Bump in the Night (Jove) has stories by J. D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas. The Robb story, 'Haunted in Death', which leads things off, is my favorite, with Eve facing a ghost. But she knows there's no such thing as ghosts. This one's a nice taste of Eve and Roarke while we're between full-length books. Ms. Blayney's 'Poppy's Coin' is next, with a magic coin helping a little girl get her wish of a new mama and papa, and to get a military man his true love. This one didn't do much for me, I'm afraid. 'The Passenger' by Ruth Ryan Langan is next, with daredevil Josh Cramer taking on one last stunt before he gets some time off, and finding himself in a hard-to-reach wilderness with Grace Marin and the spirit who lives in the local lake. This one was a lot of fun, unexpected for me, too, since I'm not always wild about her stories. Finally, Ms. McComas's 'Mellow Lemon Yellow' has Charlotte's childhood imaginary friend returning for an adult visit. I wish that this one had been a full-length novel, because a novella wasn't nearly long enough to get a story like this feeling complete. Overall, I liked the anthology pretty well, and just for the Robb and Langan stories, I'm giving this one four arrows.
Shiver (Kensington) by Lisa Jackson is next. Abby Chastain isn't thrilled with her ex-husband, but his murder is still shocking. Detective Reuben 'Diego' Montoya is determined to catch the killer, particularly when it appears the murderer is only just getting started. This one is full of twists and turns to keep readers guessing (and you'll keep guessing, because there's no way to figure out the killer's identity), but not nearly enough emotion. Sure, Montoya and Abby are lusting after each other during his visits to interview her about her ex, but I didn't buy into the idea of romance here. As a suspense novel with a (small) romantic thread, I can believe, but not as a romantic suspense. Luckily for me, I went into this one reading it as a suspense rather than a romance, based on my reading of her previous works, so I wasn't disappointed.
Until next time, happy reading!
