TEST
I love adventure stories. I didn’t realize that the Silhouette Bombshell books were adventure stories when I picked up one for review. While I enjoyed the solid, intricate adventure plot in Cindy Dees’s Haunted Echoes, the scant attention paid to its romance irritated and disappointed me.
Jobs for art historians aren’t plentiful, which is why American Ana Reisner lives in Paris working for Interpol maintaining their database of art. (Poor baby). Although technically she’s an Interpol agent, her job is primarily a civilian one, so she doesn’t do any police work and is quite surprised when a friend of the French president specifically requests her to investigate a murder.
Ana goes to interrogate Elise Villecourt, an elegant, older woman, who makes a bizarre statement – she is the murder victim. Someone circumvented the security system in her home and stole an object from her, an object that, out of her possession, means she will die. When Ana asks for a description of it, Ms. Villecourt makes another bizarre statement – she can’t tell her. Ana thinks the other woman is loony and wants out of the investigation, but pressure from the French president’s office forces her to continue.
The plot thickens when an older man who doesn’t identify himself approaches Robert Fraser, an art history professor at Edinburgh University, to research the history of an objet d’art, advancing Robert $50,000 towards expenses. Robert is wary because he went to prison for a year, not too long ago, for being involved in an art heist and doesn’t want to get into trouble again. However, the thrill of unraveling an art mystery beckons, and he decides to accept the job.
Ana and Robert meet when both follow the same clue to the same museum. One look at Ana and Robert is instantly smitten. Ana also feels a powerful attraction for Robert, but finding out that he’s a convicted art thief slightly deflates her interest. Shortly after she leaves the museum, a couple of thugs attack her. They persist in tracking her down even after she escapes, and it’s not too long before Ana is on the run and manages to sweep Robert up with her.
From this point Haunted Echoes becomes an extended chase story. It should have also become a road romance, except that the romance development practically evaporates, along with the character development. Ana and Robert become stick figures, just racing through dangerous situations. The little romance left is more telling than showing. It was so disappointing.
Ana isn’t keen on men these days. A year ago, her French fiancé found out she would need in vitro fertilization to have children. Since she couldn’t bear his children “the natural way,” he promptly dumped her. Ana wrings her hands over her attraction to a convicted art thief who may have even stolen the object himself, but, after they go on the run, quickly leaks all her secrets to Robert.
Being an art thief was exciting, but Robert later regretted his criminal deeds. After his stint in prison, he conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen. And that’s the extent of his character development – seriously. His praise of Ana’s beauty and ardent adoration upon first sight is completely unmerited and unconvincing. A subplot involving a secondary character who happens to be a ghost is hugely to blame. Strongly linked to the object in its past and playing a pivotal role in the main characters’ adventures now, the ghost received too much attention at the expense of the romance.
The best parts about Haunted Echoes are the action storyline and the layers created by author Dees for the larger Madonna Key mystery running through the series. Dees penned a good action story; I just wished she paid attention to the romance.
Addendum: Recent word in the romance business is that unfortunately, the publisher pulled the plug on the Silhouette Bombshell line. That’s too bad; I liked the idea of a line that promised a strong heroine in an adventure story. Too bad its wishy-washiness about including or not including a decent romance frustrated potential readers and brought about its demise.
Grade: C
Book Type: Series Fiction
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 29/08/06
Publication Date: 2006/08
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.