Tough Customer
by Sandra Brown
Simon and Schuster (Paperback Edition – July 2011) $12.99 CAN.
Every summer, I insist on reading at least one book a week that will be entertaining for me. I prefer something light, not too heavy, meaning I really don’t want to have to think too much… a little bit of thinking is acceptable, but lots of thinking, where I have to make notes as I read, nope, not going to do it in the summer!
by Sandra Brown
Simon and Schuster (Paperback Edition – July 2011) $12.99 CAN.
Every summer, I insist on reading at least one book a week that will be entertaining for me. I prefer something light, not too heavy, meaning I really don’t want to have to think too much… a little bit of thinking is acceptable, but lots of thinking, where I have to make notes as I read, nope, not going to do it in the summer!
Well, I happened to find this book in a strange store… Wal-Mart, of all places! I can’t help the fact that no matter what store I am in, if there are books for sale in it, I will sniff them out and of course purchase one or two. It is an addiction, I totally admit, that I really have trouble controlling… but at least it is an addiction to books and not dog toys or 72″ vinyl records! Some day, I hope to have as many books as the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, which means I will need to build on an addition to the house, to keep them all in alphabetical order (I also admit to a little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder problem, as well – nothing to be ashamed of, we are just well organized and sometimes clean & always check our locks 2-7 times in a row, to be sure they are locked). I hate to divulge the fact that I buy books at Wal-Mart, considering I am a huge supporter of the little independant bookstores in Downtown Owen Sound… but, I just couldn’t help it this time. Wal-Mart was selling Sandra Brown’s “Tough Customer” in paperback for 30% off the cover price, which means I purchased it for $9.09. Seriously, it was like I just found a $20 bill in the laundry! I was pretty happy to purchase a book for under ten bucks.
It was a super fast read of 487 pages. I usually read an hour or two each night… well, this book only took two nights for me to finish! I was definitely entertained – no question about it. The prologue described a handsome small-town Deputy Sherriff, Ski Nyland coming to a gorgeous (almost naked) damsel’s distressed 911 call. There had been a shooting, and she knew who it was that held the smoking gun… but of course, he was no longer at the scene, but he had promised to come back and kill her. This was kind of disappointing for me, because I prefer the not-knowing of who it is that we are chasing throughout the book, until it is revealed in the end… but this book was different… very clever, with a twist or two at the end. I was disappointed with the second-last twist, but the final one had me smiling again (possibly a little tear in my eye too).
It was a super fast read of 487 pages. I usually read an hour or two each night… well, this book only took two nights for me to finish! I was definitely entertained – no question about it. The prologue described a handsome small-town Deputy Sherriff, Ski Nyland coming to a gorgeous (almost naked) damsel’s distressed 911 call. There had been a shooting, and she knew who it was that held the smoking gun… but of course, he was no longer at the scene, but he had promised to come back and kill her. This was kind of disappointing for me, because I prefer the not-knowing of who it is that we are chasing throughout the book, until it is revealed in the end… but this book was different… very clever, with a twist or two at the end. I was disappointed with the second-last twist, but the final one had me smiling again (possibly a little tear in my eye too).
Sandra Brown I instantly fell in love with one of the main characters, Dodge Hanley. This was very interesting for me, considering that he was a rather rough and tough-talking former cop who was now working as a Private Detective… AND he was a chain smoker! I hate people who smoke. I found myself smiling along with him even though I was disappointed in him, and at one or two points in the book, I was actually angry with him and threw the book to the floor in annoyance. I couldn’t believe he would do that… but then again, I did understand. It was a real LOVE and HATE relationship between me and him. Ha!
The two women characters were both intriguing. Caroline King, a real estate mogul was a savvy widower who was rolling in money and had a strong ambition to retain her successful career. Her daughter, Berry Malone, was trying to shadow her mother’s competitive genes by working her way to the top, the old fashioned way (using whatever it took to get her there). This is where the problem lay… a deranged stalker keeps attempting to kill Berry, not to mention, leaving a trail of other victims behind him, that were lethally pointing towards Berry. Which man will risk his life and his heart to save her with his every last breath as the gun rests against her temple? Will it be too late?
If you want to be entertained with a little romantic suspenseful thriller that has a little edge to it… Sandra Brown is your girl! I guess you better run out and purchase this little summer sizzler… it is definitely worth the drive to your nearest bookstore. I just went and bought two more of her books, and I’ll let you know what I think about them. I just found out that Dodge Hanley, my favourite chain-smoker in the fiction world, actually stars in Sandra’s ”Smash Cut” novel as well! Oh-la-la, I’m off to LOVE and HATE him all over again!
Enjoy reading your summer sizzler!
If you have any reading suggestions for me, please send me an email at lvt_writes[at]yahoo[dot]ca.
This review was originally published on August 8, 2011 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining
The two women characters were both intriguing. Caroline King, a real estate mogul was a savvy widower who was rolling in money and had a strong ambition to retain her successful career. Her daughter, Berry Malone, was trying to shadow her mother’s competitive genes by working her way to the top, the old fashioned way (using whatever it took to get her there). This is where the problem lay… a deranged stalker keeps attempting to kill Berry, not to mention, leaving a trail of other victims behind him, that were lethally pointing towards Berry. Which man will risk his life and his heart to save her with his every last breath as the gun rests against her temple? Will it be too late?
If you want to be entertained with a little romantic suspenseful thriller that has a little edge to it… Sandra Brown is your girl! I guess you better run out and purchase this little summer sizzler… it is definitely worth the drive to your nearest bookstore. I just went and bought two more of her books, and I’ll let you know what I think about them. I just found out that Dodge Hanley, my favourite chain-smoker in the fiction world, actually stars in Sandra’s ”Smash Cut” novel as well! Oh-la-la, I’m off to LOVE and HATE him all over again!
Enjoy reading your summer sizzler!
If you have any reading suggestions for me, please send me an email at lvt_writes[at]yahoo[dot]ca.
This review was originally published on August 8, 2011 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining
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