Like the city of New Orleans itself, Claire Laurent is a vibrant beauty laced with a mysterious elusiveness. The founder of French Silk, a fabulous lingerie company, she has fought hard to make it a worldwide success. Then a TV evangelist attacks French Silk’s erotic sleepwear as sinful. And when he is killed, Claire becomes the prime suspect.
District Attorney Robert Cassidy knows Claire is damning herself with lie after lie about the murder, even as he feels her drawing him into her world and her very soul. But neither Cassidy nor her protests of innocence can save Claire unless she reveals a shocking truth – one she has sworn to take to the grave….
©1992 Sandra Brown (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
"Set in atmospheric New Orleans, Brown's latest highly entertaining novel again demonstrates her mastery of the romantic suspense genre....[T]he novel is adroitly plotted and sleekly paced, and has just the right mix of menace and sex to keep pages turning." (Publishers Weekly)
"Sandra Brown at her Best!!"
This is an excellent murder mystery with a robust romance and a rich cast of characters. I constantly found myself changing who I thought had committed the homicide and in the end, I was still wrong. Renée Raudman never fails to amaze me with the diversity of her narration which allows you to forget that you aren't listening to several people. Her range provides deep believable voices for men and feminine voices for women. I didn't want it to end.
Retired high school English teacher. I liked and worked with the at-risk student. Interested in about everything, but I love a good story.
"Loved the book"
I enjoyed this book when it was published and the audio book is just as good. Well-plotted and filled with detail about New Orleans. Just a little more sensual detail than I'm fond of -- but I'm from a different era. Don't listen in front of the kids.
"Don't know why I kept listening"
I gave 2 starts instead of 1, because I made it all the way through the book (it wasn't so bad that I abandoned all together). The narrator makes the main character, Claire, sound like a total wimp who is about to swoon at any second though her character has obviously endured some tough times and must have some degree or strength and wit. The "love" that unfolds seems so ridiculous in the context of the characteristics the 2 main characters are described to have that I could not even get in to the romance aspect of the story. I will say that I was surprised at the resolution of the mystery so at least that part of the storyline was well done. I will not listen to anything by this narrator again.
I'm a locksmith in New Orleans. I ride a Harley with my dog Tanner and my books. We have been all over the country.
"Performance lacking in so many ways"
No! Read it or pass. It's unfortunate that the narrator's perfomance was so poor. I think it was the attempt at the new orleans accents that stumpted her. Her performance as far as cadence and flow of words was good. I live in new orleans and that could also have something to do with it.
I would read it.
The switch between male and female was fine but loose the accent.
Yes, to write my first review.
Thanks to all Narrators, with your help, I enjoy many more books.
"Romance novel disguised as a mystery"
Although the narrator had a great New Orleans accent, and the "mystery" had a somewhat sound premise, with lots of twists and turns, the graphic romantic scenes, pining love and romance novel descriptions seemed the dominant theme. The actual murder "plot" was very predictable, in a soap opera sort of way, but the final "twist" seemed a twist just for the sake of a twist, and there seemed little basis for it. I will not read this author again, as mystery is most definitely secondary to chick lit.
"Bad Romance novel"
Nothing really
Sickenly sweet, soft ...bad....Southern accents. ICk
No
The story verges HEAVILY into romance novel territory with needlessly graphic sexual descriptions of the heavily panting lead characters who in real life would have been bitter enemies. Both lead characters were totally unbelievable. The author could easily have built up the attraction and sexual tension between the two characters without the classless, graphic descriptions and improbable encounters.The leads' behaviors were out of character with any modern times as well. No powerful woman who owns and runs her own company would have permitted a cop/prosecutor to physically and verbally abuse her as this one did while making sure she knew she was a murder suspect and yet NOT call her own lawyer. Oh...but she did jump into bed with him. Yeah, very believable. Maybe in the Romance novel world this is considered believable, but not in the real world and I did not KNOW I was buying a romance novel.And what time period was this taking place in? I initially thought it was modern/current time (21st Century) but their behavior and that of the various agencies involved in solving the crime were decidedly 20th century or earlier. No cell phones...no pc's for searches...cops walking all over citizens' privacy rights....oh, well maybe that is current! At any rate, I figured it must have taken place in the 1980's to 90's but I see that the book was released in 2010. Some allusion to the year might have helped the sense of unreality the listener had when listening to the preposterous behavior of the characters.
"Trying Sandra Brown - avoid this one!"
Better drawn characters and less trite plot twist. The only mystery here is how the main character can be so emotionally limp and insipid yet, we are to believe she started and successfully runs her own business after surviving a distressing childhood. I don't think so. She constantly lies, refuses to get a lawyer and as a successful, business woman couldn't figure out that maybe this might not be the best tack to take? I kept wishing she'd get bumped off. Women like this do NOT start and successfully run a business - this is fantasy and not a very good one. Save your money/credit.
I'll probably be shy of Sandra Brown books for a while. Might try another one at the library for free or get another one on sale, but I will be a little wary of spending a credit on her.
I'm never sure when the characters annoy me whether it is due in part to the narrator or not. Sometimes their voice is an issue but I can usually hear through that. I think wasting a better narrator on this would be a travesty.
I'd rewrite the main characters and eliminate a lot of the redundant meetings awkwardly used to move the plot along. If you can't make the reader feel the least bit of sympathy for the wimpy "savvy business" woman who supposedly owns, operates, started "French Silk" why would you even care about what happens in the rest of the book?
It's a good thing I got this on sale!
"typical Sandra Brown"
I enjoyed the book, but it was not note worthry. The characters are lack luster and you find you self just wishing for the author to get on with it. The book did have a nice ending.
"Not Impressed"
I liked the idea of the storyline but the book itself was too drawn out. I almost stopped listening to it altogether because I was getting bored. This is surprising because I've like Sandra Brown's other books. The only good thing about the story was that there were so many possible murderers I couldn't figure out who did it until the end.
"A story with many twists."
This story ranks among the most enjoyable.
The unexpected twist at the end.
Her use of many voices and her southern accent was quite good.
Yes, but wasn't able to so I listened to it twice.
The story gives you pause to ponder the power of money and politics.