"Thrilling romantic suspense"
NYPD Special Units Victim Detective Noah Jordan and his
partner Mark Perez worry that a sociopath has surfaced
following the mutilated corpse of a victim wearing a nun's
habit. The dead woman had her pubic hairs shaved into a
cross. By the next day, they know that the deceased was a
prostitute. Psychiatrist Dr. Morgan Snow of the Manhattan sex therapy
clinic Butterfield Institute fears for her patient, call
girl Cleo Thane who has missed several appointments,
something she never did. Morgan files a missing person's
report. She conjectures whether a memoir filled with the
sexual proclivities of the powerful that her patient left
with her has something to do with the disappearance. Noah
sees no link between the elite level that Cleo worked and
the homicides of the streetwalkers he investigates.
Morgan begins her own inquiries when she realizes that
Noah will not. Going undercover, she quickly knows she is
in danger with only Noah to keep her safe. THE HALO EFFECT is the first in a series of novels
starring Morgan and the Butterfield Institute; if this is
example of the tales fans will have plenty to look forward
to in the future. The story line deftly consolidates a
police procedural with an amateur sleuth with the
interconnections being the serial killing of prostitutes
and the attraction between the two stars. Interestingly
Morgan's subplot is more intriguing as she adds a sexual
psychological insight to her inquiries while Noah's line
is well written, but is typical of a police serial killer
chase. Readers of crime thrilling romantic suspense will
know that have a bouquet of Roses with this fine novel and
its subsequent stories. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted June 6, 2004
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