Dangerous Deception by Sandy Curtis
Written: Jun 19 '05 (Updated Mar 01 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely fast paced with tension that never quits
Cons: Romance aspect not to all tastes
The Bottom Line: This is a romantic thriller set up and down the east coast of Australia.
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| damieng's Full Review: Dangerous Deception Books |
The start to Dangerous Deception is shrouded in mystery and Sandy Curtis carefully skirts around giving too much away, preferring to involve us in the desperate action of the opening scenes and putting us in the place of the protagonist, Breeanna Montgomery.
There is an important secret out there that could be worth billions. A scientific breakthrough that will benefit all of mankind. But before the scientist who holds the key to this great secret can ensure that it is safe from more unscrupulous hands he suffers a stroke while at the wheel of his car with the resulting accident leaving him a quadriplegic and unable to speak.
His incapacitation leaves the next logical holder of the invaluable information as the doctor’s assistant, Breeanna Montgomery, and makes her a target. So the unsuspecting Breeanna is attacked as she gets home from work one night in Melbourne. She is barely saved from one gunman, only to find that her savior could very well be just as dangerous to her. His claim to be a federal agent doesn’t fool her for a minute. Somehow she manages to avoid capture, disappearing into the night, bewildered by what had just happened and puzzled by what it could be that the men were trying to get off her.
We then cut to Rogan McKay, a young man visiting his parents dairy farm in Queensland who is woken in the middle of the night by severe phantom pains and a cold certainty that something has happened to Liam, his private investigator twin brother. The next morning he is convinced that he should head to Melbourne to try to find Liam who is not answering his mobile phone.
Upon arrival Rogan’s fears are confirmed when he walks into Liam’s ransacked apartment that is complete with a stain on the floor that looks very much like blood. A little bit of checking tells Rogan that the last thing his brother was working on was a search for a woman named Breeanna Montgomery.
Rogan’s primary goal is to find his brother. The most logical path towards that goal is through Breeanna. If he can find her, perhaps she can give him a clue as to what happened to Liam, so he sets out to hunt her down. Also taking a keen interest on events are the mysterious government, Vaughn and Mark who have bugged or set up surveillance on every important house or telephone that may have some connection, no matter how tiny, to Breeanna. They are a constant menacing presence, circling like sharks and ready to pounce the moment Breeanna is found.
So the chase is on, the good guys and the bad guys are after one girl who may or may not hold the key to an earth-shattering secret plus the whereabouts of another man. The desperate chase ensures that the story takes off at a tremendous clip with the tension supplied by all of the unknown factors (the breakthrough worth killing for, the attackers, the missing brother).
Chasing up and down the east coast of Australia with the need to stay out of the clutches of Vaughn and Mark is all-consuming with the net continually shrinking. But an additional dimension is given to the already solid tension that this chase provides. Once Rogan and Breeanna come together, there is a thrilling awareness that the two have of one another and the subtly developing relationship that soon blossoms into a desperate dependence upon one another but choked by all sorts of obstacles, both physical and emotional.
Sandy Curtis manages to keep the story moving with subtle hints of the danger that nips at the heels of her protagonists. She has a compelling style that invites you to keep reading, done by withholding vital information important to plot or character development. The romantic aspects of the book will not be to everyone’s tastes (like mine, for instance), but they certainly add an intensity to the story that cuts right to the heart of the main characters psyches.
Dangerous Deceptions is a frantic thriller that starts fast, travels like lightning from Melbourne to Brisbane and delivers more than the odd twist along the way. This is an ideal book for lovers of thrillers and lovers of romance novels alike.
Other books by Sandy Curtis
Dance With The Devil
Black Ice
Deadly Tide
Until Death
Originally published on the Australian Crime Fiction Database at www.crimedownunder.com
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
damieng
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Location: Sydney, Australia
Reviews written: 427
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About Me:
Stop thanking me for my patience...I don't have any.
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