Anna DeStefano, The Runaway Daughter

The Runaway Daughter

Anna DeStefano

Harlequin SuperRomance, Feb 2006, $5.50

ISBN: 0373713290

Oakwood, Georgia, Chief Deputy Angie Carter and Deputy Tony Rivers know they should not have a relationship outside of friendship and the office as she is his superior. However, they are attracted to one another, though she is also a decade older than him and has been burned once before by a player, which is how most people describe Tony.

Tony's teenage niece Maggie talks with her friend, single mom Claire Morton, about the overdose death of Travis Reynolds; Claire believes her baby's father Sam Walker is the prime county drug dealer. When Sam and a business associate Marcus come home, bullets fly; Claire is shot and is seemingly dying, Marcus is dead, and Maggie flees with baby Max. Maggie turns to her Uncle Tony for help. He, in turn, brings in his boss to help protect his niece and the infant while they investigate the drug dealing and killings by Sam.

THE RUNAWAY DAUGHTER is an intriguing police procedural romance starring two likable protagonists and a strong support cast. Tony is a misfit who knows he can never be as good as his role model, his older brother; while Angie sees how deeply he cares and loves behind his nonchalant fa ade, but knows she must not pursue a relationship with a direct reports employee. The tension between them as they work the case makes for a strong thriller. Though readers will wonder why the pivotal scene happened where it did, as the intelligent Sam would never risk his lucrative business by killing Marcus in his home, fans will enjoy this strong older woman younger man cop romance.