All Night Long

November 28, 2005
Krentz's latest fast-paced, well-plotted romantic thriller takes place in the tiny Napa Valley village of Dunster—perhaps named after the Amanda Quick heroine Emma Dunster. A mysterious e-mail from a childhood friend, Pamela Webb, draws big-city reporter Irene Stenson home, but when Irene arrives, Pamela is dead, apparently of a drug overdose. Handsome but damaged ex-Marine Luke Danner, who owns the lodge where Irene is staying, helps her look into the case. The plot thickens when Pamela's house gets torched shortly after she dies, and soon Irene and Luke follow a trail that leads to Pamela's father, a powerful senator who may have played a role in the death of Irene's parents when she was a young girl. When Senator Webb's PR flack is found murdered after getting caught up in a blackmail scheme and Luke and Irene start their predictable but torrid romance, Krentz sets up a series of compelling confrontations, as Irene comes up with information that could jeopardize Webb's impending White House run. The dialogue, which dominates the book, is strong throughout; the plot is tight. Flaws like secondary-character overload and one-dimensional takes on politics aside, this is an impressive page-turner from a master of the genre.

Reporter Irene Stenson returns to her childhood home of Dunsley, California, after her former friend, Pamela Webb, requests to see her. Irene left Dunsley when she was only 15 after the death of her parents. Irene has never believed that her father murdered her mother and then committed suicide. On her return, Irene and Luke Danner, the owner of the lodge where she is staying, uncover a web of deceit linked to Pamela's powerful father, a U.S. Senator. Kathy Garver capably differentiates the female characters through careful modulation of tone and emotion. David Colacci's smooth, sultry tone breathes life into Luke and emphasizes the arrogance of the famous senator. S.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine