Jan "J.J." McKane was a seasoned P.I., as tough as they came. She had every detail of her life plotted, planned, and set in granite until her business partner and father, William "Big Tex" McKane, died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack. From that moment, her life went into an uncontrollable tailspin. Now someone was trying to kill her. After being run off the road in a heavy rainstorm, Jan woke up in the hospital, wondering who she was, what she was doing there, and who the man was who claimed to be her husband.

Cole Hardin, U.S.Treasury, was the seasoned agent to inherit Tex McKane's cases after his death. His assignment was to find out what really killed McKane, who was behind it, and why. The best source of information would be the daughter/business partner. When someone attempted to kill her, it looked like Cole inherited Tex's daughter right along with his caseload. Protecting her was an instant priority. The quickest way to get close would be the old "How is my wife?" routine when she landed unconscious in the hospital. He could use the ruse to get information from the officer in charge of the case, information from the doctor, and, if his luck held out, information from Jan herself if he could convince her of their whirlwind courtship and marriage.

Through a series of intrusions, break-ins, and personal assaults once they arrived at her lake house, Jan and Cole found that they worked very well together, almost too well. It didn't take long for Jan to regain her memory. They utilized the ruse of being newlyweds in the eyes of those they didn't trust and that included pretty much everyone around them. The sparks ignited by acting the part served to kindle a growing fire of passion and desire between the two as they searched for the answers to the questions holding their lives in the balance.

Jan and Cole are two very realistic characters that are easy to worry about through the pages of DECEPTION. Their relationship starts out with a decided lack of trust but soon they find out they can trust only each other in order to get through this case alive. Twists and turns abounding in this thick slice of suspense are wrapped around romance that builds with as much tension as the who-done-it. The surprise ending left this reviewer breathing a sigh of relief once all the loose ends were tied neatly in a bow.

Reviewed By: Marge Conrad
© September 2004