Customer Reviews

Never Say Die (Harlequin Intrigue)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was published circa 1992 as a Harlequin (Romance)Intrigue. The Intrigue line consisted of short romance novels that had a suspense subplot. The length and the emphasis of the novel was dictated by the publisher. So it's hard to blame Dr. Gerritsen for the short-comings of this novel.

Her characters are pretty good, the plot is weakish. Someone who reads her books for the suspense will probably not like this one. Those who read for the romance will probably be taken with this one.

Take your pick.

Oh, and the new Mira cover is rather bizarre. Intellectually, I know it's a flower. My impression though is that it is a picture of the stuffing coming out of something.

As Willy and Guy get acquainted and try to find Willy's father, a long-lost pilot in Viet Nam, nefarious powers of every sort pursue them. In this sense, I am reminded of the Robert Ludlum novels, in which no one can be trusted. The story has suspense and is well constructed. It's just that I've read too many books with paranoia as the central theme.

The romance part is OK but not especially interesting. The plot is fine. The characters are quite good. It is only the theme that really bothered me.

Willy Maitland's mother is dying. Her dying wish is for Willy to travel to Vietnam and get proof her father is really dead. Her father was a highly skilled fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. His plane crashed in the jungle: two men were found dead, one man survived only to become a POW, and her father was never found. In Vietnam, Willy is befriended by Guy Barnard whose profession is to identify fallen American soldiers' remains. The closer Guy and Willy get to the truth the more people around them begin to die.

Never Say Die is one of Tess Gerritsen's early non-series romance/suspense novels. It has the perfect mix of intrigue and romance. The "romance" wasn't overly explicit and the "intrigue" was not graphic or gory. The book had a unique plot, well developed characters I started to feel like I knew, and moved along at a good pace. If you never tried Tess Gerritsen, this might be one to start with to see if you like her style.

I am an avid reader of Gerritsen, but the last two books have disappointed me.

Arrived quickly. Wasn't sure at first if I'd like it but I did! Thumbs up!

This was an interesting mystery and an enjoyable romance. It didn't have the suspense that most of Tess Gerritsen's novels have but it had a decent plot.

This book catches your interest and keeps your interest right from the beginning. Buying this book was money well spent I recommend it highly.