The House in Amalfi by Elizabeth Adler
    The sparkling sea, the warmth of a Mediterranean afternoon--Elizabeth Adler is skillful at portraying the landscape, villages and homes of many European locales along with a soupcon of romantic suspense.
     Lamour Harrington is still mourning the loss of her husband when she discovers that he was not all that he seemed. She leaves Chicago for Italy and attempts to recapture the joys of her childhood spent on Amalfi.  While in the house at sea's edge she once shared with her father, Lamour attempts to solve the mystery of his death many years ago. 
    This is romantic suspense light.  

Read-alikes: Katherine Stone for romantic suspense fans 

Peter Mayle for fiction in a  Mediterranean locale.
                                                                                                                                  Michelle Epstein, Northport Library

Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews

    Set in the loveliest of southern cities, Savannah Blues is about divorce, revenge, good food and great antiques.  After a bitter divorce from the elegant, unfaithful Tal Evans, Eloise “Weezie,” an antiques “picker,” is left with the backyard carriage house of their historic town house which Tal now shares with his new fiancée, Caroline DeSantos.

    Weezie and Caroline are soon feuding and their escalating hostilities are great fodder for gossip-hungry Savannah.  When Caroline DeSantos’ dead body literally falls at Weezie’s feet in a dark plantation house the night before an estate sale, guess who is arrested and charged with her murder?

    The tension increases as Weezie tries to find Caroline’s killer. Weezie’s slowly simmering relationship with Daniel, the hottest chef in town, provides even more suspense.  You won’t have to go all the way to Savannah for the surprising finale.

Read-alikes: 

Jennifer Crusie 

Susan Isaacs

                                                                                                                       Grace O’Connor, West Islip Public Library

Envy by Sandra Brown

    After reading Envy it is apparent why Sandra Brown is one of the world’s most popular and best-selling authors.  Maris Matherly-Reed, editor of her family’s publishing house receives a gripping manuscript, the author of which is mysteriously identified only as P.M.E. with an address equally vague:  St. Anne Island, Georgia. When Maris’s seemingly fairy-tale marriage begins to unravel she decides to seek out the mysterious author.  The manuscript becomes a novel within the novel and leads the reader on a suspense filled, sexually-charged adventure. Despite the improbable plot--what editor after receiving a small portion of a manuscript would go flying off to meet an anonymous author--it is still a riveting and fun read.

                                                                                                              Peggy McCarthy, Smithtown Library-Commack

French Quarter by Stella Cameron

    This book is a contemporary romantic suspense novel set in New Orleans. It opens with Celina Payne, a former Miss Louisiana discovering the dead body of her friend and business associate, Errol Petrie. She and Errol run Dreams, a company that raises money to fund dying children’s dreams. Before she could call the authorities, Errol’s silent partner Jack Charbonnet arrives and immediately suspects that she is involved in his friend Errol’s death. It appears that Errol had a night of sexual excess has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to embarrass their friend, Celina and Jack clean up the bathroom where he died. Unfortunately, when the police arrive they begin to suspect that he was murdered and realize that they have destroyed evidence. Celina and Jack find it necessary to join forces in order to keep Dreams alive and find Errol’s murderer. Celina is plagued by family problems and stalked by a local politician. The bitter and volatile Charbonnet is convinced that Celina is hiding something about his old friend’s murder and is pushing to discover the truth, even if it surfaces his mob ties.  As Celina and Jack uncover the truth about Errol Petrie’s death, they find treachery and danger at every turn and draw closer to each other for survival.

Read-alikes:

Running Scared by Elizabeth Lowell

Tell Me Something Good by Lynn Emery

The Alibi by Sandra Brown

                                                                                                                       Joanne Genovese, The Smithtown Library

Fire Island Summer by Julie Ellis

    Psychiatric social worker Anne Evans, grieving over the recent deaths of her parents, decides to spend the summer at her father’s Fire Island beach house.  She meets handsome Mark Cameron, and the two quickly become deeply involved.  Mark is keeping secret the fact that he’s recently been released from prison, after serving a six year term for a rape he did not commit.  His bitterness is such that he has devised a shady scheme to earn a large amount of money, a plan that coincidentally involves Julie.

