MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

Author: Nancy Herkness ISBN: 9781598991024 11/2007 SUSPENSE Publisher: REDBURN PRESS

Legend has it that Beethoven wrote a tenth symphony..and made it music to die for. When world-famous conductor Nicholas Vranos finds his best friend murdered backstage at Carnegie Hall, he's plunged into a maelstrom of intrigue swirling around the mythical masterpiece. Although Vranos is her main suspect, New York City police detective Anna Salazar finds herself turning to the dark charismatic maestro for help as she navigates the Byzantine world of classical music. Yet, she must fight the powerful seduction of the musician and his "Music of the Night".

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT turned out to be a very entertaining, suspenseful read, even though it wasn't what I had at all expected. Set inside the world of classical music and upon the famous stage of Carnegie Hall, it is a well written story that was fast paced and kept my attention throughout.

There's a lot of intrigue going on here. The investigation starts with Anna and her partner, Mac, looking into the mysterious death of a musician and immediately turns into a storyline filled with twists, turns, and plenty of international intrigue. There are a lot of clues that Anna must unravel and piece together, including the relationship of an unfinished symphony by Beethoven to the dead man in question, which if authenticated could prove to be a priceless find—one that others seem to want. Former KBG agents, more murders and attempted murders, and a slew of possible whodunits round out its cast of usual suspects.

If there is any criticism to make here, it is with the ending of this story. I found the villain and his/her reason for doing the deeds they did a bit of a let down and too much of a reach for me. A bit surprising, yes, but just not as shocking as I would have expected it to be.

However, what does "make" MUSIC OF THE NIGHT isn't necessarily Anna, the heroine, who is a very likeable crime fighter. Instead, it is Vranos, the dark, sexy and charismatic symphony instructor whose character ignites the pages with his sensual masculinity and somewhat brooding personality. His sex appeal smolders in every scene that he appears in, and the love scenes between he and Anna are electric and tuned to sensual perfection. He's a real scene stealer in every sense of the word.

Bottom line: MUSIC OF THE NIGHT is a fast paced read with an unusual backdrop, good writing and very well worth the read.

Nancy Davis