Sunday, October 3, 2010

Book review: Veil of Night by author Linda Howard

Wow it's been a while since I've posted here but life just seems to keeps to be keeping me busier than I'd like. We've settled out oldest son in college but he won't seem to stay there. Every weekend he shows up here at home. lol Our middle son has had several medical issues come up. Nothing serious but that's another distraction and then the youngest well he's actually doing pretty good. I haven't posted here in a while but that doesn't mean i haven't been reading. Recently i discovered author Johanna Lindsey. I really have been enjoying her series on the Malery family. I'll try to review a couple of those books later this week. I make several trips to the local libraries a week lately and i happened upon a copy of Linda Howard's newest release "Veil of Night" Once i got a few chapters in this book it put me in mind of a early release of Linda Howard's called "Mr Perfect". That's been my hands down favorite of Linda Howard and i'm pretty sure i reviewed it a few months ago.  Below is a little inside cover blurb on the book.


Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job--usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

The problem is, most everyone--from the cake maker and the florist to the wedding-gown retailer and the bridesmaids' dressmaker--had his or her own reason for wanting the bride dead, including Jaclyn. And while those who felt Carrie's wrath are now smiling at her demise, Jaclyn refuses to celebrate tragedy, especially since she finds herself in the shadow of suspicion.
 
Assigned to the case, Detective Eric Wilder finds that there's too much evidence pointing toward too many suspects. Compounding his problems is Jaclyn, with whom he shared one deeply passionate night before Carrie's death. Being a prime suspect means that Jaclyn is hands-off just when Eric would rather be hands-on. As the heat intensifies between Eric and Jaclyn, a cold-blooded murderer moves dangerously close. And this time the target is not a bride but one particularly irresistible wedding planner, unaware of a killer's vow.
 
Sound pretty good? It was! Both Eric and Jaclyn have been divorced neither is looking for marriage or a serious relationship. Yet when they meet when Jaclyn kind of runs into him literally there is a instant attraction. Later they bump into each other again in a bar and get along well enough to exchange phone numbers. Neither can get the other off their mind and Eric calls her before he even gets home and she invites him over. The result is a one night stand. At least that's what they are thinking at first but again neither can get the other one off their mind. Jaclyn is a event planner and most of her events are weddings. This week she has 6 weddings in 5 days so busy doesn't even begin to explain her week. One of the brides she is dealing with is literally a bridezilla you hear about on TV. She has to meet with her and several vendors for her wedding when things get ugly. The bride, Carrie is extremely difficult and gets off and being mean to people. She decides she is going to fire Jaclyn and threaten her and the other vendors that they'll never work any important events when she's done with them. She even goes so far as to slap Jaclyn. Unfortunately later that day Carrie is found murdered in the same building the meeting took place. Eric is assigned as the cop to investigate it and Jaclyn is one of the prime suspects. This is where things get sticky for Eric and Jaclyn. He has to be be by the book to protect himself and Jaclyn and he can't even tell her he believes she is innocent. Then it becomes apparent the real killer things Jaclyn knows something and she becomes a possible victim herself. You have to read the book to find out how it ends and all the deets in between. I really enjoyed the humor bits in this book. That's what put me in mind of Mr Perfect. Good story with likable characters. Just a few places it seemed to lag a bit but not enough to turn me off. I give Veil of Night 4 out of 5 Modokker Book pick stars!

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