cover image Holiday Money

Holiday Money

Beverley Jones. Cutting Edge (IPG, dist.), $12.95 trade paper (250p) ISBN 978-1-908122-14-8

Jones’s second novel (after Telling Stories) awkwardly combines elements of thriller, romantic suspense, and police procedural. Jen Johnson, a police press officer in Cardiff, Wales, who’s already having second thoughts about marrying Det. Insp. Dan Collins, storms out of the house they share after intercepting a phone call from a woman she assumes to be Dan’s lover. In a rage, Jen drives to the resort on the Gower coast where Dan and she were supposed to have a romantic getaway—and where she ends up having a disastrous one-night stand with charming stranger Justin Reynolds. Days later, Jen receives an innocent e-mail followed by an attachment showing her and Justin having sex and finally a demand for money. As Jen’s blackmail nightmare escalates, her efforts to play detective and find the elusive Justin lead to a lot of self-discovery. A surprise ending that wraps everything up too neatly may leave mystery fans unsatisfied. (Dec.)