Nothing to Lose : The Searchers (Intimate Moments)

Rating:
Summary: a nifty little murder mystery
Review: Reanne Thayne penned a nifty little who dun it for Silhouette Intimate Moments. Nothing To Love #1321, is part of a series for them called The Searchers, though this book can stand alone. Taylor Bradshaw adores her older brother, so when he is accused of murdering his girlfriend, their unborn child and the girlfriend's mother, she is shocked. Her brother was an outstanding cop. This was unthinkable. Yet, not only was he accused of this, he was convicted and sentence to death for the crimes. Only Taylor refuses to accept he had anything to do with these crimes and continues to work to see the conviction reversed. She was a pre-med student, who gave up her dreams and turned to law, hoping to use the knowledge she gains to help set her brother free.

Taylor was not happy that bestseller crime writer Wyatt McKinnon is there covering the trial. Later after the conviction, she is horrified to find her brother is meeting with McKinnon giving him insight into the case so he can write a tell all book about the murders. Taylor's brother is hoping McKinnon, known for his careful examination of a case and the facts - all the facts - will write a book showing the cop was framed. Only, Taylor knows, McKinnon's examination of cases are always slanted toward the impact the murders have on the victim's family. She does not want her brother's name dragged through the public eye again, especially when it might hurt his chances for an appeal. Taylor is working hard on the appeal, but is frustrated by the attorney that originally handled the case. Martin James is the high-price attorney who handled the case, he is a close friend of the family, a good friend of Taylor's father. So why is he practically ignoring the appeal, and why did he permit pertinent information that could have cleared her brother from being excluded in the case?

In her frustration, she is forced to join league with McKinnon. He convinces her he just wants to write a book to explain the case. The fact of Taylor's complete faith in her brother's innocents intrigues him, making him see that maybe everything was not so cut and dried where the case was concerned. McKinnon's sister was kidnapped and killed when he was a child, the horrible act ripping his family apart. Why he is driven to examine these cases, and the impact on the families left behind.

The strong attraction between them is something neither of them originally wanted, but they cannot seem to avoid as they work desperately to free her brother.

The book is fast paced, due to the Silhouette short format. It leaves you wishing this book could have been written without regard to word count, and Thayne left to explore all the repercussion of this emotional book. It would have been powerful. As is, it's still a great read, just there was so much that could have been done making this a bestseller quality book.


Rating:
Summary: Nothing to Lose by Reading this Book!
Review: This is, from the reading of it, quite obviously one of a series.

But it is also a decent stand-alone. The story is well written, the plot believable, the main characters well-drawn and like-able.

That being said, I found myself wishing, as I read the book, that the author had a hundred or so more pages to flesh out the plot. The culmination of the mystery came too quickly, with not enough real resolution for me. But in this format, there isn't a lot of room to play.

Off I go to buy the prequel!