Mysterious and sexy, Maximillian Holt moves into Jamie Swift's life like a steamroller. She's the owner of a small town newspaper and he’s a notorious, brilliant billionaire--what could they possibly have in common? Apparently quite a lot, for besides their mutual affection for Max's airhead sister Deedee and his investment in Jamie's struggling business, they share an explosive sexual chemistry. Unfortunately, Jamie's already engaged to be married. But when someone sprays her office with gunfire, only Max can save her. Now she'll have to rely on him to sort out the tangle of embezzlement, mayhem, and attempted murder that threatens her bucolic world of Beaumont, South Carolina. But if they unravel the mysteries and manage to stay alive, is there any hope for a shared future between a cosmopolitan guy committed to tracking down evil and a small-town girl who just wants a normal life?
Authors Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes have paired up to create a fast-paced, wacky novel filled with eccentric characters and southern ambiance. In the time-honored tradition of such detective couples as Nick and Nora Charles (_The Thin Man_, After the Thin Man) the hero and heroine trade quips and parry sexual innuendos with panache while easily deciphering clues and adroitly coping with danger. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this Jamie Swift/Max Holt adventure, the first in a new series from this author duo. --Lois Faye Dyer
From Publishers Weekly
What do you get when you throw together a daredevil multimillionaire, a talking car, a flaky newspaper owner, a retired wrestler turned mayoral candidate, a crazy Vietnam vet and a town full of corrupt bureaucrats? A far-fetched mystery that reads like a carnival ride spun out of control. While some readers may enjoy the ride, others will simply want to plant their feet on the ground. Playboy Max Holt, the bomb-setting boy genius from Evanovich's Full House, returns to Beaumont, S.C., to check up on his investment in the local paper, run by workaholic Jamie Swift, and to help his brother-in-law, mayoral candidate Frankie Fontana, locate the town's missing tax dollars. But when he and Jamie are shot at, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want him poking into Beaumont's financial affairs. The shooting doesn't deter Max, and neither do his subsequent encounters with dynamite, an alligator and a trigger-happy war veteran. Jamie, however, is sufficiently distraught for both of them, and her hysterics will make fans of Evanovich's more capable heroine, Stephanie Plum, cringe. Though the story is stuffed with marginally developed, oddball characters, their off-the-wall antics aren't enough to keep the suspense rising and the reader engaged. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Amazon.com Review
Mysterious and sexy, Maximillian Holt moves into Jamie Swift's life like a steamroller. She's the owner of a small town newspaper and he’s a notorious, brilliant billionaire--what could they possibly have in common? Apparently quite a lot, for besides their mutual affection for Max's airhead sister Deedee and his investment in Jamie's struggling business, they share an explosive sexual chemistry. Unfortunately, Jamie's already engaged to be married. But when someone sprays her office with gunfire, only Max can save her. Now she'll have to rely on him to sort out the tangle of embezzlement, mayhem, and attempted murder that threatens her bucolic world of Beaumont, South Carolina. But if they unravel the mysteries and manage to stay alive, is there any hope for a shared future between a cosmopolitan guy committed to tracking down evil and a small-town girl who just wants a normal life?
Authors Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes have paired up to create a fast-paced, wacky novel filled with eccentric characters and southern ambiance. In the time-honored tradition of such detective couples as Nick and Nora Charles (_The Thin Man_, After the Thin Man) the hero and heroine trade quips and parry sexual innuendos with panache while easily deciphering clues and adroitly coping with danger. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this Jamie Swift/Max Holt adventure, the first in a new series from this author duo. --Lois Faye Dyer
From Publishers Weekly
What do you get when you throw together a daredevil multimillionaire, a talking car, a flaky newspaper owner, a retired wrestler turned mayoral candidate, a crazy Vietnam vet and a town full of corrupt bureaucrats? A far-fetched mystery that reads like a carnival ride spun out of control. While some readers may enjoy the ride, others will simply want to plant their feet on the ground. Playboy Max Holt, the bomb-setting boy genius from Evanovich's Full House, returns to Beaumont, S.C., to check up on his investment in the local paper, run by workaholic Jamie Swift, and to help his brother-in-law, mayoral candidate Frankie Fontana, locate the town's missing tax dollars. But when he and Jamie are shot at, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want him poking into Beaumont's financial affairs. The shooting doesn't deter Max, and neither do his subsequent encounters with dynamite, an alligator and a trigger-happy war veteran. Jamie, however, is sufficiently distraught for both of them, and her hysterics will make fans of Evanovich's more capable heroine, Stephanie Plum, cringe. Though the story is stuffed with marginally developed, oddball characters, their off-the-wall antics aren't enough to keep the suspense rising and the reader engaged.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.