    Though the story is predictable, the local setting has appeal.  Ellis was a prolific writer.  Many of her titles are available in large print, and read-alikes include such “romantic” writers as Belva Plain and Elizabeth Adler.

                                                                                                                    Suzanne McGuire, Commack Public Library

Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood

    While waiting for test results from Kansas University Medical Center to see if he needs more chemotherapy, Father “Tommy” Madden offers to sit in the hot and stifling confessional for his aging host, Monsignor McKindry.  Before long, a faceless man enters the other side.  The transgressor admits to a previous killing, and now seeks absolution for the sin he is about to commit.  Father Tommy’s confusion turns to fear as the man reveals he is planning to kill the priest’s sister, Laurant.

    Returning to Holy Oaks, Iowa, Father Tommy immediately enlists the aid of his longtime friend and FBI agent Nick Buchanan.  Nick and Laurant agree to pose as an engaged couple, hoping to elicit the killer’s jealousy and draw him out.  What they don’t expect is for their mutual attraction to get in the way.  While they try to stay focused on finding the killer, Nick and Laurant also find it increasingly difficult to resist each other.

    Heartbreaker is more romance than suspense, and the ending is not a surprise.  However, the love story smolders and the writing is fast-paced and satisfying for loyal fans of Garwood’s romances.

Readers looking for Julie Garwood read-alikes:

Elizabeth Lowell

Catherine Coulter

Karen Robards.

                                                                                                                  Catherine Nashak, Deer Park Public Library

Still Waters by Tami Hoag

    Set in a rural town in Minnesota, Still Waters begins when journalist Elizabeth Stewart discovers the body of a local businessman.  When she becomes a suspect in his murder, she begins her journey to uncover the identity of a killer and to clear her own name.  As passions flare up between Elizabeth and the local sheriff, a killer stalks closer to her doorstep.  Hoag weaves a steamy, suspenseful read that will keep you guessing to the end.

Read-alikes: 

Patricia Cornwell

Suzanne Brockmann

Lisa Gardner

Karen Robards

Elizabeth Powell.

                                                                                                                     Pamela Wells, Lindenhurst Public Library

Open Season by Linda Howard

    Daisy Minor is a small town librarian in Alabama who decides that her entire life is boring. She still lives with her mother and her aunt and is the image of the mousy librarian. Daisy decides that a makeover is in order and with the help of a local antique dealer and decorator she revamps her wardrobe and goes blonde. She also starts going to local clubs in a neighboring county for dancing. At one of these clubs she attracts the attention of her town’s police chief (Jack Russo) but also manages to witness a killing. The killers then target Daisy and try to take her out of the picture. The rest of the story is how Jack (with Daisy’s help) brings the killers to some justice.

    The book is fast paced and parts of it are very funny. It is somewhat predictable in the romance part, but interesting in the suspense part as the story involves smuggling illegal immigrants. The immigrants are presented as both victims and aggressors- a more balanced picture than expected.

Read-alikes: 

Irish Johansen

Catherine Coulter

Elizabeth Lowell

Karen Robards.

                                                                                  Elizabeth Reade, Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community Library

Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson
    Eve Renner doesn't remember much of the murderous night when she found her friend in
in a pool of blood and was shot in the head herself.  She suspects her former lover, Cole Dennis of the crime, but he escapes the charges due to Eve's amnesia.  Three months later, returning home to New Orleans after recuperating at her sister-in-law's in Atlanta, Eve's father is murdered.  Then, one by one, more people are murdered in the same ritualistic manner.  The only connection to all involved is Our Lady of Virtues Hospital, the dilapidated, vacant asylum where her psychiatrist father worked while Eve was growing up.  And the only one who can help Eve, is Cole Dennis.  But, can he be trusted?
    Absolute Fear brings back characters (Detectives Montoya & Bentz, Abby Chastain, Faith Chastain) from the previous novels, Shiver, Cold-Blooded, and Hot-Blooded.

