FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Bestselling romance author Julie Garwood has built both a career and a solid readership writing romances that offer a perfect blend of history, passion, and mystery. With novels like her recent hits Ransom and The Secret, Garwood has been delighting readers of historical romance for years. Now, with her latest release, entitled Heartbreaker, she brings her talent to bear on a contemporary saga, one that has all of Garwood's trademark passion and suspense spiced up with a modern-day flavor that will undoubtedly broaden her appeal.

Heartbreaker explores the dark and sinister corners of a serial killer's mind as he implements a masterful and deadly plan. At the heart of the plan is a jaded FBI agent, a Catholic priest who is his best friend, and the priest's sister, a lovely young woman named Laurant Madden. Laurant lives in Holy Oaks, Iowa, a quiet little town where the biggest crimes are the antics of the sheriff's son and the occasional fistfight among the rowdies. Still, Laurant's life is anything but dull. As one of the shop owners on the historic town square, she refuses to sell to the developer who wants to tear it all down and build a mall. Then there's the town big shot, who is determined to have Laurant as his wife, though she won't give him the time of day. Now Laurant's life is about to get much more complicated in a highly explosive way.

When Laurant's brother Tom hears a confession from a man who reveals a murderous past with almost casual indifference, the priest tries to convince the killer to give himself up. When the killer then claims he is about to commit murder again, Tom becomes even more desperate, though he assures the man his confession is confidential and protected. But then the killer names his next victim, and all of Tom's assurances fly out the window. For the name the killer mentions is none other than Tom's sister, Laurant. Any lingering doubts Tom may have about betraying the killer's confidence are eliminated when the killer taunts the police by sending them a taped copy of his confession.

Tom immediately puts in a call to his best friend, Nick Buchanan, who is part of an elite specialty group with the FBI that deals with crimes against children. The work has taken its toll on Nick, leaving him cynical, hardened, and emotionally withdrawn. Prepared to take a lengthy leave anyway, Nick immediately moves to Holy Oaks, where he and several other agents devise a plan. After announcing that Nick and Laurant are a couple and intend to marry, the twosome put on a very public display of affection while spreading stories about the impotence of the killer's threats.

Nick hopes their actions will trigger a rage in the killer that will make him lash out impulsively. He gets the response he wants, but the plan backfires because Nick and his cohorts have underestimated the desperation of this killer. Adding to the tension is the fact that Laurant and Nick are ill-prepared for the impact their little charade will have on their own emotions, as the lines between their game and reality start to blur beneath the weight of a very real passion.

Garwood has managed to craft a good mystery with plenty of red herrings. She plays fair with her clues but pulls a wonderful sleight of hand, burying them in plain sight amidst a cast of intriguing and entertaining characters, the sizzling passion between Nick and Laurant, and all the amusing quips and quirks of small-town life. This one should appeal to fans of romance and mystery alike. (Beth Amos)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the still shadows of the confessional, the penitent kneels and makes a bone-chilling disclosure: Bless me father, for I will sin....Slowly, tauntingly, the man describes his murderous past—how he stalked his victim, worked his way into her life, and then took that life in a violent rage—and his plan to kill again. Only this time, he has raised the stakes in his twisted game, daring authorities to catch him if they can. This time, he has revealed the name of his next intended victim. I'm a heartbreaker. And I do so love a challenge....

Agent Nick Buchanan has come face-to-face with society's worst monsters and depraved minds in his work for one of the FBI's most elite units. He's about to take a much needed vacation from his high-stress job when he's called on to stop the killer who has mockingly confessed to the deadly crime he's going to commit. Nick can't refuse—for this time the threat has hit close to home. The intended victim is his best friend's sister. Soon he is caught up in an intricate chase with one of the most devious psychopaths of his career—in a case that suddenly, unexpectedly, pulls him in like no other.

Laurant Madden found a home and a sense of security when she moved into the small Iowa town of Holy Oaks—but her contented life is shaken to the core as a cagey predator closes in on her. Her brother, Tom, insists that she turn to the only man he trusts to help her: Nick Buchanan. As an electrifying attraction grows between Laurant and Nick, so does the danger—and one false move will cost both of them eveything that matters.

