(Disclosure - I received a copy of this from the author. And as of May 20, 2013, I am Dana Marton's Virtual Assistant. I have been a fan of Dana's books for quite a while, and I've reviewed several of her books on this blog over the years.)
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Book Blurb:
Deathtrap is the chilling romantic suspense story of Captain Ethan Bing and Sophie Curtis:
She'd been "the sick girl" for most of her life. She refused to go straight to "the weird girl". Heart-transplant recipient Sophie Curtis has been in her own antiseptic bubble for so long, she just might not be able to venture out into the real world again. Her spooky body memories are scary enough, but then she finds herself in the cross hairs of a killer.
"Love was blind, people said. But lust was blind, deaf and reckless." Ethan Bing hadn't been a great romantic before he became a cop. Whatever shred of optimism he had left after becoming Broslin Chief of Police had been seared out of him by the unsolved murder of his wife two years before. A new case brings the killer within reach just as Sophie pops into his life. She gets through his defenses like no other before, but soon it becomes clear that she's been selected as the killer's next victim.
Review:
The opening grabbed me right away, with the incredibly vivid imagery of a northeast forest (I'm from the Adirondack mountains of upstate NY and the author really nailed the feeling of being in the woods, with the beautifully colored leaves, the sun dappling through branches and hitting the forest floor, etc). As a setting, it made such a peaceful contrast to the bloody homicide, creating such a very strong sense of place. But what kept me reading was the clear, well-developed characters. Each one has intriguing and telling little details making them seem very real and relatable.
I can't remember how many books I've read
where I can barely remember the characters after the book is done, or I
have no clear sense of them while reading. But Sophie and Ethan Bing (I just think of him as Bing, LOL!)
really linger in my mind. Lots of authors can spin a great
story, but the memorable characters are what keeps a reader coming back -
what good is an amazing adventure or incredible plot without an amazing
person for us to identify with, and live vicariously through, you
know?
The gradual buildup of Sophie and Bing's trust and friendship, paralleled with the murder mystery unfolding
and
linking more to Ethan Bing's wife's homicide, was nuanced, detailed and
believable. Sophie's past as a sick, dependent woman, and Bing's as a
failed protector and husband, were illustrated very well by their
hesitation and refusal to assume these old roles as they fought their
mutual attraction. Sophie's strange experiences with transplant memories, causing her to "remember" suspicious locations, is subtle and spooky.
One of my favorite things about Deathtrap was a big stray dog named Peaches, who gently insinuates himself into Sophie's life and heart. Peaches was a great addition to the cast of
characters! Maybe it's just because I'm a dog person, but Peaches'
presence was a really effective device to highlight Sophie's before and
after transplant life. Plus, I kept expecting Peaches to provide a clue
to the identity of the heart donor, what with his cocking his head and
looking at Sophie with a puzzled expression. Crotchety neighbor Lester
was also an interesting secondary character, with a richly detailed backstory of a sad love story, which was a great
juxtaposition to Sophie and Ethan's situation. The solving
of the mystery and the revealing of the killer was also very
satisfying, and nicely pulled together all the clues. I wasn't sure who
the killer was until close to the end - love that.
Dana Marton's writing is the kind that keeps me reading late into the night. She has the ability to
start a story with various threads (the mysterious corporate logo, two murdered
women two years apart, heart transplant memories, etc.) and slowly weave
them together into a strong and cohesive plot, that is enhanced and
illuminated by secondary characters and subplots. There are no sudden
character introductions or wacky plot devices to justify a leap in the
action. The
mysteries, the character histories, and the characters are well-crafted
and cohesive.
If you haven't read her books before, you are missing out!
Although Deathtrap is part of the Broslin Creek series, it is easily read as a standalone novel.
And check out the #1 Amazon Best Selling Romantic Suspense novel Deathscape (the first book in the Broslin Creek Series)!
After a near-death experience, artist Ashley Price is compelled to paint
visions of the dead. Then she paints a man buried alive and,
recognizing the surroundings, she rushes to save him.
Instead of being grateful to her for rescuing him, Detective Jack Sullivan accuses her of being in league with a serial killer. He swears he will put her behind bars. Except, the more time he spends with her, the more he falls under her spell. Can he trust her, or is he walking into another deadly trap?
Instead of being grateful to her for rescuing him, Detective Jack Sullivan accuses her of being in league with a serial killer. He swears he will put her behind bars. Except, the more time he spends with her, the more he falls under her spell. Can he trust her, or is he walking into another deadly trap?
Check out Dana Marton's website!
National bestselling author Dana Marton writes fast-paced
action-adventure romances that take her readers all over the globe. She
is a Rita Award finalist and the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award
of Excellence. She loves writing stories of intrigue, filled with
dangerous plots that try her tough-as-nails heroes and the special women
they fall in love with. Her books have been published in seven
languages in eleven countries around the world.
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