Read-alikes: 

Stella Cameron

Karen Robards

Kay Hooper

Elizabeth Peters

Heather Graham

Linda Howard

Tami Hoag

J. D. Robb

Victoria Holt.
                                                                                                                                Lori Ludlow, Babylon Public Library

All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz

    Freelance reporter Irene Stenson returns to her hometown at the request of Pamela Webb, a high school friend. They haven't seen each other since the night Irene came home from a night out with Pamela to discover her parents had been murdered in their home. Upon her arrival at Pamela's house, Irene finds her dead of an apparent overdose. Luke Danner, the owner of the lodge where Irene is staying, teams up with her to help uncover the mystery of the death and subsequent torching of Pamela's home. Luke and Irene become romantically involved as they come closer to discovering some unsettling truths about Pamela's father, a powerful U.S. Senator who is considering a run for president.

Read-alikes:

More Than Gold by Shirley Hailstock

Got Your Number by Stephanie Bond

                                                                                                              Kathleen L. Schiebel, Brookhaven Free Library

The Wrong Hostage by Elizabeth Lowell

            Judge Grace Silva believed in laws and the criminal justice system until her world was changed by the kidnapping of her son Lane. Her world of absolutes, black and white, right and wrong suddenly became a world of grays and shadows. In order to save her child, she turned to an old boyfriend, Joe Faroe, who worked as a kidnap specialist for St Kilda Consulting. This agency succeeds by working in the shadow world where government agencies can’t go. Mexico, politics, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and money laundering all play important roles in this suspenseful story. Romance plays a secondary role to the action. All fans of political thrillers and the alpha male will enjoy this novel.

The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels

            Lucy Baker is a successful, but disillusioned lawyer. She takes a hiatus from her practice and moves to the suburbs in an attempt to put her priorities in order. She takes solace in the fact that she is engaged to marry a successful business man, and fills her days with tennis, jogging, gardening, and looking after her Golden Retriever. Her tranquil existence is shattered one afternoon when she is approached by two FBI agents with disturbing questions about the man she is about to marry. Lucy is caught completely unawares. She wonders if they have mistaken her fiancé for someone else. But the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes how little she actually knows about her betrothed. As her doubts about her boyfriend grow, so does her intrigue about her neighbor, Wylie Wilson. She meets him in an unconventional manner when her dog befriends his dog. As the dogs enjoy each other’s company, Lucy and Wylie begin to enjoy each other’s as well. Lucy begins to question her wedding plans, and wonders who she can trust. As Lucy’s fiancé’s return from a business trip approaches, and as the FBI warns her that her life may be in danger, Lucy comes to rely more and more on her neighbor as she navigates toward a showdown with her lover.

            The Nosy Neighbor will appeal to romance and suspense readers alike, as these qualities are woven together throughout this light and pleasant read. A page turner, The Nosy Neighbor could easily be devoured on a single rainy afternoon.

            If you enjoy Fern Michaels’ writing style, you may enjoy other works by her that fall into the romantic suspense category—About Face, Charming Lily, Crown Jewel, and Future Scrolls.

Read-alikes:

Jane Graves’ Light My Fire

Mary Kay Andrews’ Savannah Breeze

Jayne Ann Krentz’ Ghost of A Chance

Nora Roberts’ Hot Ice.

                                                  Deborah Formosa, Northport-East Northport Library

Devil May-Care by Elizabeth Peters

Published in 1977, Devil May-Care is set in Virginia horse country. It’s part ghost story, part romantic set-up, with a whole lot of trickery--and a mysterious old book bought in a second-hand bookstore that’s in the center of it all.

The story begins with the protagonist Ellen bringing her fiancé home to meet her beloved Aunt Kate.  The reader can tell clearly from the start that Ellen is not perfectly matched with Henry, the uptight status-hungry fiancé.

Enter eccentric Aunt Kate, who has asked her niece to watch her big old historic house and many pets during her vacation. Aunt Kate, of course, has ulterior motives for Ellie’s love life. Once left to guard the mansion Kate experiences a series of ghostly encounters with what she believes to be the ancestors of the six old-money families of the area.

The book maintains a steady pace and has some laugh-out-loud scenes which the reader can clearly visualize. Overall it’s an enjoyable, but predictable, read.

