cover image Never Again

Never Again

Jo-Ann Power. Pocket Books, $6.5 (336pp) ISBN 978-0-671-00899-4

Raine Montand is not your typical American debutante--she is independent, opinionated, lives in England and creates political cartoons under a pseudonym. It is only when one of her caricatures makes parliament member Gavin Sutherland a prime suspect in an unsolved murder case that she realizes the devastating power of her work. Gavin soon loses his seat, as well as his friends, family and fianc e, and turns to mystery writing to help pay the bills while plotting his return to politics. Realizing his innocence, Raine, while posing as a widow, becomes his secretary and helps him write a thinly veiled fictionalization of the murders of which he has been accused. London is scandalized as Gavin's chapters are published weekly, and the case is reopened. Unluckily, passion distracts our hero and heroine from finding the killer until it's almost too late. In this second installment of her American Beauties trilogy (after Never Before), Power cleverly weaves politics, murder and romance, creating intense, breath-catching suspense. (Nov.)