The Matchmaker [Mass Market Paperback]

Jamie Denton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2008

The dead always have a story to tell. All he has to do is wait for the truth to be revealed to him. The living trust him with their grief - and their dirty little secrets. Only then can he set about playing matchmaker, uniting the dead with their true soul mates...for all eternity...Exhuming a body is the last thing former FBI profiler Greer Lomax wants to do. Just the thought of it brings on the panic attacks she's fought for two years. Now, as deputy sheriff, Greer Lomax is going to have to face her darkest fears. Because the body she's exhumed isn't alone. He's joined by a young woman whose name is on a missing person's list.The one person Greer can call for help is FBI agent Ash Keller. Ash hasn't forgotten the hot blonde with the too-sexy smile and he hasn't forgiven her for leaving him behind when she quit the Bureau. Working the case sparks the attraction they've tried to deny for too long and unleashes a passion they can't control - one that could blind them to the most dangerous mistakes of the past.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this well-constructed novel of romantic suspense from prolific bestseller Denton (Valentine Fantasy), former FBI profiler Greer Garson Lomax, who's recovering from a mishandled serial-killer case that left her estranged from her husband, has moved to sleepy Magnolia, N.C., to turn an old mansion into a B and B. When Greer becomes a deputy sheriff to pay the bills, she's assigned to investigate "the Matchmaker," an escaped con who has assumed a new identity as funeral home mogul Parker Hennessy. Hennessy is suspected of using an online dating service to lure female victims as "soulmates" to accompany dead men on their final destination—his interment parks. As the body count rises, Greer and her older sister, Vivien Lee, become targets. Crisp dialogue and likable characters propel the plot. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Brava; Reprint edition (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758210132
• ISBN-13: 978-0758210135
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars White-knuckle story!, November 22, 2006

By 

Holly Fuhrmann (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Matchmaker (Paperback)

Greer survived a trauma two years ago...and lost everything. Her career and her marriage. She came home looking for peace and quiet, but evil is at home even in small towns. Now, Greer's husband has come to help solve the crimes. Is it too late for their relationship to heal?

Jamie Denton's The Matchmaker is a white-knuckle story.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fast paced psychological thriller, November 1, 2006

By 

Kelley Hartsell "Kelley" (Irving, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Matchmaker (Paperback)

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Jamie Denton has written a fast paced psychological thriller with The Matchmaker.

Greer Lomax quit the Bureau after a hunt for a serial killer nearly cost her her life... at the killer's hands. Now she works for the Sheriff's office at the small town she hails from. Plagued by panic attacks and nightmares that would drive a weaker woman insane, Greer is barely surviving. When a contested will requires an exhumation of the dead man's body Greer's life shifts on its axis once more. In the tomb a second body is found, sparking a new investigation which brings all her fears back to the forefront of her mind.

Greer turns to the FBI for assistance, and the one man she wishes she could forget comes to her aid... her estranged husband and FBI profiler, Ash Keller. Ash blames himself for the horrors Greer faced in the lair of that madman. He alone can even come close to understanding what is running through Greer's mind and he swears not to let her down again.

Now these two must tiptoe through another killer's mind, if they have any hopes of stopping the serial killer dubbed "The Matchmaker." Can Greer escape the terrors locked in her mind? And what of the still flaming passion between Greer and Ash? Can they cross the chasm between them?

From the moment the first victim is found, readers are taken on a life or death journey through the twisted mind of a killer. It's quite fascinating, as strange as that may seem, to get this point of view in the story. To learn what drives someone to this kind of behavior and what made them into a monster is very intriguing. Getting into his head, knowing who he is from early on, does not hurt the story at all. There are still a few wrenches thrown in the works that will surprise the readers and provide for an attention grabbing showdown.

Readers get deep into Greer's head as she tries to deal with what happened to her and recover from it. The frequent anxiety and panic attacks she experiences make her that much more real to us. Facing another serial killer is the last thing she wants to do, but she knows that she must face her internal demons if she ever hopes to get herself back. Watching Greer face her fears in an effort to overcome them engaged my emotions in the story even more than they already would have been.

Ash has his own battles to fight as well. He has suffered a lot since Greer was almost killed and later left him. Though he understands to some extent why Greer left, he doesn't fully comprehend the depth of her struggles. Coming to her aid on this case makes him feel like he can redeem himself in her eyes, though she is very resistant to him throughout most of the investigation.

The Kensington Brava line is known for a high heat level between the hero and heroine. Though on the surface, The Matchmaker doesn't feel as hot as may be expected, the sexual tension between Ash and Greer sizzles. When they finally overcome their differences long enough to come together, passions run high, sparking hot enough to start fires.

The Matchmaker by Jamie Denton does not disappoint. It is a very compelling read, and kept me on the edge of my seat, reading late in to the night, eager to find out what would come next. I look forward to future books by Jamie Denton.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2006. All rights reserved.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind of Romantic Suspense, December 4, 2006

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Matchmaker (Paperback)

Greer Lomax is haunted by her last case with the FBI. A case gone wrong that left her in the hands of a serial killer. The reason behind this...a miscalculation on the part of her husband Ash Keller a top FBI profiler. Needing space and time to deal with what happened to her, Greer moves to Magnolia, North Carolina in order to renovate a rundown Victorian. While doing this she deals with her mother, and with the stress of being deputy for the local police force. But when a serial killer starts operating in her county she is forced to face her demon's sooner then she is ready for and this also brings her estranged husband to town. Together these two work a new case but Greer has lost her trust in Ash and that could be a problem, especially when the heat and fire still burns between them. Will this be the final thing that tears them apart or will this be the case that allows them both to heal and believe in the love that is between them?

This was a fair romantic suspense although there were parts of the story that seemed to drag a little. The "mystery" of the killer is not really that much of a mystery and will not be the element that will keep the reader engaged. Rather it's the dance the two main characters perform while dealing with the issues between them. At times the reader may find themselves frustrated with Greer's stubborn nature but bare with her. The romance between her and her estranged husband will make up for it.