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Love is Murder

Review

Love is Murder

edited by Sandra Brown

“Ryan 'Grit' Taylor felt snow melting in his right boot. He didn't feel whatever snow might be melting in his left boot because he didn't have a left foot, or any of his left leg below the knee. In the year since he'd lost it in a firefight in Afghanistan, he'd learned to manage with a prosthesis...”

This quote from Carla Neggers’ contribution to THRILLER 3: LOVE IS MURDER is a small sample of the concise, excellent writing found throughout the book. “Cold Moonlight” is the gripping story of a wounded warrior, now working for the Secret Service as part of the detail assigned to the President of the United States. With imagination, great technique and crisp writing, Neggers tells a dynamic story in 14 short pages.

"Regardless of how you like your reading pleasure served up, you are sure to enjoy the repast put together by award-winning writer Sandra Brown. Fans will not be surprised that she has succeeded in presenting an anthology that is sure to become a favorite for mystery/romance lovers everywhere."

Reading this anthology is like going to the best buffet in Las Vegas and trying to decide what to have first. Will you start with the story by your favorite author, Lee Child, or Heather Graham perhaps? Or maybe select one by an author you have been wanting to read but haven't gotten around to yet, like William Simon or Roxanne St. Claire. So many books, so little time. But whether you start with an appetizer or a dessert, it will be difficult to stop with just one.

LOVE IS MURDER provides a delicious array of the genre we love so much: mystery, suspense, and a little love story thrown in for us romantics. It seems that mystery readers have a commonality that seeks good to triumph over evil, wrongs to be righted, justice to be done, and the hero to get the girl. We like closure at the end of the books and are disappointed when the bad guys win.

It will be difficult to declare which story is your favorite. Perhaps at some point, it will be the story about the wedding crasher who robs the guests and kidnaps the bride. What a daring heroine emerges in that tale! Or maybe you will select the one about the kidnapped child who is put up for bid in an Internet cyber-auction with a bidding frenzy that begins at 40 million dollars. Heart-pounding action leads the good guys to rescue her before she is shipped off to the highest bidder.

There is even something for fantasy fans. Dianna Love takes you into the world of the supernatural where carnivorous predators devour their enemies, leaving no trace of the crime behind. Charged with protecting the world from these hideous trolls is Devon Fortier, a Belador. These are warriors with telepathic powers that can be used to outwit the evil trolls.

Regardless of how you like your reading pleasure served up, you are sure to enjoy the repast put together by award-winning writer Sandra Brown. Fans will not be surprised that she has succeeded in presenting an anthology that is sure to become a favorite for mystery/romance lovers everywhere. Perhaps the greatest compliment a writer can receive is to be applauded by fellow authors. The accolades that are quoted on the back cover of LOVE IS MURDER says it all:

“Gripping, exciting, engaging --- every story will leave you breathless.”
- Karin Slaughter

“It's like a box of chocolates --- each one is different, but they're all great.”
- Joseph Finder

“A slam-dunk collection of the best in the business.”
- Steve Berry

This treasure trove will not disappoint.

Reviewed by Maggie Harding on July 27, 2012

Love is Murder
edited by Sandra Brown