was a work of genius on Krentz's side to bring the couple together. The author brought back the Vastu and Feng Shui techniques that I recall being used in one of her novels a few years ago. This is a fast paced, romantic, and heart pounding thriller that I highly recommend to all.