Sex, Lies And Secret Lives
Thea Devine
Gallery, Apr 27 2010, $14.00
ISBN: 9781416562658

Twin sisters Jillian and Justine Durant always knew they could depend on only each other during a traumatic childhood. They even set up their own SOS "Just in time" as a safety survival mechanism. As adults they moved beyond their harrowing youth in radically different ways; but shared in common a deep belief that neither would ever accept poverty again.

In the middle of the night the text fail safe message arrives from Jillian to Justine after the former sees her last lover Oliver Bayard on CNN, a murder victim. Knowing her twin needs her, Justine leaves her research job to insure her sibling is okay, but Jillian is missing. Justine quickly learns her globetrotting model sister uses the name Justine Dare as a paid companion to the affluent. Desperate she masquerades as her sibling after a wealthy customer arrives at her sister's place and assumes Justine is Jillian. The men keep coming like Zach, but who is an ally is and who is the enemy is remains elusive while Justine as Jillian searches for her missing twin.

Twins switching in a romantic suspense tale is not a new device (see Switch by Sandra Brown) although Thea Devine somewhat refreshes the plot by having one sibling disappear though that has been deployed less frequently (see Double Take by Brenda Joyce). The story line is fast-paced with plenty of sexual encounters, although the characters are not that deeply developed but Justine gets deep into the role of Jillian while researching her sister's disappearance. Fans will enjoy the ultra heated aptly titled Sex, Lies, and Secret lives.

Harriet Klausner