SYNOPSIS

New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood breaks new ground in her first contemporary suspense novel. Long-time fans of Garwood will be amazed at the way the queen of historical romance weaves this tale of love as it blossoms in the face of extreme danger. FBI agent Nick Buchanan is about to take his first vacation in three years when he receives a phone call from his best friend and former college roommate, Father Tom Madden. Tom relates the horrifying tale of a confession that he heard from a killer seeking absolution for a gruesome crime he has yet to commit. Worse yet, the madman, who calls himself the Heartbreaker, confesses that his intended victim is Laurant Madden, Tom's gorgeous younger sister. The Heartbreaker is crazy about Laurant--really, really crazy.

When Tom and Nick break the news to Laurant, she is furious at the disruption the psycho is causing in her very busy life. With her best friend's wedding rapidly approaching and Laurant's own business set to open in two weeks, there couldn't be a worse time to be stalked. But when she learns that the Heartbreaker has already broken into her home and watched her sleep, she reluctantly agrees to Nick's protection, even if it means that she's thrown together with her brother's all-too-sexy friend all day--and all night. Nick, posing as Laurant's fianc￯﾿ﾽ, heads back with her to Holy Oaks. There he encounters a strange cast of characters, the likes of which are grown only in small towns where everybody knows everybody's business--except whether one of them might be a serial killer. Along the way, Nick and Laurant also discover their own hunger for each other. Readers will love the change of pace for perennial favorite Garwood. She creates a sensational story with a truly explosive conclusion.

FROM THE CRITICS

Jill M. Smith - Romantic Times

Mega-selling historical author Julie Garwood takes her unique voice and taent and moves into the contemporary genre. Heartbreaker establishes that Ms. Garwood has quite a flair for intrigue and suspense.

AudioFile

This psycho-thriller will chill you to the bone and scare you into believing in evil. FBI agent Nick Buchanan has just wrapped up a case involving vicious murders, or so he thinks, when he gets a call from his best friend. Tom (a priest) has learned that someone who calls himself "Heartbreaker" wants to kidnap and murder his sister, Laurant. Nick, Tom, Laurant, and Nick's FBI buddy, Noah, go after the villain with nonstop action. Jan Maxwell keeps up the pace with her emotional involvement, and the few hot romantic scenes add spice to an already hot story. Maxwell's portrayal as twisted and heartless is superb. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

A psychopath confides his obsessions to a terrified priest, whose beloved sister is the star of the killer's homicidal fantasies: Garwood's first foray into contemporary romantic suspense. Father Tom Madden and younger sib Laurant are close, even though the untimely death of their parents meant a childhood spent thousands of miles apart. The lovely Laurant grew up in a posh Swiss boarding school run by kindly nuns, while Tom was raised by the equally kindly Buchanan family in heartland America. Nick Buchanan, like a brother to Tom then, is now a special agent for the FBI. Tom turns to Nick to help track down the mysterious killer who calls himself Heartbreaker, but Laurant wishes he hadn't. Her immediate reaction to the "incredibly sexy" FBI agent is anything but sisterly, though his protectiveness and take-charge attitude trouble her. When Laurant realizes, however, that the stalker is getting closer every day, she stops arguing with Nick and falls in love. For the most part, Garwood avoids the grittiness of a procedural thriller and only hints at gory doings, concentrating instead on psychological suspense and Heartbreaker's increasing derangement as her somewhat formulaic story moves rapidly to a shattering climax. Straightforward style and brisk pacing zip readers past minor implausibilities, aided by a host of familiar small-town types, including a batty neighbor and a crooked sheriff. Readers of the author's historical romances (For the Roses, 1995, etc.) will be on familiar territory here despite the modern-day setting, and the frank sensuality of the love scenes is sure to please. A quickie denouement resolves the soapy subplots—Laurant's legal wrangle over a familytrust,Nick's fear of flying (hey, tough guys can tremble), Father Tom's battle with cancer—and naturally love triumphs. Add a pinch of Psycho to a generous helping of General Hospital, and you've got the idea.