Double Take

June 23, 2003
At the start of this trashy but alluring romantic thriller by Joyce (The Rival), 32-year-old Kait London, a New York City PR executive, gets a surprise midnight call from her estranged twin sister, Lana. The two haven't been in touch in years. While they were growing up, Kait was the good girl and Lana was popular with boys, a poor student and a risk-taker. Now Lana needs Kait's help. She's in trouble, she says, "the killing kind." She wants Kait to switch places with her for two days while she straightens out some ugly business with a loan shark, and Kait, thrilled to see her aloof sister again, agrees. In Lana's clothes, but with virtually no knowledge of her life, Kait appears at her lavish Virginia estate. She finds that Lana's handsome husband, Trevor Coleman, plans to divorce her, that her teenaged stepdaughter, Sam, can't stand her and that the housekeeper is hostile. Even four-year-old Marnie greets her "mommy" with doubt and fear, and the local community resents Lana for her many flagrant affairs. Kait continues to believe that she's protecting Lana from a mysterious killer and dutifully tries to mend fences with her de facto husband and stepdaughter. But Lana's initial story is looking less and less likely. While she's out riding one day, someone takes a shot at Kait. From that point on the action accelerates, with episodes of every possible crime from arson to thievery, as well as plenty of sex. Despite major credibility issues—would anyone really believe Kait was Lana for more than five minutes?—it's a juicy premise, and Joyce tells her story in satisfying pulp style.

July 1, 2003
Kait always regretted that she didn't have a closer relationship with her twin sister, Lana. They've been out of touch ever since they went off to different colleges, but now her twin resurfaces desperately needing Kait's help. All Kait has to do is impersonate Lana for a few days while Lana raises the money she says she owes to some ruthless and dangerous people. Hoping for another chance at some kind of relationship, Kait agrees to the charade only to find when she shows up at Lana's Virginia home that her sister is married and has a young daughter. Lana also neglected to tell Kait that her sexy husband wants a divorce, everyone who knows Lana hates her, and someone even seems to be trying to kill her. A somewhat naive heroine discovers the truth about her twin in " New York Times" best-selling Joyce's latest stylishly sleek romantic suspense novel, which uses secrets, deception, danger, and forbidden desire to keep readers guessing until the very end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)