Rating:  Summary: Took a while to get into it Review: This book was a little slow paced for me. It took me a while to get into it and honestly by the end, I was glad I had made it through. Probably won't go and fetch any more of Sandra Brown's books for a while. This was my first read by this author.
Rating:  Summary: Murder+mystery+sex Review: This is another of Sandra Browns murder mysteries,written in her own unique style, with pacy dialogue, a good plot and some exciting sexy bits thrown in for good measure. One of Charlestons most prominent businessmen, Lute Pettijohn, is found murdered in his hotel suite. Hammond Cross, an ambitious,young Assistant Attorney, is given the case which,if he proves successful in bringing the murderer to justice, would be his final stepping stone to the job of District Attorney.There is no shortage of suspects as Pettigrove was a ruthless and disliked man, but when the main suspect is proved to be a beautiful young phsycologist.Dr Alex Ladd, the story becomes interwoven with leads,red herrings and other people with a real reason for wanting Pettijohn dead. A good,fast and engrossing read.
Rating:  Summary: Greed, Lust, Sex, Law, Politics, & Power-in the South. Review: This tale of greed, sex, lust, law, politics, and power in the South, features Hammond Cross, attorney, his investigation of a murder of one Lute Pettijohn, and the entanglements (legal and romantic) that follow. There's no shortage of suspects in this fairly well paced thriller. (Exclusive is also good by this author.) I see Matthew McConaughey (I'm not sure why) featuring in a movie version of this (if made). Anyway, as Cross looks into the murder, his invovlement with two women comes into play (one is a suspect). Also, his father (a rather pretentious man, to say the least) in his arrogance almost hopes to see his son "fall" from his standing in the community. It has all of the makings of a fine film, if (as I always say) handled correctly. May be a cut above most "romantic" books. Well read by Dylan Baker (with just the right amount of "southern" accent, so as not to make the characters "caricatures" of southerners).
Rating:  Summary: THERE'S ALWAYS AN "ALIBI" Review: While my two favorite books by Sandra Brown are The Witness and Exclusive, this book runs a close second in the suspense, with a little bit of romance thrown in, category.Hammond Cross is a county solicitor with aspirations of becoming the next District Attorney in Charleston, South Carolina. And, he should, because he is honest and ethical -- two traits that should be sought after in this position. Hammond's semi-downfall in this book is his attraction to the beautiful Dr. Alex Ladd who unfortunately is suspected in the murder of Lute Pettijohn, a wealthy, local businessman. Hammond and Alex spend an unbelievable night together and that night of "passion" becomes Alex' "alibi". Other characters enter into this scenario especially Steffi Mundell -- who wants to be the next county prosecutor, Rory Smilow -- the chief detective and ex-brother in law of the murdered man and Hammond's own father who had some disreputable dealings with Lute Pettijohn himself. While many of the characters could have reasons of their own for killing Lute, the prime suspect is still Alex Ladd. Hammond Cross can't believe this is true and sets out to prove that someone he feels this strongly about could not possibly be a murderer. Sandra Brown weaves a tale of corruption, romance and tension. You'll be on pins and needles until the conclusion of this novel.
Rating:  Summary: One Heck of a Great Read Review: With this book, Sandra Brown has made the jump from romance to ace mystery writer--there's no turning back now. "The Alibi" is a fast-paced, terrific mystery with more plot twists, red herrings, mysterious would-be murderers, and all-around interesting characters than the law allows. It follows the story of urbane, charming, and gorgeous wunderkind Hammond Cross, whose Charleston, South Carolina family is one of the oldest and most respected in the tight-knit upper-class world he calls his own. He's in line to be the next DA, and rightly so. Then, in one fateful night, his world falls apart. A woman he knows intimately may or may not have murdered the town's wealthiest and most hated citizen, Lute Pettijohn. Even the reader is not sure whether sophisticated psychologist Alex Ladd has done the deed. There are so many other suspects: the un-grieving widow Davee, whose friendship with Cross goes back to their privileged childhoods; most of Pettijohn's business associates, all of whom hated him--and Cross's own upper-class father. Cross is in this murder up to his neck. If he successfully prosecutes the cops' key suspect, he is a shoe-in for the DA spot. If he doesn't, he may be brought up on charges of obstruction of justice. Along the way, he has to contend with his own tangled and uncharacteristically personal feelings about the case; his jealous and ambitious partner, the acerbic and unlikeable Steffi Mundell; his longtime nemesis, supercop Rory Smilow; and his own cold, judgmental father. I thought I guessed the murderer after the first 100 pages. After the next 100, I was positive I was right, and had a smug "I knew it" attitude, just wondering how Brown was going to unravel the plot. Then I wasn't so sure. Then I was turning pages almost faster than I could read. Then I was positively racing to the end. I was wrong about the murderer, wrong about the end, and blown away by the ingenious plot twists that all came about effortlessly in the end. And it even ended with a cliff-hanger that made total and perfect sense. You want a good read? You want a book that keeps you off the computer and the TV and has you walking into walls? This is it.
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