Thunder Creek [Mass Market Paperback]

Jill Gregory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2003

In a place called thunder creek, two wary hearts are about to get a second chance at love.

When Katy Templeton fled her small Wyoming town and its painful memories, she thought she’d said good-bye to Thunder Creek forever. But now the prodigal daughter has come home. Home to the relentless ghosts of the past. Home to Jackson Brent, the lean, hard cowboy with the lazy smile--and the last person on earth she ever wanted to lay eyes on again.

Time and tragedy had come between them, but Jackson never forgot his best friend’s kid sister. The coltish beauty blossomed into a stunning woman, burned by love yet unafraid to take on the whole town to get justice for her family. Katy blames him for her beloved brother’s death, but as she digs for answers about that fateful day fourteen years earlier, there is someone ready to kill to keep her from getting them--and Jackson might be the only one who can save her. He wants her safe--and in his arms, but Katy can’t rest until she discovers the truth. Fighting her red-hot attraction to Jackson, Katy risks everything--even the yearnings of her own heart--to unravel the truth about her brother’s death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A clutter of inessential characters bogs down the first few chapters of historical romance author Gregory's debut contemporary mystery, but once the action revs up, readers will gladly sit back and enjoy the journey. When Katy Templeton returns to Wyoming to reopen her grandmother's diner, she clashes with veterinarian Jackson Brent, the man she blamed for her brother's fatal accident 10 years earlier. After the double trauma of a miscarriage and divorce, Katy wants only to heal. But a list in her brother's old backpack and a sketch of a dead woman that he apparently drew on the day he died sends her in search of the truth. With Jackson's help, she uncovers clues indicating that her brother may have been murdered, though the key events that trigger her suspicion will strain readers' belief. After all, why would her brother need a to-do list to remind himself to report his discovery of a dead body? The story gains momentum midway as plausible suspects surface and someone makes an attempt on Katy's life, but the events that occur after the book's fast-moving climax feel de trop. Still, this minor flaw shouldn't lessen the enjoyment of Gregory's fans, who will be pleased by her treatment of the protagonists' relationship and drawn in by the book's cozy, small-town setting.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

After a devastating divorce, Katy Templeton returns to her Wyoming hometown to recuperate and to lend her family a helping hand. Soon she runs into handsome Jackson Brent, her deceased brother Matt's best friend, and the painful memories of Matt's accidental death resurface. After Katy visits Matt's room and stumbles on a disturbing sketch of what looks like a dead woman, she reluctantly turns to Jackson for help. Although they have been avoiding each other, they agree to try to determine the mysterious woman's identity and why Matt sketched her. As they work their way closer to the truth, they begin to fall for each other and to suspect that Matt's death may not have been accidental. Just as the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, Katy and Jackson realize that someone will go to any length to keep them from discovering what really happened. Gregory's latest is a transfixing blend of fiery romance and spine-tingling suspense. Megan Kalan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Reissue edition (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440237327
• ISBN-13: 978-0440237327
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an avid reader and book lover who has written over thirty books since my first historical romance was published in 1980. I grew up in Chicago and have a degree in English Education from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and now live in Michigan. In addition to historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense, I've written thrillers with my best friend, Karen Tintori. My books have been translated and published in more than 24 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable..., February 21, 2007

By 

ThisThatNEverything "thisthatneverything" (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thunder Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

Description from back of book:

In a place called thunder creek, two wary hearts are about to get a second chance at love...

When Katy Templeton fled her small Wyoming town and its painful memories, she thought she'd said good-bye to Thunder Creek forever. But now the prodigal daughter has come home. Home to the relentless ghosts of the past. Home to Jackson Brent, the lean, hard cowboy with the lazy smile-and the last person on earth she ever wanted to lay eyes on again...

Time and tragedy had come between them, but Jackson never forgot his best friend's kid sister. The coltish beauty blossomed into a stunning woman, burned by love yet unafraid to take on the whole town to get justice for her family. Katy blames him for her beloved brother's death, but as she digs for answers about that fateful day fourteen years earlier, there is someone ready to kill to keep her from getting them-and Jackson might be the only one who can save her. He wants her safe--and in his arms, but Katy can't rest until she discovers the truth. Fighting her red-hot attraction to Jackson, Katy risks everything-even the yearnings of her own heart-to unravel the truth about her brother's death...

* This is the first in a 3 book series & I think it's off to a wonderful start. I usually go for the historical romances but since I'm a Jill Gregory fan I gave this series a try even though it's Contemporary Romances. The people were very interesting, the story line was awesome, the mystery (although I'd figured out most of it) was very suspenseful & the romance/relationship was amazing. I don't see how any Jill Gregory fan or any fan of contemporary romances could not enjoy this book. Highly recommended. It looks to be a very promosing series.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars disappointed, August 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Thunder Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

I have every book that Jill Gregory has written. I absolutely loved 'Rough Wrangler, Tender Kisses' and 'Once an Outlaw". I was really disappointed that not only was this not a historical romance but after reading 'Thunder Creek' I was not impressed. I'm no author and I may not be in any postion to critic this book but I know what I like. This is not a 'keeper'.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic mystery suspense romance, October 3, 2011

By 

A Book a Day (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thunder Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

I recently purchased a box of used books containing random authors that I'd never read before and have been going through the stacks. Thunder Creek was the next in line and from the very first page, I was completely hooked and found myself immersed in a wonderful fast paced story filled with mystery, suspense, and fantastic chemistry. What is shocking to me is that there are so few reviews on this book so if you come across a Jill Gregory book, give it a chance.

Katy Templeton is a 28 year old, beautiful and successful restaurant chain owner who's suffered great loss in her life. At 14, she lost her brother Matt to a tragic accident and couldn't wait to get away from the small Wyoming town that holds so much pain for her. Fourteen years later, she's reeling from the miscarriage of her daughter and a divorce from her husband and business partner. When her grandmother comes down with pneumonia, Katy decides it's the perfect time to help out her family and hopefully take some time to figure out her next step, so she goes home after a ten year absence. She's looking forward to reconnecting with some of her oldest friends, but what she wasn't prepared for was the return of Jackson Brent, her brother's best friend who had also left town, and the person she ultimately blames for Matt's death.

While back home, she decides to go through some of Matt's old memorobilia and comes across the last notebook he ever wrote in. What she finds chills her to her bones because not only did Matt write down that he needed to talk to the sherriff, but he drew a picture of a dead woman lying in some grass. When Katy decides to start asking questions about why he would have done this, she goes to those who were closest to him for answers which leads her back to Jackson. Jackson is just as disturbed by the picture and together they start to unravel the truth of exactly what happened 14 years ago and that Matt's death may not have been an accident afterall.

There are so many things that I liked about this book. Right from the short prologue, this story weaves and intriguing web that pulls you in and doesn't let go. There were so many suspects, side stories, and distractions that I didn't figure out the ending until, well, the ending. Although alot was going on in the side stories, they all tied in nicely back to Katy and her wonderfully developed relationship with Jackson. Last, but certainly not least, Katy and Jackson were simply great characters. Katy had some TSTL moments, but with Jackson by her side, they were an unbeatable unit and I love how the two worked together and shared with one another to not only solve a complicated mystery, but create a sexy and engaging love story as well.