MaryJanice Davidson, Hello Gorgeous

MaryJanice Davidson, Hello Gorgeous - Nine days apparently have passed since Minneapolis hair salon owner Caitlyn James tragically died in Florida on her twenty-fourth birthday in a limousine crash. However, the heavenly afterlife is not someone doing her hair, but a top secret government agency brings her back to life using nanotechnology to turn her into a cyborg. Caitlyn is okay with being a borg just as long as she can get back to running her salon; however, her "saviors" have other plans for her to complete first.

Someone is killing the egghead geeks. They demand that Caitlyn use her new superhuman bionic powers to uncover the identity of the serial killer and stop him, preferably by bringing the rogue to the agency. The prime suspect is the other cyborg loose on an unsuspecting populace, Dmitri known as "Wolf". Ironically, Wolf believes Caitlyn is the killer who he must stop. When they meet, they suspect one another, but also are incredibly attracted to one another.

MaryJanice Davidson's unique brand of zaniness makes this science-fiction romance a must-read for fans who appreciate a humorous, out of this world tale. The storyline is fast-paced and filled with zingers, but both cyborgs seem genuine and the serial killer who-done-it is cleverly devised to provide a fun mystery as well as a means to keep the distrust level high between the lead couple. Though the relationship between the cyborgs seems a bit on the nano side, readers will appreciate Ms. Davidson's not so subtle response to a boomer nostalgia question: what would happen if the bionic woman and the six million dollar man mated? Now we just need to know whether their offspring is an android or a human.

Kensington Brava, Mar 2005, $14.00

ISBN: 0758208049

Harriet Klausner