Without Warning [Hardcover]

Eugenia Lovett West (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007

When Emma Streat’s megasuccessful CEO husband dies in a hit-and-run accident, she sets out to find his killer. The search plunges the dynamic ex-opera singer into an international high-tech world where a new laser invention may become a global threat. Using her talent for making unlikely connections, Emma becomes involved with an intriguing British peer who works undercover smoking out spies. Then two physicists are murdered and a key notebook stolen. Emma must keep her head while mourning her husband’s death and sustaining threats on her life. Her search spirals into a terrifying development---and a surprising end.

With her debut mystery, Eugenia Lovett West has crafted a thrilling and emotionally packed story. Emma Streat is a strong, appealing heroine, a resourceful woman who is determined to discover what shattered her quiet life, no matter the cost.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This engaging start of a new series, West's first novel since 1979's The Ancestors Cry Out, introduces former opera star and blueblood Emma Streat. Emma's husband, Lewis, CEO of a defense company, has grown terse and paranoid of late, increasingly concerned with security and refusing to tell Emma what's bothering him. On a trip to London, Emma demands to know what's happening, but Lewis only tells her there's a problem with a new weapons project. Shortly after their return to Connecticut, Lewis dies in a suspicious accident. Emma heads back to London to investigate and soon learns of a second death, then a third. Though attempts are made on her own life, she remains determined to learn who murdered her husband and why. West spins a plausible tale, and flawed, grieving Emma makes an appealing heroine. (Nov.)
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About the Author

Eugenia Lovett West was born in Boston. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and worked for Harper’s Bazaar and the American Red Cross. Then came marriage, four children, and volunteer work. She is the author of The Ancestors Cry Out, a historical novel. Eugenia divides her time between Connecticut and New Hampshire.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312371136
• ISBN-13: 978-0312371135
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,642,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without Warning is Wonderful, December 4, 2007

By 

Barbara A. Piette (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Without Warning (Hardcover)

What a thrilling, suspenseful read. I could not put this book down. Our heroine could be our friend or neighbour, and we step right into her shoes. She is psychologically consistent, and easy to empathize with. The place descriptions captured the essence of London and New England so well. I cannot wait for Ms West's next thriller.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fab vacation read!, December 3, 2007

By 

Liz Palmetto (Wenham, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Without Warning (Hardcover)

Loved this book. Couldnt put it down. Finished it in 2 days. Had had it sitting on my bedside table for months and then couldnt believe I had let it sit there that long. I found myself casting the movie version (Mr. Spielberg?) with Jane Alexander, Michelle Phieffer, .. maybe George Clooney? Or maybe this could be Tom Hanks next Oscar! I was right there in the black London taxi with the narrator, and right there in New England with the accurate descriptions.. baby boomers will love this book- it has it all! When does the sequel come out?????

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining, November 3, 2010

By 

Carolyn J. Mears (Daphne, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Without Warning (Kindle Edition)

WITHOUT WARNING is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. If there's such a thing as a cozy mystery-thriller this is probably it (dead bodies, but no gore; plenty of interest-binding tension but no serious nail-biting). The story is well-paced and the writing is crisp. The author does an excellent job of setting up believable scenes without a lot of wordy description. And there's a whole cast of interesting characters.

The story takes off quickly after Emma Streat's husband is killed in the first chapter by a hit-and-run driver and the new widow has reasons to suspect it might not have been an accident. Emma is a strong, likable character who seems like a real person, although not quite developed enough to fully convince me that a CEO's wife would respond to some of the very threatening situations the way she did. (e.g. when common sense would say run-like-heck, Emma didn't, and I wasn't sure why). But, that's not a serious criticism; I was more than willing to suspend any small disbelief so I could get on with the story.

Eugenia Lovett West is a story-teller with an oddly refreshing "voice". I look forward to reading another book by her.