The latest romantic intrigue from Skye (Hot Pursuit
, etc.) is as full of contrived cliffhangers as the pulp fiction that inspired its striking cover. San Francisco assistant DA Cara O'Connor and presidential hopeful Tate Winslow are planning their wedding when Cara is threatened with harm and the exposure of an abortion she had in a Mexican clinic decades earlier. An underworld smuggler she convicted seems to be the source, but who's actually delivering the dead rat and sinister notes? Using the pull afforded by their status, the couple arranges protection from FBI agent Summer Mulcahey, who stands in as nanny to Cara's two children, and Navy SEAL Gabe Morgan, who poses as gardener on her estate. Summer and Gabe patrol the property, make a dramatic visit to the clinic and fall into bed and love. But despite their constant use of agency technology, they fail to solve the mystery or even keep themselves safe. Indeed, Cara's psychic daughter is the one who finally exposes the rather clueless and unlikely culprits. Although Skye has done her homework on FBI/Navy SEAL jargon and surveillance devices, even beach readers may find the wildly implausible investigation difficult to swallow, and few will likely care about the fate of a privileged couple misusing vast public resources in the face of a patently silly personal threat. Agent, Meg Ruley
. (June)
