A Message for Abby: Patton's Daughters (Harlequin Superromance No. 866) [Paperback]

Janice Kay Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Series: Harlequin Superromance

PATTON'S DAUGHTERS

The people of Elk Springs, Oregon, thought Ed Patton was a good man, a good cop, a good father. But his daughters know the truth….

Abby's the third Patton sister. The baby. The one everyone said was privileged, spoiled. But a childhood with a harsh unapproachable father and only vague memories of a mother wasn't easy. Even if she did work hard to make it look that way.

Now Abby's determined to live up to her image and have fun. Until she meets Detective Ben Shea, a man who's plenty serious—about his job, his life and suddenly her.

Maybe, just maybe, it would pay to get serious.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 297 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373708661
• ISBN-13: 978-0373708666
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janice Kay Johnson is the author of sixty-plus books for children and adults. Her first four published romance novels were coauthored with her mother Norma Tadlock Johnson, also a writer who has since published mysteries and children's books on her own. These were "sweet" romance novels, the author hastens to add; she isn't sure they'd have felt comfortable coauthoring passionate love scenes!

Janice graduated from Whitman College with a B.A. in history and then received a master's degree in library science from the University of Washington. She was a branch librarian for a public library system until she began selling her own writing.

She has written six novels for young adults and one picture book for the read-aloud crowd. ROSAMUND was the outgrowth of all those hours spent reading to her own daughters, and of her passion for growing old roses. Two more of her favorite books were historical novels WINTER OF THE RAVEN and THE ISLAND SNATCHERS which she wrote for Tor/Forge. The research was pure indulgence for someone who set out intending to be a historian!

Janice is divorced and has raised her two daughters in a small, rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She's an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter, and foster kittens often enliven a household that already includes a few more cats than she wants to admit to!

Janice loves writing books about both love and family -- about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life.

In addition to her real name, she has also written under several pseudonyms through the years, including Janice Stevens, Janice Bartlett, Kay Bartlett and Kay Kirby.

Her Superromance novels are frequent finalists for Romance Writers of America RITA awards, and she won the 2008 RITA for Best Contemporary Series Romance for SNOWBOUND.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent contemporary romance, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Message for Abby: Patton's Daughters (Harlequin Superromance No. 866) (Paperback)

In Elk Springs, Oregon, fire inspector Abby Patton investigates the aborted arson of a pick-up truck on a lonely road just outside town. The truck suspiciously looks identical to that owned by her deceased father, a respected police officer. She calls in the license plate and learns that it was stolen from the mother-in-law of Abby's sister. When she sees blood in the inside of the vehicle, Abby calls the sheriff's department. Detective Ben Shea arrives on the scene.

Abby wonders if the truck is a warning message to Abby and her two sisters. Ben agrees that the truck and subsequent incidents appear as if someone seeks vengeance. As he persuades Abby to date him, the incidents turn nastier and more personal. Ben soon realizes that the culprit seeks revenge on the daughters for something their father caused. Ben and Abby fall in love, but not only do they have to contend with an unknown assailant, he must find away to prove to her he is not her abusive father.

The third novel in Janice Kay Johnson's Patton's Daughters retains the freshness of the two previous tales while establishing a freshness that is uniquely due to Abby. The story line is exciting as incidents parallel events from the other two books and Ed's personality comes into greater focus. Ben is a beautiful person whose patience will make him a hero to readers. A MESSAGE FOR ABBY is an entertaining novel with a message that how the child is nurtured impacts how the adult behaves.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Conclusion to a Fabulous Trilogy, December 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Message for Abby: Patton's Daughters (Harlequin Superromance No. 866) (Paperback)

What a fabulous book! I loved this conclusion to the Patton's Daughters trilogy. Janice Johnson is a gifted author who brings these characters to life on the pages of the book. While The Woman in Blue is my favorite of the trilogy, I couldn't help but love this book. It nicely incorporates all the previous characters from the other books into the pages, as well as bring Abby's romance with Ben to life. Buy this book immediately (of course, it wouldn't hurt to order the previous two while you're at it)!