EDGE OF SIGHT

Author: Roxanne St. Claire ISBN: 9780446566582 11/2010 CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE Publisher: GRAND CENTRAL

The killer she can't escape . . . The heartbreak she can't forget . . . The one man who can stop them both. When Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works, the Harvard-bound law student becomes the next target of a professional assassin. Desperate for protection the authorities won't provide, Sam seeks help from Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter who recruits her brother, Zach, to protect Samantha. A Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he's equally fearless and flawed, Zach takes the job, despite the fact that he and Sam once shared a lusty interlude that ended when he left for war and disappeared from her life. Now, as they crack a conspiracy that leads to Boston's darkest corners, Sam and Zach must face their fears, desires, and doubts, before a hired killer gets a second shot...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

With EDGE OF SIGHT, Roxanne St. Claire begins a new series featuring the Angelino family, and it gets off to an excellent start.

In the debut of the Guardian Angelinos, the author expertly balances the romance with the suspense side of the story.  Sam and Zach are both well-rounded characters, with St. Claire explaining subtly how they’ve come to be the people they are.  Samantha has lost some of her confidence and second guesses herself often, while Zach was injured during military service and doubts his ability to protect her. 

I always enjoy a story where the characters have past history, as is the case here.  Years ago, they spent two weeks together that neither has forgotten.  The relationship between the characters remained interesting throughout the book, and Sam and Zach’s chemistry was clear and exciting.  Additionally, I liked how the author used Zach’s injury, acknowledging it as an important part of his character, while not having the story revolve around it, as some authors do. 

In this book, the members of the family and what becomes the Guardian Angelinos security company are introduced.  I thought the Angelino family was complex with a great dynamic.  Unlike most romances that include a big family, the Angelinos are not a perfectly blended family, which adds a realistic feel to them.  For this story, they provide a bit of levity to what is mostly a serious story.

St. Claire’s Guardian Angelinos series officially starts with this thrilling novel.

Christina Baker