A plethora of subplots unnecessarily complicates a convincing romance in this standalone contemporary romantic thriller from bestseller Krentz (When All the Girls Have Gone). After the mysterious death of eccentric artist and cult survivor Hannah Brewster, art gallery owner Virginia Troy-a fellow survivor who believes Hannah was trying to warn and protect her-tracks down private investigator Cabot Sutter. As children, Virginia and Cabot survived a fire set by evil cult leader Quinton Zane that killed their mothers. Fearing Zane may still be alive and hunting Virginia, and suspecting she unwittingly holds the key to hidden funds their mothers stole from the cult, Cabot stays close to her, allowing intimacy to build. The feisty protagonists share compassion, respect, and empathy as well as PTSD and insomnia. Their connection develops into a convincing and enjoyable romance, and a subplot involving Cabot's runaway teenage nephew adds welcome dimension. However, despite numerous surprises, the story's suspense falters with the addition of multiple villains connected either to Zane or to a technology firm, Nightwatch, whose owner combats an in-house embezzlement scheme. Despite these stumbles, readers may find the romance satisfying enough to carry the day. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide-- and her own past. Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire, and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped.
