A Marked Man [Mass Market Paperback]

Stella Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Once accused

When Max Savage opens his practice in a remote, seductively beautiful bayou town, he hopes it's the start of a new life. He's got his reputation as a skilled surgeon, his two brothers by his side and a fresh chance. But soon Max discovers he can't escape a past riddled with accusations of murder…or the faces of two dead women. Especially since another woman is missing, and he was the last to see her alive.

Always suspected

Annie Duhon knows all about nightmares that shatter life's dreams and the need to escape the past. But her fascination with Max grows, even when disturbing rumors start to surface and her darkest visions seem to play out in living color. Can she trust Max with her secrets and her deepest desires? Or is he the specter she sees when she sleeps—a killer stalking women with his cleansing fire? Is she about to become his next victim?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A serial killer is targeting women who cross the path of Dr. Max Savage, a New Yorker recently transplanted to Toussaint, La., in this uneven novel of romantic suspense from bestseller Cameron. When a woman applying for a job at Max's new clinic goes missing, Max, who was accused and cleared of the murders of two girlfriends, becomes a prime suspect in her disappearance. Max fears Annie Duhon, a tavern manager for whom he has fallen hard, may be the next victim. Annie, still recovering from a brutal rape 10 years earlier, has strange visions, and while she's apprehensive about Max, she can't resist him. Wazoo ("L'Oisseau de Nuit to strangers"), an eccentric psychic who consistently steals the show from the lead characters, warns Annie she's in danger and gives her a charm for protection. As the body count rises, so do the wild, erotic scenes. Cameron (Body of Evidence) captures the Bayou Teche ambience, but the killer's identity will be obvious to many and the denouement lacks fizz. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Best-selling Cameron's new hardcover is set in the steamy bayou town of Toussaint, Louisiana. Trying to forget her troubled past, Annie Duhon runs a diner in the small town, where she meets a handsome doctor named Max Savage. Max and his two brothers have come to Toussaint to open a medical clinic, but Max's own past is poised to interfere. Two of Max's girlfriends were murdered, and though Max was cleared of both killings, the dark cloud of suspicion still hangs over him. Max finds himself deeply attracted to Annie but is afraid to get close to her because the real killer is stalking him, sending him threatening letters, and calling on his cell phone. Annie's own bad experiences with men usually lead her to avoid romance, but she can't deny her fiery passion for Max, despite her frightening visions of imminent danger. Awkward pacing detracts somewhat from the torrid thrills, but Cameron's fans will enjoy the romance and the final showdown. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Mira (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778325237
• ISBN-13: 978-0778325239
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,736,187 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

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disgusting; won't read her again, February 10, 2007

By 

J. M. Piterniak "JP" (Cohoes, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Marked Man (MIRA Single Title Hardbacks) (Hardcover)

Newsflash to the author: rape/coerced sex is not erotic. It is a FELONY. Does this insensitive writer think that sort of thing is OK if the woman is "turned on"? This point of view is a slap in the face to crime victims.

I picked up this book - from the library; thank goodness I didn't pay money for it - and was looking forward to Cameron's return to Toussaint, LA, the town where she's set several previous novels. It lacked the intrigue, suspense and plotting of any of her previous work. After the above-referenced disgusting scene, I skipped to the last few pages to discover the villian, who was no surprise.

I'd give this zero stars if I could. Steer clear of this book if you're looking for a suspensful, sexy read. There are plenty of authors out there who know the difference between lusty and criminal, which I had never before imagined could be confusing.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A hot mess....., September 10, 2007

By 

M. Hudon (Dayton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Marked Man (MIRA Single Title Hardbacks) (Hardcover)

This was my first Stella Cameron book, and although I had thought it my last, maybe not. Some of the other reviews list other books that might be better, according to the reviewers. The only reason I finished this book was that I was ill and it was my last library book! Otherwise, I found it lacking in character development, alluding to past occurences but not fleshing them out at all. Key characters, such as Lil, are dropped in the middle of scenes to mess things up with no real explanation as to why they're there or who they are. Bobby Colbert shows up as a red herring and is dropped midway through the book with no explanation. Cyrus (the priest) and Madge (his assistant) are wandering through the book with hints as to a platonic love affair between them, but the thread is never wrapped up. Awkwardly written, confusing subplots, and a really silly, boring ending. Truly disappointing.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars steamy sex and deadly romance, November 6, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Marked Man (MIRA Single Title Hardbacks) (Hardcover)

New York plastic surgeon Max Savage flees the city after being acquitted of the murders of two of his former girlfriends. He needs to start over in a place as far from his current practice. Thus he opens up a facility in Toussaint, Louisiana. However, his past follows when a local female applying for work at his clinic disappears just after the interview. Local authorities suspect Max, but his alibi exonerates him though nothing can relive his mind that the nightmare has trailed him to this Cajun Parrish.

Annie Duhon arrives in Toussaint from nearby St. Martinville to start over as she has not recovered from a brutal rape that occurred ten years ago. She and Max meet with both attracted and interested, but she fears commitment not just because of the rape, but because she also she has visions that anyone close to her will soon die in an inferno. Still they go to her hometown for lunch not realizing this innocent lunch date places both in danger from each other's "stalker" as Cajun seer Wazoo warns them time after time.

Fans will appreciate the return to Toussaint home of several Stella Cameron romantic suspense thrillers (see A GRAVE MISTAKE). The lead couple is a likable pairing of two fearful protagonists, but Wazoo owns the plot with her often amusing asides. The suspense builds up as murders occur in between the explicit sexual interludes, which makes this more romance (some will insist erotica with notches on the penis) than a suspense thriller although there is plenty of tension. Though the culprit is obvious, Ms. Cameron's Bayou Bengal boosters will enjoy her latest steamy sex and death romance.

Harriet Klausner