BREAKWATER

Author: Carla Neggers ISBN: 0778322378 2/2006 SUSPENSE Publisher: MIRA

An idyllic cottage. An unlikely suicide. A conspiracy that could blow the lid off the Department of Justice. Three months ago Quinn Harlowe left the high-pressure hallways of the Justice Department to become an independent consultant and have more control over her life—maybe even have a life. But the nirvana of her new gig is short-lived when Quinn discovers her friend and former colleague Alicia Morrow dead outside Quinn's bayside cottage. Suicide? Quinn is doubtful. Investigating on her own, she soon discovers that someone is following her every move. Huck McCabe claims he's a bodyguard at Breakwater, a high-security compound near Quinn's cottage. But Quinn suspects he's lying, never imagining the truth: McCabe is an undercover agent trying to penetrate a violent network of vigilantes—the same people Quinn has identified. Joined by a common goal, Quinn and McCabe must fight the bastion of law and order…a fight they know could lead to disaster.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

BREAKWATER kicks into high gear in its opening pages, immediately engaging a reader's interest with an attention-grabbing puzzling situation.

This thriller maintains that intriguing, high energy level throughout the story, too, by solving complicated puzzles and revealing intricate secrets with skillful timing.

Carla Neggers, who has a real gift for suspense, is in top form in BREAKWATER. This compelling, complex story is layered with puzzles, deceptions, betrayals and some real nasty bad guys. Ms. Neggers drops readers into the midst of a mystery and fills in the gaps as the story unfolds.

Not only does Ms. Neggers have a talent for writing suspense, she gets top marks for her remarkable sense of place. The small, quiet village of Yorkville on the Chesapeake Bay (contrasting sharply with the evil brewing nearby) comes to vivid life under Ms. Neggers' pen. A reader can almost taste the crab stew heating or is almost tempted to dance barefoot beside Quinn Harlowe in her homey, bayside cottage.

The suspense and the setting are definitely the highlights of BREAKWATER. Although this novel is billed as a romantic suspense, BREAKWATER is long on suspense and short on romance. Although the lead characters, Quinn Harlowe and Huck Boone are appealing, their romance, in my opinion, never really takes flight. For one, this couple does not spend a great deal of time together in BREAKWATER. Secondly, their relationship throughout this story is mostly business related (as in murder and mayhem). There is little sexual awareness and remarkably little apparent attraction between this pair. Their ending was a little too pat.

All in all, though, fast-paced BREAKWATER is an intense, engrossing read. Carla Neggers just gets better and better.

Debbie Jett