Innocent as Sin

Kayla Shaw is happy and secure as a private banker until she realizes her boss, Andre Bertone, has used her to launder millions of dollars. Rand McCree has been hunting Bertone ever since the ruthless Russian brutally murdered his twin brother. When Kayla and Rand meet, they join forces to bring down the murderer, with the help of St. Kilda Counsulting, a private rogue operation. The story has a slew of agents, evildoers, and others, as well as a rash of emotions. Thankfully, Carol Monda moves easily up and down the roller coaster of feelings, maximizing the charged dialogue between Kayla and Rand and carefully portraying Kayla's growth from a worried woman to one who fears little and dares much. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

September 15, 2007
In "A Woman Without Lies", Hawk has never met an honest woman, while Angel isnt anything other than what she appears to be: physically beautiful and generous of spirit. She has experienced enough tragedy to last a lifetime, but in Hawk she finds a man worth fighting for. Together they discover that new love has the power to erase old hurts. Laural Merlingtons effective narration brings their pain and pleasure to life in this tearjerker; she wrings every drop of passion from the story without resorting to melodrama. This 22-year-old romance is out of print, so the audiobook is a welcome purchase.

Unfortunately, the same cant be said for "Innocent as Sin", the latest St. Kilda Consulting novel. Rand McCree would do anything to find the man who murdered his brother. The only lead is Kayla Shaw, a private banker whos in the middle of a money-laundering scheme. Now Kayla has become a liability, and the bad guys decide to take her out of the gamepermanentlybut Rand cant let that happen. Carol Monda is a competent reader, but she cant infuse the story with the tension that it lacks; nor can she make likable the unsympathetic characters. The plot moves along, further hindered by the chapter headings that call out the time. Some tracks are two minutes and others are nearly 20, which makes place-marking more difficult. Lowell has a strong following for her suspense novels, but this one misses the mark.Jodi L. Israel, MLS, Salt Lake City

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.