Christmas Confidential: Holiday Protector\A Chance Reunion

December 1, 2012

PI heroes and heroines with unusual backstories take center stage in a pair of suspenseful holiday-tinged short stories. In Pappano's "Holiday Protector," Miri Duncan, newly released from prison after serving time for embezzlement and now with a new agenda, has little time to spare for Dean Montgomery, the sexy PI she had dated and who then turned her in. But Dean needs answers that only Miri can give. The only problem is they may not be the ones he expects. In Conrad's steamy "A Chance Reunion," PI Gage Chance spots a woman who is a dead ringer for his late wife and is caught up in a bizarre, old-world vendetta and pursued by men who will never give up. VERDICT Offbeat situations, lively action, intriguing plots, and unusual characters (the heroines, especially) make these two novellas perfect short reads for those quick "book breaks" between holiday chores. Pappano and Conrad are multipublished authors in their own right and live in Oklahoma and South Florida, respectively.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.