Superstition (Paperback)

~ Karen Robards (Author) "GET AWAY FROM ME! Oh, God, somebody help me!" Tara Mitchell screamed, glancing over her shoulder as she fled through the dark house, her widened..." (more)
Key Phrases: same perp, ghost voices, dirty cop, Tara Mitchell, Uncle Ham, Old Taylor Place (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Combining elements of a Southern gothic, a cozy comedy, a sexy romance and a serial killer thriller, this new offering from Robards (Bait, etc.) tries to be too many things at once, and the result is a mishmash of familiar devices and recycled characters. One such is Joe Franconi, a big city cop turned police chief for small Pawleys Island, S.C. With his "washboard abs" and painful past, Joe is the average tortured hero, and sexy TV reporter Nicky Sullivan is his natural counterpart. Nicky, with the help of her psychic mother, intends to revisit the scene of a 15-year-old unsolved murder, but Mayor Vince Capra will do anything—even enlist the local police—to keep the program from airing. With no legal ground to stand on, Joe fails to stop the filming, but he's conveniently on hand to rescue Nicky when she stumbles on a fresh murder victim and nearly becomes one herself. Has the killer from 15 years ago resurfaced, or is a new killer on the loose? Joe and Nicky spend as much time arguing over who will solve the case as they do staring "hotly" at one another, but ironically, neither succeeds in solving anything. Though the book has its suspenseful moments (and its amusing ones, which primarily involve a pig named Cleo), its final twist feels manufactured simply to bring hero and heroine together. Agent, Robert Gottlieb. (Apr.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When Nicky Sullivan starts looking for a story for her failing investigative news program, she thinks about her childhood home on Pawleys Island, South Carolina, remembering the unsolved deaths of three teenagers that occurred there 15 years ago, and turns to the local psychic, her mother Leonora James, for help. The only problem is that her mother, who agreed to a live broadcast, is having problems with her ability to communicate with the dead, and Nicky is worried that the show will be a bust rather than a ratings booster. But Leonora comes through with a riveting reading that instigates a new murder that mimics the previous murders and places Nicky in danger. Instead of hiding, Nicky comes back to the island to cover the investigation and butts heads with the chief of police, Joe Franconi. Joe is a former vice cop from New Jersey who was forced to resign, ending up in the sleepy southern town with an inexperienced department now responsible for searching for what appears to be a serial killer. As the two lead their separate investigations, Joe and Nicky become increasingly attracted to one another. This is another winner from the popular and prolific Robards, who delivers a great romantic thriller filled with interesting characters in a classic edge-of-the-seat read. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Signet (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451218728
• ISBN-13: 978-0451218728
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cleo the pork eating pig steals the show!, July 7, 2005

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Superstition (Hardcover)

Nicky Sullivan is a cub reporter and correspondent for the "24-Hour Investigates" news magazine (think 48-Hours), and is out to prove herself so she can attain her goal of co-host on a New York based morning news program. Sometimes her ambition clouds her judgment and sense of safety. In her hometown of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a grisly unsolved mystery still haunts the residents. With the help of her psychic mother, she plans a live on-air seance to bring the dead teens back to solve the crime on national television. The problem is her psychic mom is blocked. But the show must go on, despite protestations of the town mayor and harried new police chief, Joe Franconi. Joe has his own set of issues, including discussions with a long-dead friend, Brian. Soon, another murder with the same MO occurs, and it looks like Nicky is another of the intended victims.

From the moment they meet, Joe is attracted to Nicky. She, on the other hand is quite surly since no one gets in her way of the story, even to the detriment of an on-going police investigation. Joe does his best to protect her, but she won't have it - she has to be at the crux of the action. He'd have been better off letting the killer take care of her. I never really felt like the connection was there on her end - she seemed to be using him to further her career, so the romance was lukewarm. Joe has a checkered past, which threatens his new position in the wrong hands (i.e., an ambitious reporter).

The story meanders for quite some time, then tosses in lots of last minute plot twists, and an implausible turn of events that makes you go "huh?" to end the story abruptly. The most interesting characters were Joe and Cleo the pork-eating pig (the scene where they are caught on camera is hysterical). The writing is clunky, the plot boring and drawn out, and the psychic aspects just overused. I wasn't too impressed - I expect a bit more from a Karen Robards thriller.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars UH-OH, May 19, 2005

By	Elaine C McTyer "avid reader" (Dawson, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Superstition (Hardcover)

Nicole Sullivan is a host for a show similar to one on Court TV. She returns to her home island to investigate a 15 year old murder. She is hoping to revive a dying career. Her mother is a psychic and she wants to televise her mother trying to contact the spirits in the murder house.

Joe Franconi is the Police Chief of the Island. HE is a burnt out cop who got wounded when a bust went bad. He does not expect a murder to happen on his little island. He and Nicky seem to get together very quickly.

This sounds like a good plot, but beware, Nicky is a media vulture, out for the fame. And Joe is just burnt out. I wait a year for each new Karen Robards book and I was disappointed. The first 350 pages try to get you to empathize with the main characters, the last 65 you get all the action and explaination and let say it was not worth it.

With everyone seeing ghosts and old or possibly new murderers doing their best to kill Nicky, she is struggling for her 15 minutes of fame to catch the notice of a Morning News Show looking for a co-host. Joe is trying to live with a ghost he keeps seeing from his last bust. There was a great potential here for a great book. But the ending is so simple and straight forward ( even with two murderers ) that you just feel let down.

I could have had better feelings for the book if our two main characters had a little more character or integrity. The fact that they both got their best outcome was beside the point. I have been able to find something in everyone of Karen's previous characters. But Nicky was a total selfish fish. This one did not do it for me. Like I always say different strokes for different folks, so you may like it. But these are my thoughts and I hate to pay so much for a book and be let down. How about you?

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Robard's Best But I Still Liked It, September 18, 2005

By	LovetoRead (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Superstition (Hardcover)

Although I have some complaints about this book, I still enjoyed it due to the likeable characters. There was the loveable pig, the kooky uncles, and the even kookier psychic mother. There were some very amusing scenes. However, I don't think it really completely succeeds as a thriller, mystery or romance. It had parts of all of those elements, but maybe it was all too much for one book. The romance felt a little forced, although the love scenes were great. But, those love scenes felt awkard with the other story going on--seriel killer possibly attacking at any moment, rushing to solve the mystery and catching said killer. I thought the main characters saved the romance because they were strong, intelligent, attractive and at times very amusing themselves. The story races to a finish that wrapped everything up with a nice neat bow. Maybe I've read too many of these types of books, but I wasn't really surprised by the ending. Again, even though I have these issues, I thought it was much better written than the average thriller/romance. It kept me up way late last night reading so I could finish it.