Brazen Virtue

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

From Nora Roberts, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Villa and Carolina Moon, comes a classic tale — a searing novel of twisted passion and lethal cunning.

Superstar mystery novelist Grace McCabe needs to unwind after a grueling book tour, and visiting her sister, whom she hasn't seen in months, seems the perfect solution. But Grace is surprised to find the fastidious Kathleen living in a grungy Washington, D.C., neighborhood. Kathleen, reeling from a bitter divorce and the loss of her son, is saving every penny of her teacher's salary to hire a hotshot lawyer for a custody battle.

Then Grace discovers that Kathleen is boosting her income with an unlikely profession: as an at-home phone-sex operator. Known as Desiree to the clients of Fantasy, Inc., Kathleen is living life on the edge. Yet how dangerous could it really be? With the ironclad anonymity the agency guarantees its employees, could anyone ever track her down?

Grace finds out one cherry-blossom-scented night when she comes home to find her sister dead, strangled with the cord of her "special" phone. Suddenly Grace's life turns into a scene from one of her own books — the horror, the tight-lipped police, the shattered survivor. Only this time the survivor is Grace herself.

But she isn't waiting around for the police to catch up with the killer. Instead she creates a daring trap to lure the killer to her. Her plan goes against every coolheaded instinct of Detective Ed Jackson, the lead investigator on the case. He's read all of Grace's books and might have been the perfect consultant for the one she's working on, though in this real-life murder, she's the last complication he needs.

He's determined to keep Grace out of harm's way, but it's too late. Her trap has already worked. She has aroused the attention of a brilliant madman, and now nothing may be able to protect her from the murderous lust that drives this killer down a path of ecstasy laced with death.

Previously only available as an abridged recording.

©1988 Nora Roberts (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

Her stories have fueled the dreams of twenty-five million readers.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Roberts is indeed a word artist, painting her stories and her characters with vitality and verve.”—Los Angeles Daily News

“You can’t bottle wish-fulfillment, but Nora Roberts certainly knows how to put it on the page.”—The New York Times

short

to .much left out need to read the whole book and left out too much

Don’t like abridged books

Too bad I didn’t catch that this was abridged. Does NOT do Ms Robert’s justice to hack away at her work. Narration was great, and the actual full story stellar.

Sorry to have wasted a credit on an abridged story.

Good, but an abridgment

The one ho did the abridging did a good job. It held together. But if I’d realized it was an abridgment, I’d never have selected it. Abridgment ms are stupid.

Great book--- wish there was a 3rd book

Great book--- wish there was a 3rd book. I LOVE books in a series. Overall a great couple of books.

Not the best Nora Roberts book

I’ve read and listened to a lot of Nora Roberts books. This one was anticlimactic, predictable and a bit boring. Not real mystery or twist involved. I mean I listened to the whole thing but it wasn’t one I would recommend to anyone else. So many other better Nora Roberts books.

Very good book

These 2 books together were very refreshing I wish nor would do more of that you get hooked in the 1st book on a couple of characters and then you don't hear from 1 of them again so it was very good to all them to a reappear and this second book I just wish she would do more of them very well done

Great book! A must read!

Love how she has the victim's sister take action to find out who killed her. She sets a trap to catch him and it almost get her killed.

warning the title and description do not mention

Warning the title and description do not mention that this book is abridged! Missing a big chunk. Disappointing!