Shelley Bradley Strip Search

Strip Search

Shelley Bradley

Berkley, Jul 2006, $7.99

ISBN: 0425211096

FBI Agent Norton asks his civilian friend Rafe Dawson for help requiring a CPA outsider. Norton believes an agent has gone rogue involving a Mafia money laundering scheme at the Las Vegas male strip joint Girls' Night Out. Rafe owes Norton for keeping his brother-in-law Mark Sullivan out of jail so he enlists Mark, who knows he really owes the debt though he detests that the tip came from his ex-wife Tiffany, who set him up in the first place that led to his legal troubles.

Owner Nicola DeStefano hires Mark Gabriel as an exotic dancer. From the start (in his case even before they met from her picture), Mark and Nicki are attracted to one another. However, Mark wants to destroy Tiffany's former ally Blade Bocelli, sent by her Uncle Pietro to watch over Nicola and his 30 percent; however Mark will fail if he cannot keep his brain from having only one thought. He is disgusted with himself as he has fallen for another female whom he assumes is the current partner of Blade, the man who almost sent him to Leavenworth for a couple decades.

The return of Mark, whose legal troubles led to the marriage between his sister Kerry and Rafe (see BOUND AND DETERMINED), will please readers of erotic romance suspense. The story line is fun to follow as the lead couple cannot keep their hands and some gadgetry off one another. The irony of the tale is Mark is sure his new love is in cahoots with his foe, but his other head does all his thinking. Thus his self reprobation after sleeping with the enemy make for a fine tale though some readers will question his libido leading to a one icon brain.

Harriet Klausner