A Man to Slay Dragons

In the manner of Nora Roberts, McKinney (The Ground She Walks Upon) makes a successful transition from romance to mystery/suspense. New York attorney Claire Green is in big trouble. The victim support group (ZOE) she started after her twin sister's murder has turned vigilante and now plans to eliminate her sister's killer. When reasoning with the group doesn't work, a desperate Claire tries to scare off their assassin, only to come face-to-face with FBI Special Agent Liam Jameson, who has traced ZOE to Claire. In Mardi Gras-crazed New Orleans, where Claire has gone to find the killer, Liam and Claire-hunter and prey-battle one another and a growing mutual attraction. At last joining forces, the lovers try to catch a psychopath before he can kill again, and before the second assassin can destroy their newfound evidence. Well-paced, with strong characters, this novel works as both thriller and romance, though the publisher is aiming it primarily at the romance market. (Feb.)