Customer Reviews

Triple Exposure

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rachel Copeland returns to her home in Marfa, Texas, thinking to find safety and refuge from her past. Serenity is the last thing Rachel finds as danger lurks in every corner: in the landscape, in her family, from the loner Zeke and from someone who means her harm. Unearthly lights, known as the Marfa lights, and ghostly owls haunt the desert landscape with an inexplicable mystery. The Marfa spirit guides have a way of uncovering even the darkest secrets. Rachel Copeland's stalker won't ever let her forget that she killed a man. The courts may have let her go saying it was self-defense but no one can seem to forget, not even Rachel herself. Her defense has wrecked havoc on the life and finances of her father and step-mother. Doubt lingers. Hostilities and resentments tinge personal interactions. While in her step-mother's diner, Rachel meets a loner, a man who also shuns attention, a man no one really knows. As she photographs his woodworking, she captures on film what her heart sees --- Zeke Pike, a man ever so sensuous and talented. Rachel's camera gets her in a load of trouble as her photography peels away the layers, opening up secrets and raw emotions. When Rachel's photographs become part of a committee's program to promote local artists, the beauty of Zeke's body and art stand before her in print and in her heart in a way she can no longer ignore. Just as her heart opens, the public exposure stirs up past and current trouble. Suddenly, danger threatens both love and life --- but who is behind all the threats? A startling, eye-opening, edge-of-the-seat twist draws Zeke and Rachel together like never before.

Colleen Thompson writes a thrilling, intricate tale of suspense that reaches deep into the darkness and secrets of the human heart. Carefully chosen citations at the beginning of each chapter create a mysterious atmosphere with images of the Marfa lights and indeed light itself. Eerie passages on owls, evil and justice give Colleen Thompson's narrative a haunting context from which to view the desert and inner landscapes. From the very first pages, the reader catches glimpses of the villain's heart before an identity is ever known, creating a chilling effect as the reader understands the current impetus driving the villain but not necessarily the motive or subtle connections. TRIPLE EXPOSURE interweaves multi-layered threads of suspense as the past and present merge, not just from one character but many. TRIPLE EXPOSURE will keep readers guessing until the final heart-stopping resolution. Colleen Thompson creates an intriguing infrastructure that leaves the reader feeling that only the drawing together of this unique hero and this unique heroine could ever unveil the secrets.

TRIPLE EXPOSURE creates an exquisite match between hero and heroine, two people bruised deeply by past experiences who respond to each from the very depths. Despite the fears triggered by her stalker, Rachel is a strong and talented heroine. Photographer and sail plane pilot, Rachel may have been a victim once but she is certainly not a passive woman. She has an eye for beauty and a heart for her family. Colleen Thompson paints a beautiful portrait of father and daughter as well as the underlying resentments triggered by change within Rachel's family. Colleen Thompson's descriptions (as seen thorough Rachel's eyes) of photography and flying are sheer beauty. She captures the very essence of the spirit found in the natural and artistic world. Zeke, the stunningly handsome stranger, the man without a family, has a heart that intrigues just as much as his body and art. Protector of horses and abused animals, Zeke nurtures them, but can he bring his own heart back from despair? Zeke is a man who treasures solitude but as Rachel enters his life, Zeke's true self emerges, both the person that he was and the different man he is today. Colleen Thompson's descriptions of solitude and intimacy create a magnificent portrait of romance as a healing force.

TRIPLE EXPOSURE is not only a powerful romance but also a rich story about family dynamics and about the grief and forgiveness. In TRIPLE EXPOSURE, Colleen Thompson writes a tension-filled tale of a multi-layered danger with an eerie connection between landscape and the human mind. Suspense and romance combine, igniting the hero and heroine with a healing love that transforms, rippling outwards to others and through time, bringing past secrets to new light. TRIPLE EXPOSURE is a must read for Colleen Thompson and Romantic Suspense fans!

STORY BRIEF:
Rachel is an artistic photographer in Philadelphia. She shot a nineteen-year-old stalker Kyle in self defense. She spent all of her money paying lawyers to defend her in the trial. She returns to live with her father in the tiny town of Marfa, Texas. She believes Kyle's mother is behind threatening phone calls and accidents/murder attempts on her life. Twenty years earlier, Zeke was somehow tied to a crime and has been on the run and living as a recluse with a fake name in Marfa. Someone may be after him as well. Rachel took a sensual shirtless picture of Zeke without his knowledge which causes the first conflict between them.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This story has a lot of complicated interwoven plot and mystery, which is ok if one enjoys that sort of thing. There is a lot of conflict, dislike and/or desire for revenge among multiple characters. Rachel and Zeke are both objects of people trying to hurt them. Most of the characters in this story are flawed or unpleasant, including the heroine. Early in the story I was thinking "aren't there any good guys here?" No one was appealing to me. I had trouble liking Rachel because of her actions. She is deceptive and dishonest with Zeke about the picture she took of him. She refuses to return phone calls to her psychologist for weeks because she doesn't want to think about a particular event that will help her lawyers. I had trouble buying the relationship between Zeke and Rachel. I felt like the author didn't know how to get it going so she had Zeke forgive Rachel in a way that was too easy and not rational for me. Later they have a fight. Rachel asks Zeke a reasonable question, but he gets mad at the question which had me shaking my head. At times I wanted the story to be over. Readers who enjoy the mental exercises of a mystery full of red herrings may enjoy this more than I did. I prefer more emotional draw in a story.

