Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: No
Romance Suspense Thriller
December 8, 2015
Berkley
Reviewed by Tori
Madeline Cross and Daphne Knight were the best of friends growing up in the Aurora Hotel owned by Madeline’s family.. When Madeline is viciously attacked there as a child, the culprit is caught and Madeline is assured he will never bother her again. Bothered by the trauma and secrets, Madeline leaves the island and never return. Now almost 20 years later, Madeline’s grandmother has passed away and she is called to the island by the hotel’s caretaker. She arrives to discover the caretaker has had a fatal accident but he leaves Madeline with a warning before passing away. A warning that warns her that events from the past are resurfacing.
Jack Rayner, a former FBI profiler who left to start his own securities firm, was hired by Madeline’s grandmother to oversee her chain of hotels. Not one for relationships due to his past, he finds himself willing to break a few of his rules for Madeline. When she calls him for help, he drops everything to go to her.
Jack, his brother and resident computer whiz, Abe, and Madeline’s best friend Daphne, all join Madeline on the island, intent on helping her bring a killer to justice. But this killer is determined to keep the past buried…even if it means burying all of them with it.
Secret Sisters is a romantic suspense thriller with a strong investigative base. Krentz starts off in the past, giving us background into our heroine, Madeline Cross. She then transitions smoothly into the present and introduces us to our heroine and hero as adults and sets the stage for an action-packed mystery that spans decades and involves a small island, an abandoned hotel, and a family whose manipulations rival the Kennedys. Well developed characters, intriguing plot lines, engaging dialogue, and two small romances all blend together for a perfect escapism read.
Our protagonists, Madeline and Jack, have a connection and chemistry that foreshadows their romantic intentions. Similar in temperament; both are loyal, intelligent, strong authoritative people whose lives reflect this. They work well together though their type A personalities guarantee some head butting and we are treated to some humorous scenes due to this. Because their (work) relationship is already well established off scene, we don’t get to see the gradual build up in their attraction to one another, yet Krentz is able to define the attraction in a way that works for the story and doesn’t leave the reader feeling like they missed something integral. A secondary romance builds alongside theirs that also flows seamlessly into being.
Krentz builds the suspense slowly, painstaking adding more twists, turns, and culprits to keep readers on edge without over tipping her hand. Action and intrigue heighten the anticipation as Krentz offers plenty of clues, suspects, and theories for consideration as she unveils the connection between what’s happening now and what happened two decades ago. The ending is a series of climatic events as the villain(s) each make their move to cover their tracks and all our questions are answered.
GRADE: B
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The Debbish
I’ve been looking forward to reading this one. I’m glad to hear it is a solid one.