Ricochet

This twisted tale of murder is designed to intrigue and confuse as Brown spins her unusual mystery. Duncan Hatcher investigates the murder of a nighttime intruder by the wife of Judge Laird. At the same time, Hatcher is after a drug lord who has been released by Laird. When Elise, the judge's wife, then seduces Hatcher, Dennis Boutsikaris's smooth tones turn up the heat. Boutsikaris narrates with the skill of a veteran, never missing a twist in this seamless abridgment. The women's voices are seductive yet steely; the men's voices alternate between stern and gullible. Elise's lies and subsequent disappearance at a second murder scene leave Duncan questioning who wants whom dead. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 2, 2006
A sultry noir in contemporary clothes, this tight new thriller from Brown plays like measured chaos. The plot is twisting, the characters are well shaded, and Brown manipulates each string with a skilled hand, creating a story that will keep listeners puzzled and rapt. Narrator Boutsikaris is a perfect complement to the material. He lends the characters just enough twang to betray their Southern heritage but not so much as to make protagonist Duncan Hatcher seem anything less than a shrewd and hard-edged detective. And for Elise, the gorgeous but married damsel in distress who ties Duncan's libido and loyalties into knots, Boutsikaris employs a lilting tone that simultaneously suggests sweetness, sin and mystery. Did Elise's husband, a distinguished judge, hire someone to kill her, or is she involved in a plot with a drug dealer? Is Duncan making a mistake mistrusting Elise, or is his wariness the one thing that will save him? With Brown's skill for creating rich, layered characters and Boutsikaris's talent for embodying them, this audio doesn't disappoint. Simultaneous release with the S&S hardcover (Reviews, June 19).

Starred review from June 19, 2006
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.