DATA:
Story length: 321 pages. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Length of sex scenes: 2.2 and 2.7 pages. Setting: current day Marfa, Texas. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic mystery and suspense.

Photographer Rachel Copeland has spent the past year learning about obsessions. She had only begun to make a name for herself in Philadelphia, still supporting her small studio by teaching at the university, when a nineteen-year-old student's obsessive attraction changed her life forever. An obsession that Kyle Underwood reinforced with lies and doctored porn shots of her on the Internet. An obsession that culminated the night she awakened to find him standing naked over her bed, reaching for her.

The night she shot and killed a young man to save herself.

Then came the press's obsession with the gory details of the trial that ruined her life, although she was proven innocent of anything but self-defense. Not to mention the obsession of the boy's mother for revenge.

Now she has returned to her remote hometown of Marfa, Texas, hoping to find peace and put her life back together. To her father who loves her more than anything, and who stretched his financial reserves to bail her out this past year, and to the disapproval of her step-mother, whose relationship with Rachel has never been an easy one.

Zeke Pike has an obsession, too. An obsession to protect the secret of his past, a past he buried twenty years before, a past that could destroy his life, take his freedom, and cause him to forsake the promise he made to his mother. His self-imposed hermitage in Marfa for the past fourteen years, hand-crafting furniture from desert wood, closed-mouthed and closed-hearted, is a testament to the strength of his resolve to allow nothing or no one to threaten that secret.

Until Rachel's spunky attitude and sense of humor draws him from his shell. Only for both of them to find that true obsessions follow until dealt with, through the miles, through the years.

What follows is a skillful tale of suspense; one whose characters are so - human - the reader roots for them from the very first page. The relationship that develops between Rachel and Zeke is loving and sweet and sexy, a perfect counter-balance to the darkness that tracks them. The secondary character of Rachel's stepmother Patsy, and their uneasy connection are brilliantly written. The mystery is intense and intricately woven, laid down as surely as a treasure map, which leads to its exciting conclusion. This story will keep one turning the pages, to find if these two artistic and caring souls can survive TRIPLE EXPOSURE.

I read everything from the back of cereal boxes to Nietzsche. Let me tell you, this author is a keeper. Easy to read, easy to love, but you won't be able to quit thinking about what she's written.
Jody

The plot has twists I did not expect. There's murder, rape, loneliness, abuse, spoiled brats, complicated family relationships, insanity, artistic creations, love, unexpected emotions and comic relief provided by James Dean, a dog. Most of the story takes place around gliders outside a small Texas community. What more could a reader want?

TRIPLE EXPOSURE
COLLEEN THOMPSON
Romantic Suspense

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Killing her would-be attacker did not save Rachel Copeland from terror. She left Boston to return home Marfa, Texas, hoping to escape the media and a stalker, who believes Rachel didn't act in self-defense, but as a seductress and murderer. Believing if she left it all behind, she could start over.

Zeke Pike is a loner. He is perfectly happy not having to deal with people on a daily basis. He'd rather work with his hands, creating wood furniture, or ride out into the desert, alone. He has left his past far behind, missing it, but never to seeking to repair it.
Rachel and Zeke strike and unlikely friendship that quickly leads to passion. But the past is not ready to be buried. Who seeks to hurt Rachel, and why the animosity? Can Zeke and Rachel find happiness, if the killer doesn't get to them first?

TRIPLE EXPOSURE is a masterfully spun tale of romantic suspense. I was not able to correctly guess the true villain, though I had many suspects in mind. I was completely absorbed into this gripping story. While the thrilling suspense kept me glued to my seat, the compelling tenderness Zeke felt for Rachel, and her returned passion was wonderfully captured into words. I felt as if these two were perfect for each other. Though they had to work at realizing they were meant to have a future together. I was highly amused when the high school classmate of Rachel's was humiliated by her own actions, I always enjoy seeing a "mean girl" get a shot of her own medicine.

I look forward to reading more books by Colleen Thompson, who, prior to writing suspense wrote historical books as Gwyneth Atlee and Colleen Easton. She currently lives in Texas with her family. When she's not writing you can find her with her family or with a book in her face. You can learn more about her on the web at: [...]

Aemelia
Enchanting Reviews
October 2009

Colleen Thompson is one of the truely great story tellers of our time. I enjoy reading all of her books. I believe you will too.

That is the only way I can explain Colleen's ability to create characters. I love her books, but she exceeded my expectations with Triple Exposure. You'll love Rachel Copeland.

