Foolish Notions

A creepy, obsessive protagonist darkens Whittier's latest, an uneven and unconvincing romance. James Taylor, an arrogant, well-off CEO of a consumer electronics company, believes he can have everything he wants, including his ex-girlfriend Sam. A year after she left him (she caught him smooching another woman), James's mother insists on hiring her as a live-in nurse to help her through her cancer treatment. Though Sam tries to keep her distance, James relentlessly and jealously pursues her, demanding she take him back and threatening to beat up the men he sees her with. Even though James's possessiveness is believable, Whittier (The Truth About Being a Bass Fisherman's Wife ; Fatal Embrace ) fails to make a convincing case for Sam's lingering interest in her reckless and frightening ex-boyfriend. The ending is dreamy, but unearned. (Apr.)