Read-a-likes: 

Sharyn McCrumb's Elizabeth MacPherson series

Catherine Lanigan

Carolyn Hart

Jayne Ann Krentz for contemporary settings and her alter-ego Amanda Quick for historicals

Dashiell Hammett’s, The Thin Man.

                                                                                                                        Neely McCahey, Rogers Memorial Library

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

    In 1886, Lady Julia Grey’s husband, Edward, dies suddenly of the heart disease that has plagued his family including a similarly afflicted reclusive cousin, Simon, who resides with the couple in their large London townhouse.  Just as Julia begins to cope with the contradictions of monied widowhood during her year of mourning, she is visited by taciturn private detective, Nicholas Brisbane, who reveals that Edward had hired him to find the source of some threatening letters.  Analysis confirms Brisbane’s suspicions of murder – and he and Julia begin their testily collaborative search for the culprit.  Disturbing truths about a husband she never truly knew and a world of deception, disease and sexual obsession are uncovered.  Deft historical detailing, sparkling narration and the budding romance between Julia and the often surprising Brisbane balance otherwise dark themes.  At the novel’s conclusion, the stage is set for more adventures of this savvy heroine and her dark mysterious hero.

Read-alikes:

Don’t Look Back by Amanda Quick

The Duchess Diaries by Barbara Smith

The Sherbrooke Twins by Catherine Coulter

Always Time to Die by Elizabeth Lowell.

                                                     Marie T. Horney, Cold Spring Harbor Library

The Reef by Nora Roberts

    “Angelique’s Curse” is a richly jeweled amulet that went down with a Spanish ship.  Legend has it that the woman who wore it was wrongly accused of murder and burned at the stake.  Although it was found a few times throughout history, the owners always suffered some sort of tragedy.

    The Lassiters are treasure hunters of ancient sea-wrecks.  Matthew has a vendetta against Van Dyke, whom he believed killed his father.  The Lassiters meet the Beaumonts – Ray, Marla and their daughter Tate who pursue their avocation of scuba diving and treasure hunting.  The Lassiters have the professional skills, the Beaumonts have the resources, and they end up as partners.  They find treasure, Matthew and Tate Beaumont fall in love, and of course bad luck strikes.  A shark maims Buck, a father figure to Matthew, and Van Dyke ‘steals’ the treasures of the sea from the Beaumonts.  Matthew and Tate fall out of love and everyone goes their separate ways.  Eight years later they reunite in order to find “Angelique’s Curse,” with Matthew and Tate falling in and out of love with each other.  Van Dyke is always present in his attempt to recover the amulet.  (He is very, very rich).

    This book is a well-written combination of romance, greed, murder, revenge, enduring friendship and personal courage in the face of tragedy.   It is also a good depiction of the quest for the sea’s treasures and of what it must be like to explore the ocean depths.

Read-alikes: 

Sandra Brown

Janet Dailey

Jayne Ann Krentz

Mary Jo Putney

Marie Alice Monroe

Iris Johansen

Cynthia Freeman

Tami Hoag,

                                                                                                                          Rhea Pollock, Brentwood Public Library

Cold Truth by Mariah Stewart

    In the cozy little town of Bower’s Inlet, New Jersey, Detective Cass McBride enjoys her relatively crime-free job.  However, when the bodies of several women all fitting the same profile start turning up posed in the same position, Cass knows her job has just become a lot more difficult.  As Cass tracks the killer, trying to catch him before he strikes again, shocking discoveries about her past and her connection to the killer come to light making this thriller an engrossing read.  The book moves quickly from chapter to chapter alternating between the killer’s and Cass’ point of view making it not only easy to follow, but easy to read as well.  Although categorized as romantic suspense, there wasn’t much romance that I could see.  Cold Truth is not for someone who is used to reading or is looking for a romantic suspense novel because they would definitely be disappointed.  It is recommended for those who enjoy reading thrillers and suspense novels especially since it’s the first one in a series that definitely has potential. 

Read-alikes: 

Catherine Coulter

Lisa Gardner

Lisa Jackson

J. D. Robb’s “In Death” series.

                                                                                                                 Azuree Agnello, West Babylon Public Library