Customer Reviews

Note of Peril (Hideaway, Book 4)

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

 

 

Grace Brennan and Michael Gold were part of the "Star Notes" cast. A cast of interactive comedic singers who could add harmony and showmanship to any would be lead singer's act. It was the weekend after Thanksgiving and the "Star Search" like country show had a full house present to watch the contestants compete. The audience was aware that Grace and Michael had added a little romantic flirtation between them to their act. So it wasn't at all surprising that Grace would receive a bouquet of flowers and a beautifully wrapped music box from Michael at the end of the show. The surprise this time was on Grace, because the gifts were not from Michael even though the card said that they were. As the song from the music box filled the auditorium Grace got a chill from all the bad memories she was beginning to have. Then she read the note "Cheaters never prosper. Remember the contest? Soon everyone will know. There are some things time won't erase. And this is just the beginning." Was the note from a disgruntled contestant who didn't make the cut or from a "Secret Enemy" from the past?

I really enjoyed reading this book! The author's clear yet descriptive writing style set the stage for the "Star Notes" cast and for the potential readers of this suspenseful and seizing book! A highly recommended read!

Hannah Alexander, Note of Peril (Steeple Hill, 2005)

Sometimes you just have to read a book where you know who the killer is in the first five pages, who's going to end up together, where all the messy breakups are, all that sort of thing. Back in the day, when people wanted to do this, they were stuck with naught but Dame Barbara Cartland to shelter them from the storm of unpredictable literature. Then came the rise of the Harlequin Romance, and the world noticed there was a billion-dollar industry simmering just under the surface for predictable, formulaic novels. (I rush to add the romance is in no way the sole bearer of predictability. Have you ever tried to read L. Ron Hubbard? Even his nonfiction?) Thus, these days, the three hundred plus novels of Miz Cartland are joined on the shelves by thousands upon thousands of others. One of the newest names to rise up in the industry is Steeple Hill, which focuses on the niche market of Christian genre escapism. When I found out they were doing a mystery (excuse me, "romantic suspense") line, I knew I was going to have to read one eventually. The one I ended up reading-- by casting lots as much as anything else (actually, it was advertised in the back of the last Steeple Hill novel I read)-- was Hannah Alexander's Note of Peril.

Like Nicci French, Hannah Alexander is a pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. That, however, is where the similarities end. The Alexandrines are much more focused on the romance than the suspense. This is not necessarily a bad thing. When, as I intimated above, you can tell from the first twenty pages what the mechanism of the next two hundred are going to be, you pretty much toss suspense right out the window.

In this case, the lovebirds are Grace Brennan and Michael Gold, two of the cast of Star Notes, a Branson theatrical spectacular best described as Star Search meets Tony and Tina's Wedding. After the show one night, Grace receives what she thinks is a present from an anonymous audience member, but it contains a darker mystery only she knows. When the producer of the show turns up dead, Grace has to turn to someone for help. Of course, you know...

The problem here is that the romance is about as predictable as the suspense. There's the "if I tell [him/her] this, s/he'll never forgive me" reflective moment. There's the overbearing nosy friend. The miscommunication. All the usual fluff. There's a lot of steam rising from this pot, but once you've fanned it away, any water that may have started there unfortunately boiled off.

Of course, if what you're looking for is a book where nothing is going to go as you don't expect it to, there's a lot here. The Alexandrine team are very good at what they do; the pages turn, and they turn quickly. Just don't expect to be shocked by anything you read here. ** ½

The writing team of Cheryl and Mel Hodde, writing as Hannah Alexander has produced another winner. Country singer, Grace Brennan, received an unexpected gift carrying an implied threat. Someone knew her past indiscretion and intended to use it against her. The show directors mysterious death and the resulting investigation leaves Grace feeling she can't trust anyone, not even Michael Gold, her co-star who is fast becoming more than just a friend. As danger stalks Grace, will Michael's love and her Christian principles be enough to save her? Put NOTE OF PERIL on your need to read list. You won't be disappointed.