Say You Love Me
by Rita
Herron
Secrets
uncovered in New Orleans and the Black Bayou.
Publisher: HQN
Books (June 2007)
Britta Berger, columnist for New Orleans' popular erotic magazine hears
the secrets and fantasies of the city's populace. Beneath her public
mask, Britta has dark secrets of her own, especially of one past
terrifying night. Britta receives an anonymous note, "I know your
secrets. And you know mine..." with details from a possible murder
included, she contacts Detective Jean-Paul Dubois. As the details of
ritualistic murders unfold, Jean-Paul realizes that Britta might be the
key to solving the string of serial killings that begin just as Mardi
Gras approaches. Can Britta and Jean-Paul overcome the dark secrets of
their past in this race against time? Most importantly, can they trust
one another enough to reveal those secrets before it is too late?
Rita Herron writes the landscape of her novels brilliantly. New Orleans
and the Black Bayou are dark, breathing entities that infuse the novel
and the characters. The landscape itself is a character. Herron
captures the dark underside of the South that hides and lurks in the
landscape and in the soul. Rita Herron has a style and a way of writing
suspense that keeps the clues and possibilities open. Even if the
reader knows the villain --- we hear his voice --- which one of these
twisted characters has gone way over the edge? It could be any of them.
The suspense encourages a fast-paced excited read while the landscape
and the romance encourages the reader to savor every word. The romance
of the novel builds as the hero and heroine fight their own personal
demons in the hunt. The reader feels the heroine's struggle with the
perfect amount of psychological realism poetically portrayed to feel
her depth. Together with the hero, can two wounded souls heal the
darkness that emerges from the interior and physical landscapes that
surround them?
Rita Herron is one of my favorite authors. She writes about dark,
twisted people and their secrets. On the flipside, she writes about the
subtle light, the emerging courage of her heroines, and the unexpected
but perfect heroes she gives them. I particularly enjoy novels that
expose fanaticism, extremism and what is over the edge. I love reading
about the dark side of religion and politics and family and just about
all the things that build a civilized society. While I value all those,
I also like stories about how values are corrupted.
Buy a copy of this book for yourself and a friend. Once I finished this
book, I was just dying to find other readers and ask them what they
thought of this or that and point out all the places I felt this
romantic suspense was unique and just downright awesome.
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