Secret Admirer [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Patricia MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

Laura Reed feels safe and happy in Cape Christian, a little jewel of Victorian architecture and quiet streets on New Jersey's southern tip. The children's books she writes are earning her modest fame; her husband Jimmy's art gallery is flourishing; and Cape Christian is the right kind of small town in which to raise their little boy, Michael. She never dreams that this New Year's Eve her nearly perfect life will end. That a man in a ski mask will break into her house, knock her out, and shoot her husband dead. That it will be nearly one hour before she revives and calls 911. That those missing minutes before her call will convince the police that she committed the crime. Although there is too little evidence to arrest her, Laura feels the eyes of the entire community - including her in-laws' - accusing her. Even her lawyer, Jimmy's business partner, doesn't seem to believe her. Her only ally is Gary, a young wheelchair-bound painter. His faithful devotion and the bouquets he sends brighten Laura's days. Then Ian Turner docks his sailboat in Cape Christian, and a chance meeting brings him into Laura's life. His marriage, too, has ended in tragedy, and he not only believes Laura, but falls in love with her. For the first time since Jimmy's murder, Laura dares to feel alive. Until she begins to sense that danger is near.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mediocre writing almost sinks MacDonald's (Mother's Day and Little Sister) awkward hybrid of mystery and romance. Laura Reed is a renowned children's-book writer whose personal life is just as fulfilling as her professional one. She lives in a perfectly restored Victorian home in a relentlessly quaint town on the New Jersey shore with her loving husband, Jimmy, and their five-year-old son. But it all ends on New Year's Eve when an intruder conks her on the head and shoots Jimmy to death in their bed. Because she was unconscious, an hour passed before the police were called; Laura becomes the prime suspect, but the prosecutor doesn't have enough evidence to arrest her. While law enforcement hunts, Laura goes into seclusion for five months. On her first day out, she happens to meet Ian Hunter, a lone sailor who recently and tragically lost his own wife and son. They quickly become involved. Was their meeting chance?or something more sinister? Despite a shamelessly contrived plot and barely believable characters, MacDonald keeps her readers guessing until a conclusion that may make the preceding worth wading through.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Some readers prefer popular novels whose authors cleverly manipulate or even alter established patterns. Others derive pleasure from genre fiction when authors carefully adhere to formula. Secret Admirer appeals to the latter group, for it employs almost every convention of romantic suspense fiction. Laura Reed, widowed by the unsolved murder of her beloved husband, Jimmy, struggles to control her sorrow and to comfort her young son. The attentions of a handsome stranger, Ian Turner, renew Laura's interest in life and allow mother and son to hope they can once again be happy. Then, accusations that she killed Jimmy force Laura to doubt every friend, including Ian. All questions remain unsolved until Laura herself confronts the murderer. MacDonald's (Mother's Day, Warner, 1994) clever title is both a clue and a red herring. Useful for large collections of popular fiction.
Jane S. Bakerman, Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas T Beeler (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574900390
• ISBN-13: 978-1574900392
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,465,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down..., August 12, 2002

By 

Sharon L. Valdez "book addict" (East Coast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Admirer (Hardcover)

This is the second Patricia MacDonald book I have read (the other being Lost Innocents) and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more than the first. I could not put this book down. I was determined not to close it until I devoured the very last page. The story is about a women whose husband is murdered. The police think she is the killer but do not have the evidence to arrest her. Throughout the story you meet a plethora of shady characters, each one convincing you that he/she is the actual killer. You do not know for sure until the very end. I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuine Who-done-it!!, March 12, 2006

By 

Steven James (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Admirer (Mass Market Paperback)

This book kept me up into the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out who was the killer. Another excellent book by one of this genres best writers. Not quite as enthralling as "The Unforgiven" by the same author, but darn close. I would recommend this book to just about everyone as there is no excessive profanity or gratuitous sex. This book goes into my all-time-favorite categories. Read Secret Admirer today!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars one that keeps you guessing till the very end, June 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (the west coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Admirer (Mass Market Paperback)

a read worth your time. this book takes so many turns...just when you think you know who done it, something happens to change your mind. a total shock in the end as to who it really was.