One Night

Starred review from February 2, 2015
Set against the backdrop of the Christmas season in Los Angeles, this erotic, romantic thriller is a clean break from Dickey’s recent sprawling adventures (A Wanted Woman, etc.). Here he presents a relationship with the lifespan of a mayfly. Every element is controlled to preserve the anonymous nature of the couple—Dickey withholds even basic information such as character names—but this technique enhances the tension and passion. The events of the plot are basic, with meeting and consummation proceeding at a fleeting pace. When the erotic content verges on the unwieldy—as in a single paragraph that continues unbroken for three pages—the lyrical use of repetition and dynamic imagery redeems it. Though on its surface the story is a romantic one, it also encompasses a crime thriller by delivering flashes of the news on television. The resolution of the couple’s relationship is as ambiguous as the rest of the story, but there is a note of hope for the future that feels like a gift to the reader. Dickey has taken the anonymous one-night stand into the realm of art. Agent: Sara Camilli, Sara Camilli Agency.

February 15, 2015
A chance encounter leads to one night of passion-and spiritual redemption-between strangers.Down on her luck and two months behind on her rent, Jackie needs to make money fast, before she's evicted from her apartment. Approaching a well-dressed man while he's pumping gas seems like a good idea. Maybe she can convince him the box in her hands truly contains a laptop; maybe she can convince him it's worth $700. But she hadn't counted on the man from Orange County being not only wealthy, but also charming. Soon she's sold the box for $2,000 and discovered that she really doesn't want to con this man. Although he drives away, sleet, sirens and a traffic snarl give both of them time to reconsider. Jackie uses his business card to call and invite the man to meet her at a local diner. Set against a newscast in the background-a woman has killed her three children, and a businessman has been found beaten, likely the victim of a home invasion-their conversation turns very personal indeed. Continually distracted by the newscast, the man from Orange County is reluctant to return to his unfaithful wife, who he has discovered is visiting sex clubs. Neglected by her current, rather deadbeat boyfriend, Jackie needs something or someone to help her deflect the memories of a daughter lost years ago to a Christmas-tree fire. Seeking solace in each other's arms at an upscale hotel, the pair succumbs to a brief, raw, passionate affair. Dickey (A Wanted Woman, 2014, etc.) creates an erotic tale of acceptance and forgiveness marred by clunky phrasing and coarse attitudes toward women. Unflinching in its acceptance of bad behavior by likable characters, Dickey's latest will thrill his fans.

March 1, 2015
Dickey's (A Wanted Woman, 2014) newest erotic adventure covers an entire relationship in one night. Jackie, still reeling from the death of her young daughter, unexpectedly hits it off with a man she is trying to con. They meet later at Denny's to talk about art, culture, his unhappy marriage, and her inattentive boyfriend. They end up at a luxury hotel, where their loud passion brings security to their door more than once. They fight; he leaves. His wife comes to kill Jackie before her cheating husband tries to kill his enraged spouse. They reconcile and hint at a future together while waiting for the police. Jackie is a sympathetic character as a grieving, troubled soul involved in a palpably intense situation with her unnamed lover, who is harboring dangerous secrets. Skilled best-seller Dickey spends an awful lot of pages detailing the appearance and explicit sexual acts of his characters, but he certainly does make the rapidly shifting emotional stages of the encounter between Jackie and her one-night partner realistic, from the first kiss to the dramatic conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2014

Unlike last year's A Wanted Woman, this new novel from Dickey doesn't really edge into thriller territory, but it does have a tough streak. An unlikely twosome who clearly cross class lines check into a fancy hotel and spend 12 hours indulging in sex, playing con games, and getting violent, with the possibility of murder swirling about.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.