Winter Break

November 22, 2010
Perrin's smooth if less chilling sequel to Spring Break reads more like a YA than an adult thriller. The recent apparent suicide of Lancaster University (Pa.) co-ed Rachel Jepson and the possible rape of geeky Natalie Laymon put a slight damper on the winter break cruise Didi Randall and her best friends, Roxanne Miller and Jolene Martin, take in the Caribbean. On boarding the ship, Didi and friends are startled to spot Natalie transformed into a glamorous platinum blonde. Lan-U's Gossip Hour blog site has pointed the finger at another passenger, campus hottie and Didi's longtime boyfriend, Drake Shaw, as Natalie's rapist. During the cruise, Drake's disappearance suggests foul play. Perrin effectively captures Didi's angst as she turns sleuth and investigates at her own peril. The breathless pacing keeps the pages turning, and disturbing revelations from Didi's high school past provide extra punch.

January 15, 2011

What's truth and what's vicious rumor may be key to a slander campaign that sets a holiday cruise on course for murder.

Didi Randall refuses to believe that Drake Shaw, her longtime boyfriend, could be guilty of rape. His jerk housemate, Seth Downey, at Lancaster University is a different story. Wealthy and handsome, in a blond all-American way, Seth's cruelty—which includes feeding a kitten to a snake—is legendary. He could be guilty of rape—or worse—and Didi is forced to consider that her love may know more than he's telling. But Didi believes she knows her man, and that he has become the victim of a slur campaign. Still, something is going on, and a campus suicide only raises more questions. When winter break rolls in, Didi is only too glad for a chance to get away on a Caribbean cruise that offers the chance for her and Drake to patch things up. Didi has her own demons; she'd accidentally killed someone while drunk driving. So she understands a thing or two about forgiveness and second chances. But when the rape victim contacts her with a convoluted story about who might have really attacked her, and about the supposed friend who tried to twist her story, a sordid tale of retribution and revenge surfaces. Written in a straightforward style, this suspenseful thriller by romance author Perrin (Spring Break, 2010, etc.) is a fast read. With all its gossip and dating heartbreak, it could appeal to younger readers, although the R-rated depictions of rape and violence may be a bit much.

A pulse-raising read perfect for a winter getaway.

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November 1, 2010

Romance! Suspense! A thriller that takes place on a cruise trip, so maybe better not take it with you on that shipboard vacation!

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