Ricochet: A Novel (Paperback)

by Sandra Brown (Author)
Key Phrases: Elise Laird, Cato Laird, Meyer Napoli (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. No one does steamy suspense like Brown (Chill Factor), as shown by this expert mix of spicy romance and sharply crafted crime drama. Det. Sgt. Duncan Hatcher, a sexy Savannah homicide cop, falls hard for Elise Laird, a dishy damsel-in-distress, the moment he spots her at a police awards dinner. Too bad she's married to Judge Cato Laird, who consistently subverts Hatcher's efforts to bring local drug lord Robert Savich to justice. When Hatcher and his feisty partner, Det. DeeDee Bowen, are called to the Laird home after Elise supposedly shoots an intruder in self-defense, the desperate trophy wife confides to Hatcher that she believes her husband, a secret Savich crony, intended her to be the intruder's victim. Later, as the uncertain Hatcher grapples with his desires, Elise vanishes, leaving behind another dead body. Tight plotting, a hot love story with some nice twists and a credible ending help make this a stand-out thriller. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From The Washington Post
My criteria for book reviewing are pretty clear: Did I believe the characters? Was it a good story, well told? Did I want to put the book down or keep reading? Bottom line, would I read another book by this author?

For Ricochet, my answer to these questions is a resounding yes. It's a great, entertaining read, with lots of surprising twists and turns, credibly flawed characters and a love affair that's as steamy as a Savannah summer.

Hunky yet sensitive Detective Duncan Hatcher is called to investigate the gorgeous and wildly manipulative Elise Laird when she kills a burglar in her elegant home, supposedly in self-defense. Complicating the case is that Mrs. Laird is the trophy wife of a patrician judge who dislikes our hero. Worse, her account of the murder is somewhere between sketchy and laughable.

Hatcher finds himself falling for the mysterious Mrs. Laird, even as he uncovers each new fact that seems to suggest that the murder was intentional and the burglar, Gary Ray Trotter, no stranger. Hatcher doubts Mrs. Laird's increasingly weak explanations, but he still can't help thinking about her body. Here's Mrs. Laird explaining her case to him:

" 'I'd been expecting it for several months. Not a burglary, specifically. But something. This was the moment I'd been dreading.' She pressed her fist against the center of her chest, right above her heart, pulling the fabric of her T-shirt tight across her breasts. 'I knew, Detective. I knew.' Whispering that, she raised her head and looked up at him. 'Gary Ray Trotter wasn't a thief I caught in the act. He was there to kill me.'

"Duncan pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as though concentrating hard, trying to work out the details in his mind. Actually, he had to do something to keep from drowning in those damn eyes of hers or becoming fixated on her breasts. He wanted to haul her up against him, kiss her, and see if her mouth delivered as promised. Instead, he pinched the skin between his eye sockets until it hurt like hell. It helped him to refocus. Some."

Then he finds out she used to be a topless dancer. How great is that?

You've seen this femme-fatale plotline before, of course, but it's terrific when it's well done, as it is here. Mrs. Laird may be a double-crossing dame, but she's no dummy, though to tell more would ruin the fun. The storyline is updated by the presence of Detective DeeDee Bowen, Hatcher's no-nonsense female partner. Naturally, Bowen suspects every scheming inch of Mrs. Laird and calls Hatcher on his crush with your basic snap-out-of-it speech. Leave it to a woman to add that touch of testosterone.

The cat-and-mouse relationship between Hatcher and Mrs. Laird kept me turning the pages, and when the mystery blonde vanished in the middle of the novel, I found myself worried about her, even though I wasn't sure I liked her or her employment history. Still, I was happy to be kept guessing until the end, which came as a genuine surprise.

My only quibble is that this bestselling author sometimes settles for phrases such as "copious notes" and even "silver-tongued." She's a better writer than that, and I'm enough of a Strunk and White fan to want her to avoid clichés.

But I'm also a Sandra Brown fan, thanks to Ricochet.

Reviewed by Lisa Scottoline
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416523324
• ISBN-13: 978-1416523321
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,667 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ricochet, March 2, 2008

By	Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a disappointment. I couldn't get drawn in because I didn't like the main characters. Duncan Hatcher was especially hideous. I don't know which was more disturbing, his involvement with suspect Elise, or his total disregard of police procedure. The story never seemed to end, and didn't have the expected drama and suspense.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sandra Brown is back!!, September 8, 2006

By	iheartjackbauer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ricochet: A Novel (Hardcover)

After her last two books, White Hot and Chill Factor, I had little hope that I would like Ricochet. I am so glad that I picked this book up because it restored my faith in Sandra Brown.

Detective Duncan Hatcher's mission in live is to put drug lord Robert Savich behind bars for the rest of his life. During Savich's second murder trial, Judge Cato Laird declares a mistrial on a technicality. Duncan is incensed and more determined than ever to put Savich behind bars for good.

A few days later, Duncan and his partner are called to the scene of a burglary gone wrong. Duncan is shocked to find himself at the house of Judge Cato Laird, where his wife Elise, shot and killed an intruder. Though Cato is very attentive to his wife's needs, Duncan knows something is off. On top of that, he is battling his attraction to Elise Laird. Soon Duncan finds himself putting everything that was important to him in jeopardy...his ethics, his loyalty, and his self respect. Never had he found himself attracted to a suspect before.

When Elise Laird approaches him with an outrageous claim, Duncan doesn't believe her. He feels that Elise is using his attraction against him and refuses to give her the time of day.

When Elise goes missing, he tortures himself by thinking about how he could have prevented it. When bodies start turning up and Elise still isn't found, Duncan starts questioning if what Elise told him had any truth to it.

This book has so many twists and turns, it's hard to put it down. With the perfect combination of mystery and romance, I believe that lovers of Brown's older works (Envy, The Switch, Mirror Image) will love this book.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brown is back in her game!, August 18, 2006

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

This review is from: Ricochet: A Novel (Hardcover)

Detective Duncan Hatcher is jailed for contempt after lashing out at Judge Cato Laird when Savannah drug crime lord Robert Savich slips once again through the hands of justice. Savich, sadistic and known for taking care of anyone willing to talk has provided a welcome home gift to Dunk - the tongue of his last victim, whose trial was aborted. When he and his partner DeeDee Bowen are called to the Laird home to investigate a fatal shooting, he finds that Laird's sexy trophy wife Elise has shot an intruder, and he knows that one and one don't equal two in this crime scene. One thing is for sure; he is attracted to the lethal wife.

After another intense interrogation, Elise passes him a note asking that they meet in private. Ignoring her request, she hunts him down and tells him that she fears that her husband sent the intruder, Gary Trotter to their home with the intention of killing her. But Dunk does not believe the serene beauty since her husband seems devoted to her, and keeps the meeting a secret from DeeDee. As more victims pile up, and there appears to be a relationship between Elise and Savich, Dunk is not sure what to believe, other than one night with Elise is not enough. Is Elise a femme fatale willing to use Dunk for her own personal agenda? Or is she indeed trapped in a loveless marriage with a criminal?

Brown masterfully weaves an intricate tale of sex, murder, betrayal, and vengeance. As the story unfolds, you don't know who to believe or whether to love or loathe Elise. Brown is definitely back in her game with "Ricochet." Like "Envy" and "White Hot" it will keep you guessing right up to the last paragraph.