Customer Reviews

Now You See Her

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is my second book from this author and I am still impressed by her layered plots and how she twists them so much that you really are left wondering who the killer is. Usually you guess the killer or badguy early on, but now here. Her characters are filled with life and seem so real you probably would know them had they been your friends! This wasn't as frightening as my first one by her called "Mr. Perfect," but it was still great!

A very talented painter named Sweeney has achieved what few do at her age of 31. She has achieved renown success in the art field and has made herself a comfortable sum along the way. She sells and displays her work at the upscale New York City gallery with her only friend and gallery director. Her life couldn't be better, or could it?
What she doesn't tell her friend is that she seems to mysteriously wake in the wee hours of the morning and paints vivid and horrifying scenes of mayhem and murder without remembering! The latest, a disturbing and gruesome murder scene that happens right after she paints scares her into revealing it to a trusted friend and lover. The information gets to the police investigating the murder and she is thrust into the limelight as the prime suspect!

How did she know the murder before it happened? Why was she always seeing things no one else could see? Can Sweeney save herself before the real killer tries to silence her for good? Breathtaking! Ms. Howard has a knack for making your skin crawl with the suspense and terror the characters feel! The romance is very real too and mixes well with the story unlike a lot of suspense/romance books. Riveting, sexy and creepy! A sure keeper!

Tracy Talley~@

This is the second Linda Howard book I've read in as many days, and again, I am impressed with the chemistry she is able to generate between her main characters. It would have been very easy to make Sweeney into a helpless waif who was not able to cope with the psychic phenomena she was witnessing, and to make Richard a one dimensional knight to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Instead, Sweeney is an independent character who wants to deal with the disturbing violent visions she gets on her own. Richard sees himself as a knight, but is attracted to Sweeney's beauty and spirit, not her temporary helplessness. The evolving relationship between Sweeney and Richard proceeds quickly and is described in erotic detail by Linda Howard. The most suspense in the novel resolves around Sweeney's and Richard's relationship: Will he get his divorce from the manipulative Candra? Will he and Sweeney be able to wait until the divorce before they consummate their relationship? These questions are much more intriguing than the questions that surround the so called mystery of Sweeney's visions. She not only sees dead people, she paints them too. When one of Sweeney's visions hits close to home, it is fairly obvious how the plot will be resolved. Linda Howard apparently has no need for red herrings, so the mystery of "Now You See Her" is flat, if not non-existent. However, the relationship between Sweeney and Richard is the real reason to read this book because their growing attraction for each is what drives the plot.

Yes, the puns are intended. An odd woman, Sweeny. She sees ghosts and goes into shock every time she walks in her sleep to paint pictures of the dead.

Linda's characters will make you put your coat on one minute, but read on, and you'll be fanning yourself from the heat you feel for Richard. He can warm up my chilblains any day.

You can't put this one down, but as always, Linda writes a page turner with characters so real you feel the hero nibbling on your ear. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves romantic suspense and doesn't pale at four-letter words.

Why some readers insist on comparing this book to any other is beyond me. Each book an author writes stands alone and should be viewed as such. One may like a book better than another, but diversity in an author's writing is the most desirable trait she can have aside from enormous talent. I always look forward to every Linda Howard book. They're all great reads, and they weren't stamped out of a cookie cutter.

About three fourths of the way through this book I realized it was not going to end well. There was just too much going on for everything to be tied up by page 325. Sure enough, I felt someone had torn the last 50 pages out of my copy. Of course, if it had not been a good story I would not have cared. But it was a good story, and different. I was caught up in it. I wanted all the ends tied up, all the mysteries solved. Unfortunately, the epilogue added nothing to the story. Was there a scandal? What happened to the senator? Most of all, what happened to Sweeney's gift? Was it lasting, could she help people before they died? Or was her gift to help solve the crime? Since she could see and talk to dead people why didn't she ask them why they were ghosts? What happened to her health? And what is the meaning of the title? I wanted more from the epilogue. Maybe Linda H. will revisit Sweeney in the future. P.S. I liked the romance between Sweeney and Richard. (...)

My friend lent this book to me telling me that I "have to read this" and that it was something she "kept around to re-read on occasion." I wasn't all that impressed with the first 40 pages. I had to start it over a few times. Finally after the 5th time she called to ask how I liked it I just sat down determined to read the whole thing. After page 50 or so I found myself unable to put it down! The sensuality of this novel was really well done. The characters were interesting and human.

The suspense of the novel itself isn't all that exciting or surprising. But the best part of the suspense is that the book reaches a climax during the last 25 or so pages. This might seem strage but it sure beats the climax happening 75 pages from the end, in which case I usually just find myself skimming the final pages to see who did it. I enjoyed the book thoroughally. It seems like Linda Howard is hit or miss (this is my first novel by her) but this one is a hit in my book! I will be buying this one for myself to re-read later!

