She Loves Me Not [Mass Market Paperback]

Wendy Corsi Staub (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Life goes on. That's what young widow Rose Larrabee tells herself each day as she has to be both mother and father to her two young children, a task that leaves little time for new romance. That's why she's surprised to find the simple, homemade valentine in her mailbox, a paper heart with no signature. It could be a sweet reminder, but for Rose, the red heart has special significance...a link to a secret she shares with two other women...a secret that has just gotten one of them brutally murdered.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wendy Corsi Staub's She Loves Me Not details the domestic dramas of a single mother who has been targeted by a killer. Ever since Rose Larabee lost her husband and underwent heart transplant surgery, she's had troubles making ends meet. But now she has a new problem-a stalker who sends her eerie, heart-shaped gifts. Rose's friends try to convince her that the gifts may not be as sinister as she suspects, but when her boss, bookstore owner Luke Pfleuger, turns up dead on her lawn, it becomes clear that her "secret admirer" may be a murderer. The novel chugs along slowly as Staub (In the Blink of an Eye, etc.) describes Rose's domestic struggles. Indeed, some readers may forget that this is a thriller, not a work of women's fiction. Too tame to appeal to fans of the former and too dark for fans of the latter, this genre-bending tale will have difficulties finding its niche.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Scary...the characters are well drawn, and the atmosphere suitably gothic. Staub keeps the readers guessing." - Publishers Weekly" --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786014245
• ISBN-13: 978-0786014248
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,824,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an award winning, New York Times bestselling suspense novelist of more than 70 novels. All of my adult thrillers and in print backlist are available on Amazon and many are e-books as well. Check out my author website at www.WendyCorsiStaub.com, my reader community site at www.WendyCorsiStaubCommunity.com, and my author page at www.facebook.com/pages/Wendy-Corsi-Staub/43054289209. I'm also a bestselling novelist with the chick lit and romantic comedy I write under the pseudonym "Wendy Markham."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MOVE OVER MARY HIGGINS CLARK!!!!!, January 29, 2003

By 

Michele Padluck (Washingtonville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: She Loves Me Not (Mass Market Paperback)

Wendy Corsi Staub is definitely the new Queen of Suspense! She Loves Me Not grabs you from the very first page and does not let you go. This is a fast paced, brilliantly plotted suspense/thriller that is absolutely impossible to put down. I couldn't wait for my copy to arrive in the mail and it was well worth the wait! Wendy has so much talent as an author that I would love to see her books come out in hardcover. She keeps you guessing until the very end and her writing style is a gift. Anyone out there who is a fan of mystery/suspense must read this book. The setting is perfect, a little Long Island town in the middle of winter. The characters are wonderfully developed and it is filled with nail-biting suspense. Treat yourself to a true gem of a book that will keep you up reading until you finish.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, June 23, 2004

By 

Dianna "Sullynation" - See all my reviews

This review is from: She Loves Me Not (Mass Market Paperback)

I gave this a five star although my rating would be more like a 4 1/2. I really like Staub's writing, but sometimes the main character can be a little whiney for me and goes on and on about their drama. I know this is to help us empathize with the character, but sometimes a little goes a long way.

Other than that, Staub has a talent for hooking the reader and then slamming us with a surprise at the end that you never quite see coming.

I'll continue to read her work.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart For a Heart, January 24, 2004

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: She Loves Me Not (Mass Market Paperback)

Rose Larrabee, a young widow fears for her life and that of her two children, Jenna, 6 and Leo, 3. She has plenty of reason for concern - widowed at a very early age and facing a serious heart condition, Rose treasures each joy that comes her way, including a mysterious Valentine she receives in the mail.

The Valentine appears to be the first clue in a series of mysteries that follow her. Small items begin to vanish around the home. At first, she suspects Leo who has a habit of picking things up innocently because they caught his interest. In time, she began to fear there was something sinister about the Valentine and wonders if there is a connection between it and the items that are supposedly misplaced in the home.

A long list of suspects begins to emerge. A neighbor, distraught over her crumbling marriage and desire for a child appears to have an agenda. A co-worker in the Long Island bookstore where Rose works might have some insight into the bizarre mail and missing items. Two other women, one who had been given the gift of sight through an organ donor and another woman whose life improved after an organ transplant are murdered. Neither woman lives near the other and none of the women knew each other. The mysteries interlock and deepen - is Rose somehow connected with the two murdered women? And what could possibly be the link that binds them all?

This is an intensely riveting book that I really enjoyed. It is brilliantly written and will keep readers eager to find out more about each of the well developed characters. This is a high caliber mystery.