SCARLET WOMAN

The death of reclusive, elderly inventor Prescott Rodgers sets tongues wagging in the small town of Ellicott City, Md. Prescott's will stipulates that his beautiful 29-year-old widow, Melinda, must set up a literacy foundation and remarry within the year or lose her bountiful inheritance. In order to organize the foundation, however, Melinda will have to work side by side with Prescott's attorney and friend, taciturn Blake Hunter. Melinda and Blake are strongly attracted to each other, but their relationship is fraught with obstacles—not the least of them Blake's misguided assumption that Melinda is a gold digger. While Melinda and Blake try to forge a new relationship and come to terms with their misperceptions of each other, Melinda endures threatening letters, phone calls and even break-ins from a man who believes he is entitled to Prescott's money. Events unravel further when Melinda must deflect unwanted suitors and undue criticism from the town's gossipmongers. Forster (Against All Odds, etc.) maintains the narrative's breakneck pacing, but her flat characters and far-fetched plot will frustrate rather than intrigue readers. (July)