I GOT YOU, BABE

Set in Tolosa, Tex., this rollicking romantic comedy explodes off the starting block as beautiful Renee Esterhaus, a self-made woman with a lengthy juvenile rap sheet, jumps bail and tries to flee the state after being falsely accused of armed robbery. To escape a smarmy bounty hunter who is hot on her trail, Renee walks into a country diner and promises John DeMarco a night of mind-blowing sex if he'll take her to his cabin pronto. John, a cop on a much-needed vacation, senses that something is amiss, but his instincts take a backseat to his hormones the minute he sizes up the blue-eyed blonde propositioning him. Instead of the sex he was promised, however, Renee flees, courtesy of John's car and cash. When John catches her in a McDonald's drive-thru, he plans to turn her in, but something about the way she behaves and the stories she tells leads him to lock her in his house instead of the slammer. While John searches for a way to clear her name, he begins to realize that he's falling in love. The novel's climax is over the top, but Graves's ready wit and charismatic characters are an abundant source of comic relief. Readers looking for a strong hero and a feisty heroine who face off against each other will enjoy this fast-paced tale. (Sept.)