Anne Stuart

In Anne Stuart's strong follow-up to 2005's spectacular Black Ice, supporting player Peter Jensen moves into the leading role in a romantic suspense story pitting him and other members of the mysterious "Committee"—a group of international secret agents—against Texas billionaire Harry Van Dorn and his diabolical plan to create seven worldwide tragedies for fun and profit. Unfortunately, the arrival of lawyer Genevieve Spencer on Van Dorn's yacht throws a wrench in Jensen's assassination scheme. While he could easily dispose of her as "collateral damage," Genevieve breaks through his icy veneer and he gives her the means to fight her way out of danger. The brilliant Van Dorn is wildly over the top in his depravity, easily outdoing the most shameless James Bond baddie, but Stuart's spare writing keeps the gripping story focused. Though too much relies on Jensen's failure to tell Genevieve about her client's true motives, and Genevieve herself is an inadequate match for the steely agent, the chemistry between them crackles. Stuart courts controversy with Jensen's lack of emotion and total body control, allowing him to use sex as a tool for disarming both women and men; her hero's sexual flexibility is bound to turn off some readers, just as it's bound to entice others. Those who take the plunge shouldn't be disappointed: Stuart knows how to take chances, and this edgy thriller shows how well they can pay off.