The Talented Mr. Rivers

Dimon's contemporary romance never manages to live up to its irresistible premise of international intrigue plus double and triple identities in glamorous Paris. Neither Hunter Cain nor Will Rivers is as engaging as one would expect from their impressive r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9s. Hunter is a German intelligence officer posing as an American agent posing as Will's bodyguard, whose motives%E2%80%94other than his blunt interest in sex with Will%E2%80%94and loyalties are so indecipherable that readers will soon stop trying to understand. And Will, the spoiled rich scion of a vaguely defined international murder-for-hire family, is as two-dimensional as they come. Most disappointingly, Dimon creates no sense of place at all, so the City of Light might as well be Boise, Idaho. Other than for the moderately steamy if unimaginative sex, there's little reason to bother picking this one up. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Sept.)