In this straightforward thriller, the sex-starved veterinarian Destiny "Desi" Donne believes she can get through her dull life in the flatlands of Florida without a man, thank you, until hunky Tom Jenks prowls into her office. Jenks has an obviously illegal lion cub he wants her to check. She knows better, but takes that small ethical misstep—he is so cute
—that sends her literally plunging into adventure and plans for murder. Jenks is a professional sky diver, with an inconvenient wife, and draws Desi into the thrills of this sport and ever deeper into a web of conspiracy. Occasionally, Desi realizes the mistakes she's making—"I'm a much bigger fool than I ever expected to be"—but one graphically described session in bed after another always seems to keep her under Jenks's, um, thumb. Desi, of course, is little different from her dumb male counterparts in noir films and paperbacks of 50 years ago, lured to their doom by some femme fatale. That women too can play the sap may not be news, but adds a nice twist to this time-worn genre. Hendricks (Miami Purity; Iguana Love) bases the skydiving scenes on over 300 jumps she has made herself, but they never reach the visceral pitch of the best extreme sports writing. As erotica, though, with a dash of mystery (vets have access to neat, potentially lethal drugs like rhino tranquilizers), the story is quite effective. Regional author tour. (Feb. 18)