In Philadelphia, the nineteen years old started to stalk photographer-teacher Rachel Copeland until she finally shot him in self defense. Although exonerated as not guilty by the law, the scandal of a teacher with a student destroyed her reputation as she is hung as a femme fatale by the public especially condemning her are the altered pictures on the Internet that showed them together in lewd poses. Finally the female that calls at any hour threatening to harm her puts Rachel over the top. Having had enough of the lies and threats, Rachel heads two thousand miles to the southwest to go home to remote Marfa, Texas where mysterious lights in the sky are part of the local scene.

Rachel helps her dad with his sailplane business while still taking pictures as she always has. However, when she takes a photo of reclusive furniture maker Zeke Pike, the subsequent publicity disturbs him as he has a history with unfair public condemnation too. As Zeke and Rachel go from fulfilled lust to unfulfilled love, she feels déjà vu as the stalking with suspicious accidents and calls begins again.

TRIPLE EXPOSURE is a terrific twisting Texas romantic suspense in which each time the reader settles into a comfort zone; Colleen Thompson pulls the rug with a clever plausible spin. Fans will empathize with the lead couple; as each has faced and continues to confront public condemnation even though they insist they are the victims. Ms. Thompson provides a strong thriller starring two people struggling rightfully so with trust issues while their respective worlds collapse on them and their loved ones for the second time.

Harriet Klausner

***This review may contain a spoiler***
There is something that is seen fairly commonly in science fiction, horror and urban fantasy fictions, and that is the pocket universe. This is when writers create their own little universe, and then continue to explore it in their fictions. This is not the same as having a continuing character; these pocket universes rarely have continuing characters. Thompson seems to have created her own little pocket universe in her Texas regionalism writings. A main character here comes from Bone Lake (see below) which will be the setting for Thompson's next novel (Beneath Bone Lake), all though I don't recall if the character here is mentioned in "Beneath Bone Lake", a novel which itself would give birth to a minor character that will star in her own novel due sometime this year. "Triple Exposure" and "Bone Lake" are the only two Thompson novels that I've read so far, so I don't know if her earlier novels are also set in this pocket universe. Investigation is needed.

In "Triple Exposure", Rachel Copeland is coming home. See, she's been on vacation at the state of Texas' expense for a year after killing Kyle Underwood, an unstable sociopath who had stalked her, terrorized her, and it turns out, had drugged and raped her. It's not a smooth homecoming as some members of her family, blood and extended, have issues with her. Not the least of who is Patsy, Rachel's stepmother, with whom Rachel has never managed to bond with after Patsy's marriage to Rachel's Dad soon after Rachel's mother had died. There is also the small matter that Rachel has a nasty stalker who blames Rachel for Kyle's behavior, and Rachel believes the stalker to be Kyle's mother, who had managed to terrorize her, even during Rachel's time in the Big House.

Once a promising and respected photographer, Rachel's career was sidelined by her stay at the hoosegow, and its subsequent scandal; now home in Marfa, and trying to put her life back in order, Rachel is approached by local social matron and queen-bee Antoinette Gallinardi. Gallinardi now wants Rachel to do some work for her and her committee, needing the money, she decides to take the job, during which she meets the hot Zeke Pike, and man with his own problems, and who is a man (from Bone Lake) on the run from his own past. And who seems to have his own (deadly) stalker.

A firm believer in multi-perspective storytelling, the novel drifts between the viewpoints of almost all of the major female characters, and Zeke. Through this procedure we able to see, feel, and understand the pressure that Rachel's problems, through no fault of her own, has put upon her family, we get to feel the effects of the growing passion between Rachel and Zeke, and feel the pressure of the effects of the stalking on Rachel and Zeke as they find that they will have to confront the unpleasantness of their past. We also get to see through the stalkers/stalker's eyes and we get to know what they are doing, feeling, and planning, thus ratcheting up the Hitchcockian-style suspense.

Thompson has several great things going in this novel. The first is the whole airplane thing; this is a nice change of pace, as it puts a slightly different spin on the storyline. One of the ways this is seen is how Rachel, almost against (well, not really) her will, is drawn back into her father's chartered airplane business.

Another good thing is this novel's plot, which may have one of the most convoluted plotlines that I've read in many a year. Unlike many who find such things unbelievable, I'm just happy Thompson's taking me along for the ride, and it manages to keep the book interesting, and to keep me reading.

There is also the likeability of the major characters, like the feisty and hurt Rachel, who seems to having the type of problems that even Dr. Phil couldn't solve, or of Patsy, who seems hurt and confused by Rachel's attitude, and is unsure as how to handle her. I also liked the way that Thompson will keep you guessing as to what the stalkers are doing, who they are, and what their next moves will be.

A negative is that after bending the storyline into a proverbial and convoluted pretzel, Thompson gives us a too neat of an ending to Rachel's problems, one of which comes dangerously close to that of a deux ex machina. This is especially clear when we find out the identity of one of the novel's antagonists, and of all of Rachel's personal, business, and social problems.

"Triple Exposure" also has a neat cover, which is explained within the book, and the novel even has a touch of the supernatural to it, as the infamous Marfa Lights keep becoming part of the plotline, right up to a time when they almost get a major character killed. However much I liked this Hitchockian novel, it's the too neat ending, though, which knocks the rating down a star. The quote that gives this review its title is Thompson's take on the Marfa Lights.