Suzanne Brockmann, Hot Target

Hot Target

Suzanne Brockmann

Ballantine, Dec 2004, $19.95

ISBN: 0345467930

With his mom recovering from breaking her wrists in a fall, US Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter is on leave in Southern California to help her with her recuperation. He also takes a temporary assignment with Troubleshooters, Inc., managed by his former military superior Tom Paoletti.

Filmmaker Jane Chadwick has received threats because she is making a movie on the relationship between two gay World War II heroes. Jack Shelton and Hal Lord fought courageously, won honors, met, fell in love, but the latter could not come out into the sunshine, ending their relationship. As Cosmo and Jane fall in love, he and his teammates must stop a killer probably protected by a neo-Nazi group demanding the movie not be shot because Hal is a legend. Cosmo knows his beloved must also accept his Hello Dolly mother and the danger of his occupation if they are to become permanent.

Though too many key players are in the cast to follow easily, fans will appreciate Suzanne Brockmann's exhilarating "Troubleshooters" novel that focuses on Cosmo and Jane, seemingly opposites fall in love while he tries to keep her safe. The homosexual relationship theme of the "movie" and that of Jules seeking a gay partner to love and be loved for a lifetime in the sun is also well done and a strong step towards the romance genre, doing what mystery has already done, allow gay leads; this also explains the myriad of subplots. HOT TARGET is a strong breakthrough tale that trashes activist presidents "protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife."

Harriet Klausner