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Jamie Denton has written a fast paced psychological thriller with The Matchmaker. Greer Lomax quit the Bureau after a hunt for a serial killer nearly cost her her life… at the killer’s hands. Now she works for the Sheriff’s office at the small town she hails from. Plagued by panic attacks and nightmares that would drive a weaker woman insane, Greer is barely surviving. When a contested will requires an exhumation of the dead man’s body Greer’s life shifts on its axis once more. In the tomb a second body is found, sparking a new investigation which brings all her fears back to the forefront of her mind. Greer turns to the FBI for assistance, and the one man she wishes she could forget comes to her aid… her estranged husband and FBI profiler, Ash Keller. Ash blames himself for the horrors Greer faced in the lair of that madman. He alone can even come close to understanding what is running through Greer’s mind and he swears not to let her down again. Now these two must tiptoe through another killer’s mind, if they have any hopes of stopping the serial killer dubbed “The Matchmaker.” Can Greer escape the terrors locked in her mind? And what of the still flaming passion between Greer and Ash? Can they cross the chasm between them? From the moment the first victim is found, readers are taken on a life or death journey through the twisted mind of a killer. It’s quite fascinating, as strange as that may seem, to get this point of view in the story. To learn what drives someone to this kind of behavior and what made them into a monster is very intriguing. Getting into his head, knowing who he is from early on, does not hurt the story at all. There are still a few wrenches thrown in the works that will surprise the readers and provide for an attention grabbing showdown. Readers get deep into Greer’s head as she tries to deal with what happened to her and recover from it. The frequent anxiety and panic attacks she experiences make her that much more real to us. Facing another serial killer is the last thing she wants to do, but she knows that she must face her internal demons if she ever hopes to get herself back. Watching Greer face her fears in an effort to overcome them engaged my emotions in the story even more than they already would have been. Ash has his own battles to fight as well. He has suffered a lot since Greer was almost killed and later left him. Though he understands to some extent why Greer left, he doesn’t fully comprehend the depth of her struggles. Coming to her aid on this case makes him feel like he can redeem himself in her eyes, though she is very resistant to him throughout most of the investigation. The Kensington Brava line is known for a high heat level between the hero and heroine. Though on the surface, The Matchmaker doesn’t feel as hot as may be expected, the sexual tension between Ash and Greer sizzles. When they finally overcome their differences long enough to come together, passions run high, sparking hot enough to start fires. The Matchmaker by Jamie Denton does not disappoint. It is a very compelling read, and kept me on the edge of my seat, reading late in to the night, eager to find out what would come next. I look forward to future books by Jamie Denton. © Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2006. All rights reserved.
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The Matchmaker
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Posted October 2006 |
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