Breaking Point

July 4, 2005
Few authors can weave together multiple romantic threads while keeping each story line taut and fresh, but Brockmann is a master at doing just that. Her characters' relationships often span several books, and their happily ever after, when it comes, is made all the more sweeter-and believable-for it. This book, which once again finds sexual sparks popping amid a hailstorm of bullets, focuses on the reunion of fierce FBI agent Max Bhagat and the much younger Gina Vitagliano. The two met in 2001's Over the Edge when Gina was beaten and raped by terrorists aboard a hijacked plane. Now, the unlucky heroine-innocent bystander is in peril again, but Max and his resourceful field agent, Jules Cassidy, another of Brockmann's regulars, are on hand to rescue her and her friend Molly from the mercenaries who have taken them captive. The source of all the trouble is David Jones (aka Grady Morant), a former Special Forces soldier who's wanted dead by the kidnappers. The romance between Jones and Molly, which was established in Out of Control (2002), adds another layer to this already meaty novel and ensures that the book contains enough sizzle to earn it a place on summer reading lists. However, it's Brockmann's zesty writing style and skill at creating dynamic, larger-than-life-yet somehow very human-characters that will earn it a permanent place on many readers' shelves.

July 15, 2005
After four years and two books ("Over the Edge"; "Gone Too Far"), FBI hostage negotiator Max Bhagat and Gina Vitagliano finally come to terms with their precarious relationship. Having met during a terrorist siege of an airplane on which Gina was a passenger and Max led the effort to save her, our protagonists come full circle as Gina and fellow aid worker Molly are abducted and transported to Indonesia in order to trap Molly's lover, Jones. The setup moves back and forth in time between Gina and Max's roller-coaster "nonromance" and the present day, which finds Gina and Molly working in Kenya, and is even more suspenseful than the eventual kidnapping. But with more than a few tricks up their sleeves, Max, Jones, and openly gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy -one of the most charming and original characters in popular fiction today -combine their efforts to rescue the women. Brockmann's characters volley badinage like grenades, keeping "Breaking Point" moving at breakneck speed. Though the outcome is never in doubt, readers will be on the edge of their seats. Recommended for public libraries. -Bette-Lee Fox, "Library Journal"

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2005
Max Bhagat never told Gina Vitagliano he loved her, and now it might be too late. From the moment FBI negotiator Max first met Gina on a plane hijacked by terrorists, she left his orderly, workcentric world shaken and stirred. Their ensuing hot (then cold) romance finally ends when Gina becomes fed up. The last Max hears is that Gina is volunteering for a AIDS group in Kenya, so when he learns that she has been killed in a terrorist bombing in Germany, he immediately leaves to take charge of the case. It turns out that Gina was kidnapped, not killed, and Max vows to do whatever it takes to get her back. First introduced in " Over the Edge" (2001), Max and Gina take center stage in Brockmann's latest intricately plotted, adrenaline-rich tale of suspense. With its realistically complex and conflicted characters, intense sexual tension, and edgy humor, this is Brockmann at her best.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)