Paris Sweeney is a talented landscape painter in New York. While most people would call her a loner, Sweeney, as she prefers to be called, is content to be on her own focusing on producing beautiful paintings. With her eye for detail, her works are one of the most highly sought in an exclusive gallery owned by Candra Worth. But one day, Sweeney discovers another hidden talent she possesses: she can make the traffic lights turn green, she can guess the questions in a game show before they're asked, and she can actually see and speak with ghosts. While the first two might all be just coincidence, there is no denying her ability to see the dead. Then when she wakes up one day to find a graphic and morbid painting showing someone's murder, she develops a bone-deep chill verging on hypothermia that could very well kill her. And when another episode of "sleep-painting" occurs, this time depicting a murder yet to happen, she turns to Candra's estranged husband.

Richard Worth is a practical man. However, as Sweeney's illness gets worse, he knows that he cannot ignore her claims, especially when her first painting was an accurate depiction of a street vendor's murder. Now with the second painting unfinished, they need to find out who the victim is. But when the murder occurs, Sweeney becomes the primary suspect and eventually the target of the murderer.

NOW YOU SEE HER is a romantic suspense that mixes psychic phenomena, hot sensuality and intriguing plot. While the mystery is not as gripping as DREAM MAN, in which I thought the author has done such a fantastic job profiling the murderer, it has enough suspense to keep you turning the page, and the characters are well-developed. I enjoyed the banter between Richard and Sweeney. Her outspokenness is funny and I liked the way she manages to stun Richard with this characteristic.

I enjoyed this novel despite the rather rushed ending and remain a big fan of the author.

I'm new to Linda Howard books and have really enjoyed the others that I've read, but ... Now You See Her was a bit strange for my taste. Don't take that statement wrong, I still enjoyed it, just not as well as some of her other ones! Howard excels at writing romantic thrillers and this one, no matter how bizarre, is still a great book to pick up for the hot days of summer.

Paris Sweeney is an artist who sees dead people - not only that, she has other psychic abilities, like never having to wait for a red light while driving or always finding a parking space in front of her destination (oh to be that lucky!), which she brushes off as just being a bit weird.

Her new psychic gifts have affected her painting styles and the vivid colors and dramatic scenes are completely opposite from her other works. She's a starving artist type, but still weary about showing her new pieces. She meets at the gallery that showcases her work to talk to a possible client interested in a custom portrait. When she walks in, Candra (the gallery owner) and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Richard, are in a tiff in the office. She's feeling uncomfortable and it only gets worse when a senator and his wife walk in. She feels instant repulsion and decides that they are definitely not the type she wants to take on as clients. As she starts to leave, sparks fly between her and Richard - inevitable and predictable, yes, but it's still fun!

As if that wasn't enough turmoil in her life, Sweeney begins painting murder scenes before they happen and has no memory of working on the paintings. These are done while in a sleep mode, similar to sleepwalking. Sweeney's first gruesome painting is of a beloved hot-dog vendor. That was a struggle to accept, but she did come to terms with it since she only knew him in passing. And then again during the night she begins painting another murder scene. Can she and Richard figure out the identity of the victim before the crime happens? As you've probably guessed, she doesn't. When that victim is identified as Candra, the police see the paintings thanks to Kai's tip, and it makes Sweeney and Richard their prime suspects. The intricate workings of this "who dun it" leave a roadmap that clearly points to the villain. The ending is only made exciting when Sweeney confronts the killer all by herself.

Now You See Her is not a roller coaster ride of sheer suspense, but instead a sensual story that keeps you intrigued throughout. As I've found with the other Linda Howard books I've read, she always includes a bit of humor along the way. In this story, it comes in the character of a boy-toy named Kai and the repertoire between Richard and Sweeney.

The plot is good, character development is excellent (you even want to hate the Senator and his wife as much as Sweeney does!), and the book is packed with charm and captivation enough to enthrall you until the end. Even the predictable things have enough pizzazz to keep the reader from groaning!

After reading Now You See Her I can see why this was Linda Howard's sixth book on the New York Times Bestseller's List. It's a lot of fun to read!

This is my second novel that I have read from linda howard and would not have missed it for the world. It's action packed and has romance to it. My favorite types of novels. Even though the couple in the book get together in a shockingly fast amount of time it did not ruin the book for me. I'm glad that I discovered this author since I was starting to run out of good author's to read. I'm going to have alot of fun reading her books. If you're looking for a good fast paced book with romance dont miss this one!

This book was really wonderful. It was my first Linda Howard book. I want to read all of her books. I strongly recommend anyone who loves suspense and romance to read this book. It just carries you to a new place.

Now You See Her is only my second book by Linda Howard, my first being Dream Man. I felt this book didn't have good characters and I didn't really feel for them.

A year ago, Sweeny began seeing strange things, dead people. Also, other strange things began happening, lights would turn green all the time, she would know the answers to Jeapardy before the questions was asked. Just strange things.

Then recently, Sweeny would wake up in the middle of the night and "sleep paint". In the morning she'd wake up to find she had painted a murder scene. The scary thing was, she knew these people. One day she woke up to find that she painted shoes only, in order to find out who was murdered she had to complete the painting.

I found this book to be lacking (see, I can't even figure out what to write in a review for it!). The love story between Sweeny and Richard seemed thrown together just to have a love story. Although not terribly bad, I'd pass on this one