Never Kiss a Stranger

American Nick Jensen and Englishwoman Janna Atherton-Pembroke arrive separately in contemporary Malta, each toting emotional baggage. With the death of his best friend and brother-in-law Travis Prescott, Nick has inherited shares in the Blue Grotto, a hotel under construction that is the pet project of Malta native Pithany Crandall. It is the second blow to Nick: his wife, still much beloved, has died of cancer. Worse, Nick suspects Travis's death was no accident. In turn, Janna, Pithany's favorite niece, is facing a nasty divorce after discovering her husband and a luscious blond sporting in the bath. Pithany wants Janna, who is adopted, to take over the Blue Grotto. The unhappy circumstance that brings Janna and Nick together has a mechanical feel, but despite the ploy, the detail and care that Sawyer ( Midnight in Marrakesh ) lavishes on her settings, story and characters' relationships raise her tale above formula. Weave all of this into Travis's suspicious demise and some unfinished business from a romance in Pithany's youth, and the result is an entertaining read. (June)