Light in Shadow

March 3, 2003
Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version. Fiction LIGHT IN SHADOW Jayne Ann Krentz, read by Joyce Bean. Brilliance Audio, unabridged, seven cassettes, 10 hrs., $32.95 ISBN 1-58788-705-3 Krentz's latest opens with an intriguing scene: interior designer Zoe Luce enters the bedroom of her latest client and is immediately assaulted by waves of terror, rage, screams and violence emanating from the walls. This sensitivity to her surroundings is Zoe's innate gift, and she immediately suspects that her client's wife has not left him, as he claims, but was murdered. She seeks out private eye Ethan Truax to discover the truth. But soon a much more tangled plot reveals itself: Zoe herself is an escapee from a mental hospital, to which she was committed after the murder of her husband, and hired goons are trying to track her down and return her to the institution. Narrator Bean deftly differentiates between the myriad character voices, including pompous Dr. Ian Harper (the asylum's crooked owner), raspy-voiced security consultant Singleton, simpering Kimberly Cleland (wife of Zoe's scheming cousin), Southern-accented Bonnie (Ethan's sister-in-law), and dramatic, glamorous Acadia (Zoe's friend and fellow asylum escapee). Krentz weaves the numerous threads into a satisfying mystery. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Forecasts, Nov. 4, 2002).

November 4, 2002
If Krentz's newest thriller doesn't send your pulse racing, dial your cardiologist's number. With more than 30 bestsellers under her belt, Krentz (Smoke in Mirrors; Uneasy Alliance) is primed for another roaring success with this rewarding romantic thriller. Zoe Luce is the premier interior decorator in Whispering Springs, Ariz., hampered by one severe handicap; when she enters a room in which a murder or other violent act has taken place, she can sense the pain and rage echoing from the walls. When her uncanny ability leads her to suspect that a local businessman has murdered his wife, she finds herself unexpectedly allied with Ethan Truax, Whispering Springs's newest private investigator. Both have suffered losses in the past, but just when it looks as if true love may be in the offing, Ethan discovers that Zoe is not who she pretends to be. She knows things she shouldn't, operates under a black market–issued identity and wakes screaming from nightmares about a mysterious place she calls Xanadu. Krentz's storytelling shines with authenticity and dramatic intensity: no opportunity for a thrill is missed, and her characters are skillfully crafted. Tightly written and packed with twists and shockers at every turn, this top-notch thriller keeps readers on the edge of their seats till the explosive ending. Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody main selection; BOMC, Mystery Guild alternate selection.