The Widow
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
When Charlie’s ex-husband, world-famous artist Aristide Pompasse, dies, she heads back to Italy settle his estate, back to the nest of vipers who had hovered around the great painter in his lifetime. The only problem is Connor Maguire, the insurance adjustor who seems determined to annoy her. What with missing paintings, a suspicious death, and hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, Charlie trusts no one, not her self-absorbed mother or her stuffy fiancé. In fact, the only one person who feels safe is Connor himself, and he’s not what he says he is.
The beautiful old Tuscan villa is no longer the safe haven it once seemed to be, with danger lurking around every corner. The truth about Connor is almost as bad as the discovery that Pompasse was murdered, she trusts no one, and even the man she’s falling in love with is a damned liar. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, is Charlie going to be the next to die?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When French artist Aristide Pompasse, famous almost as much for his affairs as for his paintings, is found dead possibly murdered his estranged wife, the much younger Charlie Thomas, reluctantly returns to Pompasse's Tuscan villa in preparation for the funeral. Five years before, Charlie escaped from Pompasse's domineering hold to start a new life for herself in New York City, and now she is determined to seal the painful memories of her past by selling Pompasse's estate. But first Charlie will have to face Pompasse's former lovers and deal with Conner Maguire, an abrasive tabloid reporter posing as an insurance consultant. While Charlie and Connor fling insults at each other and search for Pompasse's missing paintings, they uncover some startling secrets indicating that someone may be out to harm Charlie. Through colorful prose and snappy, realistic dialogue, Stuart (Wild Thing, etc.) skillfully portrays the palpable friction between Charlie and Connor, but she fails to ignite much excitement with the mystery element of this story. Although the narrative does pick up during the last third of the book, readers looking for a fast-paced thriller are likely to be disappointed. Those drawn to sexual heat, however, will find plenty here to satisfy.
