Shades of Gray [Paperback]

Vicki Hinze (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1998

Like Iris Johansen and Tami Hoag, Vicki Hinze writes suspense with strong female characters and true emotions.
-- A strong publicity hook: this novel takes place in the world of Air Force special ops. For years, the author lived in this world, as her husband (now retired) was an Air Force lieutenant colonel and was front and center in some of the world's "hot spots

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Vicki Hinze, wife of a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, writes authentically about the American military in this first novel of a series intended to honor the men, women, and their families who make untold sacrifices in the service of their country. Laura Taylor will go to any lengths to help her longtime friend Jake Logan and his son Timmy, whom she adores. She'll even marry Jake in order to prevent his crazy, alcoholic ex-wife from gaining custody of Timmy. Because Jake's work as a Special Operations major is so dangerous that it's unlikely he'll survive, he and Laura agree never to fall in love. Then Jake is sent on a covert mission to stop a terrorist group from poisoning a city's water supply with biological weapons, and he uncovers evidence that forces him to suspect Laura of treason. High tension, riveting action, and characters of extraordinary integrity and self-control make Shades of Gray informative and entertaining. --Ellen Edwards

From Publishers Weekly

Hinze moves from the cozy surroundings of the Seascape romances she writes as Victoria Barrett to a setting where love takes especially hard work. Members of the Special Operations unit of the U.S. Air Force certainly have a tough life. Dads and moms aren't always around for their kids, not if they're out on "TDY"Aactive duty fighting bad guys in swampy parts of the world. Hinze's hero, Jake (the ubiquitous name for macho heroes), has a 2% survival rate on most of the assignments he gets, so he's never really tried to put down roots, although he longs to. In order to keep his son Timmy out of the custody of his alcoholic ex-wife, Jake accepts his friend Laura Taylor's offer of a marriage of convenience. Laura is a former Special Ops officer who designs complicated communications equipment. Given their lives, love isn't an option, but after two years together, resisting it isn't either. The complications here go beyond the usual hurdles faced by romantic protagonists and make the romance more touching for being hard won. And if the main actionALaura and Jake must combat terrorists amassing anthrax in the Florida EvergladesAseems far-fetched, just read The New York Times. 500,000 first printing.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper; First Edition edition (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312966105
• ISBN-13: 978-0312966102
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was raised in New Orleans. After I married a Hurricane Hunter/Special Ops officer, we and our children moved every few years. Some of those places? Mississippi (recently devastated by Hurricane Katrina); California; Illinois and Florida.

I've been writing full-time since 1987, have written over thirty books--novels and nonfiction--and for the last ten years or so, I've spent a lot of time teaching new writers or running mentoring programs like [e-mail], when I answer questions on the craft, business and writing life, sharing what I can to help. I also have a free online writers' library, ON WRITING, on my website:(www.vickihinze.com)that WritersZone members and others are welcome to use. Additional podcasts and feature articles are available there, too. I'm a sponsor of As a Mom--love their project teaching history--The Book Club Network, and of International Thriller Writers.

Between family and writing commitments, I don't have as much time for hobbies as I once did. My favorite? Home-improvement projects. I'm active in ITW, MWA, RWA, ACFW, NINC, ACRA, AG, AWSA and other writing organizations.

Blogs? Oh, yes. My Kitchen Table for chatting, On Writing about craft, business and the writing life. VICKI HINZE'S FAITH ZONE, on spirituality. THINKING ALOUD--a thought per day to ponder for the busiest among us. All are on my website at www.vickihinze.com/blog I love hearing from readers, typically via my website or Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Hinze/197809543636310) and Twitter ( http://twitter.com/vickihinze ).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, June 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shades of Gray (Paperback)

This is the first time I've read a Vicki Hinze book and I must say I was extremely pleased. The story line caught my interest from the start, and it was just difficult to leave once that occurred. There was just a little of everything, romance, intrigue, an independent woman, maternal instincts, value of honesty and integrity.. you just don't see that too often.

While this was my first Vicki Hinze, it sure won't be my last. I've just ordered Duplicity. Hinze has a new fan!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shades of Gray (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I started it Saturday morning and didn't put it down until I finished it, Saturday night (I'm a slow reader). Jake Logan and Laura Taylor marry in order to make it easier for Jake to gain custody of his son Timmy. Laura is more than willing to do this as she truly loves Timmy and is very close to Jake. They promise each other that they will not fall in love and that the marriage is strictly to benefit the child. (Good luck is what I thought at that point) As both involved in the military where danger is always around the corner, Laura is around Timmy more often than Jake. Madeline, Timmy's mother and a drunk constantly tries to harm Laura as revenge for 'taking' Jake away from her; sometimes even risking the child's life and wrecking havoc in this family's life, which includes making it difficult for Laura to officially adopt Timmy. Neverthless, someone out there hates Laura and Jake enough to attempt to kill. I love the chemistry between Jake and Laura, how can there not be? She see's his undying love for his son and he see's her unwavering loyalty. A great read. If you like this book, try Tempting Fate by Meryl Sawyer, similar in some ways but not exactly. If you already enjoyed Tempting Fate, I guarantee you this too will be a winner in your book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An "I Can't put it down book", December 7, 1999

By 

B. Kimble "blackson62" (Houma, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shades of Gray (Paperback)

This book was great. I had other things to do, but when I got to a certain part of the book, I could not put it down until the very end. The mystery was great. I enjoyed the romance also. This book is a MUST BUY.