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Title: Black Silk
ISBN: 0778322815
Author:
Metsy Hingle
Publicate Date: 2006-03-01
Publish: 2006-03-01
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $0.01
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
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1: Exciting romantic drama with a great twist
New Orleans police detective Charlotte LeBlanc dropped out of law school and joined the police force when her younger sister Emily was murdered six years earlier while in college in Baton Rouge. But a crime similar in nature to Emily's is gripping the city of New Orleans - Francesca, the fiance of wealthy hotelier JP Stratton is found strangled in her apartment, with a black silk stocking left behind as a calling card - just like Emily's murder.
Charlotte gets her partner Vince to remain mum on the fact that the crime is similar to her sisters' so that she won't be pulled off the case. The main suspects are JP and the four Stratton sons, who all seem to have been at Francesca's apartment the night she was slain. Charlotte and eldest son Cole have an instant attraction to each other that she fears acting on since one of them is a murderer, and could she really have anything to do with a man related to her sister's killer? Meanwhile, her partner Vince is grappling with his attraction to her youngest sister Anne and fearing the nine year age gap (she is 23).
With a plot and twist straight out of CSI, Hingle's latest is loaded with suspense and chemistry between the two leads. Unfortunately, Hingle does not fully realize the potential for this explosive romantic relationship, so it takes a back seat to the main story, which is first rate.
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2: Good plot, subpar romance
Black Silk was a pure romantic suspense, and I mostly liked it.
The plot was well-crafted with lots of twists and turns. The storyline was the dominant part of the story. The murder and solving it were the focus of the book - which was good and bad. I liked the plot. I wasn't bored with it. At the same time, with so much of the focus on the murders, the romance suffered.
There was a workable chemistry between Charlotte and Cole, and the situation they were in, with her a cop and him a possible suspect added a great dynamic. The problem was that the author just didn't spend enough time on them. There were few true scenes between them. Most of their interaction was regarding the murder case. Everything between them was very superficial. It was all snap, snap snap...they meet, there's chemistry, and oh, hey, they love each other and want a future. There really needed to be a few more scenes between them to develop the bond.
Aside from that, the book was good. As I said, I liked the plot, and I also liked the side story of the romance between Charlotte's other sister and Charlotte's cop partner. That was a nice addition.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
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3: Predictable
I found this book to be very predictable, with the murderer obvious from the get-go. I also thought the romance between Charlie and Cole could've been written better...it seemed to come way too fast and out of nowhere, without any of the buildup usually found in these types of books.
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4: Solidly Written Police Procedural--minus the sparks
This is a by-the-numbers, well written and plotted with good characters police procedural. Many readers enjoy this style of book because everything is orderly, logical and expected. The trouble with that is it easily can become plodding and average. The author carefully keeps to reality, modern day, with no "bells and whistles" or outrageous components requiring the reader to suspend belief. The romance between the lead characters is something to anticipate but it comes way too late in the story and wraps up quickly. This book could be recommended to anyone from an older teen to your grandfather and they would enjoy it. But for an experienced reader, a better book using the characters of a wealthy male businessman and a dedicated female cop is any of the Roarke-Eve Dallas series by Nora Robb. Understanding in advance, that it would be like comparing an orange to a candied kumquat--both equally delicious, but requiring a different taste expectation.
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5: Wonderful New Orleans suspense!
When seasoned New Orleans Detective Charlotte "Charlie" LeBlanc is called to the scene of the City's latest homicide, she isn't disturbed by the murder scene until she notices the one silk stocking left next to the victim's posed body. Charlie's sister was murdered six years prior, her body left in the very same manner, posed after death with a single black silk stocking placed next to her lifeless body. Charlie found her sister's body and has dedicated her life to finding the person responsible and seeing that justice is served. As the list of suspects grows to include most of the immediate family of the latest victim's fianc??, Charlie finds herself drawn to Cole Stratton, the estranged son of the fianc??.
Cole Stratton immediately admired the beautiful, determined detective, despite her tenacity in questioning him and his siblings. Knowing that Charlie's life was touched by the same brutal violence as his father's fianc??e helps him understand her devoted resolve in pursuing this killer. Cole is terribly attracted to Charlie, and is equally determined to pursue a relationship with her, but first he must convince her that he is not the killer.
BLACK SILK is a wonderfully written book with rich descriptions of the sights, sounds and flavors of New Orleans. Charlie and Cole are intelligent characters and are intensely passionate in their desire for one another. Secondary characters play an integral role in this book and a budding relationship between Charlie's remaining sister and her partner is refreshing. Just as you would expect from Metsy Hingle, BLACK SILK is filled with wonderful romance, exciting suspense and heartfelt emotion.
COURTESY LAURIE/ROMANCE JUNKIES
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