Dangerous Deception

April 15, 1998
After breaking off her engagement to a man accused of fraud, Clare Laurie takes a drive and finds herself in Wales. Once ensconced in her hotel, Clare receives a mysterious message filled with the names of storybook characters. Realizing that the message, intended for someone else, is crime related, Clare decides to play along, hoping to trap the criminals. She is shocked when her contact turns out to be none other than her former fiance, Philip, who believes that she, too, is part of the plot. The story hangs on a rather unbelievable coincidence: that Clare, by choosing at the last moment to go to Wales rather than Somerset, lands in the midst of the mystery--and with Philip, no less. Readers who are able to swallow that are free to enjoy an energetic story with plenty of action and enough red herrings to keep them guessing right up to the very end. Flawed but fun genre fare from a veteran author. ((Reviewed April 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)