Devious

February 28, 2011
Someone is strangling novice nuns in Jackson's terrifying if overwrought seventh Bentz and Montoya novel (after Malice). When NOPD homicide detectives Reuben Montoya and Rick Bentz arrive at the first crime scene, the chapel of St. Marguerite's Convent, Montoya recognizes the murder victim, Sister Camille, as his old high school girlfriend, Cammie Renard. In another coincidence, the novice sister who discovered Camille's body, Lucia Costa, once dated Montoya's brother. On top of that, one of the prime suspects is a high school classmate of Montoya's, Fr. Francis O'Toole, who may have had an affair with the victim. As Cammie's sister, Valerie, a former Texas cop now a New Orleans Garden District B&B owner, struggles with a surprise visit from her estranged husband, more nuns succumb to a crazed killer. Val learns more than she bargained for about her past—and Cammie's—at a nearby orphanage in a creepy thriller sure to please Jackson's many fans.

January 1, 2011

A nun is found murdered, and New Orleans detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya (Malice) are on the case, one that reminds them of a decade-ago crime spree. The same day that Val Houston learns her sister has been murdered, her estranged husband, Slade, shows up. Against the wishes of the detectives, Val and Slade throw themselves into solving the crime while reigniting their marriage. But there's evil out there that wants to separate them in a permanent way. VERDICT One of the many things that keep this fan coming back are Jackson's subtle hints of what's to come. Her seventh title starring Bentz and Montoya is more thriller than romantic suspense and will satisfy series fans as well as readers who enjoy JT Ellison, Lisa Gardner, and Linda Fairstein.--Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City-Cty. Lib. Dist., MO

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2011
It isnt a crime scene; its a reunion. At least that is what New Orleans Police Detective Rick Bentz thinks when he and his partner, Reuben Montoya, arrive at St. Marguerites Cathedral, where Camille Renard, about to take her vows as a nun, is found brutally murdered. Not only did Montoya know the victim from high school; he also knows St. Marguerites Father Francis OToole, who is rumored to have broken at least one of his vows with Camille. But Father Francis had some competition for Camille, if what her sister Val says is true about Vals soon to be ex-husband Slade Houston, who unexpectedly arrived in New Orleans the night Camille was murdered. As Montoya and Bentz work to untangle the complicated relationships in their latest case, they discover that the killer has more than one nun on his list. Jackson brings back her detecting duo of Bentz and Montoya (Malice, 2009) for a nail-biting tale of dangerous secrets and deadly passions that, despite an overstuffed plot, should prove irresistible to fans of gritty, graphic suspense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)