Colleen Thompson, Heat Lightning

Heat Lightning

Colleen Thompson

Love Spell, November 2006, $6.99

ISBN 0505526719

In Houston, an assailant wanting to silent Voice of Poverty spokesperson Luz Maria Montoya assaults the woman, who ends up hospitalized. Police Investigators Grant Holcomb and his relatively new partner Billy Devlin investigate the attack on the community activist. Grant detests Luz Maria, who he blames for the suicide death of his former partner John Zeman when her accusations of his being a rapist stuck; Grant cannot accept that a family man like Zeman would attack crack females.

Luz Maria tells Grant to forget her case since he has an ax to grind. He vows to remain professional, but finds that difficult to maintain, as he wants the woman whose cold actions led to his former partner taking his life. Still, the consummate cop, Grant with Billy's odd help begin to make enquiries into a sociopath who knows Luz Maria intimately, with the assumption being that her former lover wants her dead. Grant will risk his life to keep the woman he once hated but now loves safe.

Luz Maria's return (see FADE THE HEAT) is a solid romantic suspense thriller, with the emphasis more on the changing relationship between the cop and the activist, than on who is stalking her. Readers will know who the culprit is early on by simple elimination, as there are few, if any other potential competitors. Still, this is a well written fun damsel in distress thriller because of Grant's attitude towards the woman he must protect.