Heartbeats
Susan Rae
Berkley, Nov 2005, $6.99
ISBN: 0425206823

At a fundraiser, Dr. Elizabeth Iverson runs into a former lover, FBI Special Agent Drake McGuire. Seeing him is quite a jolt, since six years have passed since they shared a short but torrid relationship; yet to both it seems like yesterday, as the heat etched a deep mark on their respective hearts. However, after leaving the gala she goes to her apartment, only to find her best friend Julie Parks dead from multiple stab wounds, a homicide victim. The only good thing Elizabeth believes, is that her young daughter Allison is staying with her grandmother.

Drake pushes his way onto the case because of Elizabeth. He investigates the murder over the chagrin of the locals, which gives him an opportunity to explore what he and Elizabeth ended abruptly when she fled into the night. As Elizabeth and Drake revive their relationship, which seems stronger than before if memory holds, he knows he must not allow his love or desire from keeping him from doing his job, which is catching a killer, and especially keeping Elizabeth safe as she could be the next victim. Then there is the question of who sired Allison.

HEARTBEATS is a fabulous police procedural romance, starring two likable protagonists whose hearts beat as one. However, the key to this fine thriller is the villain, as clues are provided by Susan Rae, yet like the cops, choosing who did it remains difficult. Though the second chance at love family drama is an overdone device, fans of romantic suspense will want to read this tense tale.

Harriet Klausner