Ann DeFee, A Texas State of Mind

A Texas State of Mind

Ann DeFee

Harlequin American, Jul 2005, $4.99, 246 pp.

ISBN: 0373750803

Port Serenity, Texas Police Chief Lavinia "Lolly" LaTullipe has a filled plate between raising a fourteen years old son and a ten years old daughter alone and the small crimes that occur in her jurisdiction. The Peaceful Cove "Inn" calls to have her remove underage drinkers when she notices a high school crony Cookie Baker at the bar with a stud. She says hello, but the hunk yanks her onto his lap so she zaps him with her stun gun.

Texas Department of Safety Narcotics Division undercover agent Christian Delacroix knows he deserved the shock, but that he thought she could have just shown him her badge instead of leaving him on the floor. Christian is in town working on a case of dead drug dealers floating onto the nearby beach. As they share an office and work closely together, they fall in love, but she has two kids with a picket fence while he has always lived on the edge.

A TEXAS STATE OF MIND is a wonderful police procedural romance that works on two levels: the investigation and the relationships. The murder mystery is cleverly handled so that the two law enforcement officials must work as a team following up on that opening zap. Lolly is a strong amazon who does Herculean work as the chief and as a single mom. Christian is her ideal counterpart as he is intelligent and courageous. However, kids, dogs, and fences are outside his norm so the audience will wonder if he chooses to stay out in the cold or enter the warmth of a loving family.

Harriet Klausner