Trust No One

With an abusive marriage to an affluent politician behind her, Julia Bradshaw looks forward to a peaceful life raising her son and running her small Monterey, Calif., hotel. But when her ex-husband is killed and she becomes a suspect, her new beginning turns ugly. Financial woes, local hostility and the sudden reappearance of her alcoholic father further test Julia's strength; meanwhile, a fanatic Irish terrorist group seems to shadow her and her loved ones with violence. Luckily, she finds help with her struggles--and new love--when Steve Reyes, an investigative reporter, arrives in Monterey to track down the terrorists. Heggan (Suspicion; Deception) weaves together several suspense subplots into a satisfying whole, though the mysteries are marred by improbably easy discoveries by the good guys and improbably dumb blunders by the bad ones. The character of Steve Reyes is the book's chief charm. At once exotic and American, macho and sensitive, cunning and innocent, he's an offbeat but compelling romantic hero. (Sept.)