Pearl's World of Romance - Reviews with a Passion: Whisper of Warning

April 14, 2009

Whisper of Warning - Laura Griffin (ARC)

8:00 AM |

This book was released on March 31st and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES

Back Cover Copy:
WILL HE HELP PROVE HER INNOCENCE . . .OR LEAD A KILLER TO HER DOOR?
Courtney Glass has been in trouble all her life, but nothing tops being an up-close witness to a brutal murder. Until she’s accused of the crime. Every scrap of evidence points to her guilt, and now Courtney must prove to police that she’s not a murderer, but she is one of the killer’s intended victims. As investigators hammer her for answers, Courtney knows she has two choices: run, or trust the brooding, sexy detective who’s made it clear she’s his prime suspect.

The coldblooded murder of her ex-boyfriend in her car by someone who then tries to kill her and make it a murder-suicide scenario is the start of a hellish time for Courtney Glass. She thought she was done with her ex when she found out he'd been lying to her and was a married man from her hometown instead of a single lawyer from out of town. The one thing he didn't lie about was that he was working on a big case and that's where the troubles start for Courtney. She ends up under investigation by the police, on the run from a hit man and to complicate matters even more there’s a persistent attraction between her and Will Hodges, the detective in charge of the investigation.

Courtney is a complicated and multi-layered character and hard to put into a category. She has an outward appearance that's sometimes contrary to her inner personality and there were times she came across as a chameleon, changing and adapting to various situations and circumstances with ease, both literally with her appearance and also in behavior. She's as comfortable at a baseball game as in a posh hair salon or a trendy nightclub. She may seem a bit wild and reckless and after a difficult childhood and a period of living it up she's really trying to get it together but the stuff with her ex puts a dent in that resolution. She reverts back to the only way she knows how to deal with things: head-on, stubbornly and using everything at her disposal, including her looks and flirtatious nature.

Will isn't the most talkative or charming of men. He doesn't waste words and epitomizes the strong silent type. Underneath all that silence is an enigmatic man though. Again a case of there being more to the man than you would initially think. He is aloof, to the point, tough and professional. Although his professionalism flies right out the window when he gets to know Courtney better and starts to feel attracted to her. Sometimes Courtney annoys him profoundly and tests his patience but that doesn't take away the strong chemistry between them.

The secondary characters all fulfill their respective parts in the plot, making their presence clear but never overshadowing Courtney and Will. Fiona, being Courtney's sister plays a slightly bigger role and it was lovely seeing her and Jack making their appearance in this book. I also liked the way the relationship between the sisters is explained a bit more.

Without any preliminaries Griffin threw me right in the middle of a mind-blowing suspense. The suspense was thrilling from the first chapter, the first few pages to be exact, to the very last one. And never let it be said that Griffin is predictable. Reading THREAD OF FEAR (book 1 of the Glass Sisters) I thought I had Courtney's story and love interest pegged but I couldn't have been further from it. Courtney's actual hero is introduced soon in this book and I must say he's perfect for her. Definitely more so than the hero I thought it would be when I read book 1.

Griffin takes the known story of cop and suspect and manages to give it a great and refreshing spin. Her writing is fluent, easy to follow and uncomplicated despite the legal procedures and law enforcement theme. I loved the setup and the execution of both suspense and romance but she is foremost a true master at suspense. She keeps writing these books that keep me on the edge of my seat, keep me wanting to go back to reading them whenever I stop.

The plot is unpredictable yet realistic and the pace is fast but never rushed. Even without real hardcore action it's still thrilling and eventful. The solution to the plot is kept hidden from the reader until the very end, giving the book a great ending. Slowly, surely and inevitably Griffin leads the reader to the conclusion of this book in a perfect way, tying the very few loose ends in a satisfactory way. The plot was built up excellently, adding to it more clues and facts and gradually answering questions, but at the same time creating new, intriguing situations that leave you wondering what is really going on.

Again, as is becoming Griffin's trademark for me, the romance is subtle, touching and realistic. It's heartwarming without being explicit, fitting the book because it doesn't need explicitness. She has this uncanny ability to write seemingly effortless blends of suspense and romance. While the focus is on the suspense, the romance is still very much present but in a subtle way it's imbedded into the suspense, adding to it that touch of romance to make it a romantic suspense rather than a thriller. It's another compelling book with remarkable plotting in which everything clicks together and into place seamlessly. The book keeps the reader engrossed in it with the way it is thorough, fast-paced, superbly written and captivating.

Laura Griffin ensnared me with this thrilling story that was filled with unpredictable suspense and subtle romance. Once again I've read a book by her hand that absolutely didn't disappoint and was straight up my romantic suspense alley. And this one actually exceeded my expectations with its unpredictability; expectations that very pretty high to begin with after the wonderful book that preceded this one.