French Twist

January 19, 2004
St. Claire's second swashbuckling romantic intrigue (after Tropical Getaway
) mixes American grit with European glamour. After her dream wedding collapses, art historian Janine Coulter travels from her California home to the French royal palace at Versailles to oversee an exhibit featuring three priceless Sèvres vases. Her efforts to give these beloved artifacts the showing they deserve are complicated by Luc Tremont, the opinionated but undeniably sexy Frenchman hired to supervise exhibition security. When the vases are stolen at the opening gala, Luc and Janine give chase in a journey that brings them through lush French wine country into the mountains of Switzerland. Along the way, both a fiery attraction and a hesitant intimacy build. As their investigations reach a climax in a Swiss casino, Janine discovers that the theft is part of an international sting—and that Luc is actually Nick Jarrett, a former thief trying to win pardon by working with the FBI. St. Claire's characterization of Janine, though appealing, is unfocused; it's hard to imagine this elegant intellectual welcoming mayhem quite so coolly. But in Luc/Nick, St. Claire has created a truly compelling romantic hero, an enticing mix of sophisticated French seduction and solid, all-American male. With its clever plotting, evocative settings and vivid sensuality, this offering is sure to set tongues wagging. (Feb.)

Forecast:
Keep an eye on this budding author. With four books due out just this year and a Downtown Press trade paperback scheduled for January 2005, St. Claire will likely be one of the most talked about new authors in the genre. This is an author who's on the fast track to making her name a household one.

February 15, 2004
For art historian Janine, life has become one trial after another. Her friend and partner, Albert, has committed suicide. Her fiance, Sam, has just slept with an actress, and it's only five days before their wedding. And now Luc, Versailles' security specialist, refuses to let Janine display the rare Madame de Pompadour vases she and Albert worked so hard to discover. Luc insists that the museum is afraid the notorious thief "Scorpion" will steal the valuable artifacts and that someone will be killed in the process. Unwilling to let Luc substitute fake vases for the real things, Janine soon finds herself in the middle of international intrigue and, as predicted, a target for would-be murderers. Fast-paced action, lots of suspense, and unexpected betrayals fill the pages as Luc and Janine flee the opulent halls of Versailles to the picturesque, yet potentially deadly, vineyards of the French countryside. Reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's " To Catch a Thief," St. Claire's book is a thrill. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)