Savage Thunder

Lindsey's ( Defy Not the Heart ) latest is an exercise in formula writing, with no more passion than a stack of index cards. The story pairs a quintessential Lindsey heroine and hero, but the sparks don't fly. Jocelyn Fleming, a young English widow traveling across the U.S. to escape a murderous detective, and Colt Thunder, a half-Cheyenne drifter with an implacable hatred of white women, never quite become convincing characters. The plot, obstacle-heavy and motivation-thin, fails the duo and never tests the mettle Lindsey clearly intends each principal to have. Neither narrative nor romance is sufficiently robust to sustain the long, long trek through the still-wild West. Diehard Lindsey fans will probably enjoy going through the motions with Jocelyn and Colt, as even this weak showing is characteristically stylish, but the bestselling romancer won't win new admirers. (Dec.)