Secrets Never Die: Morgan Dane, Book 5

Bestseller Leigh’s intense fifth addition to the ongoing saga of the Dane family (after What I’ve Done) piles on the drama. When teenager Evan Meade is accused of murdering his retired cop stepfather in Grey’s Hollow, N.Y., attorney Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger, now engaged to be married, believe in his innocence and pursue the true killer. An initially straightforward-looking case soon spirals into a convoluted web of torture and shocking secrets that reach far into the past. Evan flees into the wilderness, and a fraught hunt ensues; his perilous flight repeatedly endangers his life and keeps tension high. Investigative and forensic details add factual interest. A fun subplot featuring another PI and a reporter seems likely to enliven future volumes. Though the book is billed as a romantic thriller, Morgan and Lance’s romance, mingled with realistic family detail, takes a back seat to roller-coaster suspense. Romance fans looking for a traditional happily-ever-after should look elsewhere. [em]Agent: Jill Marsal. Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.) [/em]