Last Night

Sawyer (Never Kiss a Stranger) combines romance and intrigue in exotic Hawaii. Judge Dana Hamilton is on her way up the judicial ladder when a blackmailer threatens to expose her past (20 years before, she murdered a man after he raped both her and her sister). Desperate, Dana hires PI Rob Taggett, an ex-cop with an attitude and an unsavory reputation. His investigation begins with Dana's sister's father-in-law, Big Daddy, an ultra-rich Hawaiian rancher with more than one sexual perversion. Big Daddy's ranch provides an erotic setting for Rob and Dana, pretending to be lovers, to get acquainted, and a place for Rob to show off his PI skills. The author expertly keeps the story moving through a never-ending maze of possible motives and blackmailers until the very end. Close inspection reveals a couple of loose threads, but style and verve hold the whole together and will have readers looking for more. (Jan.)