From USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Queen – Book 6 in the Beachcomber Investigations series: BEACHCOMBER HEATThis summer’s heat wave on Martha’s Vineyard is breaking records, but so is the crime wave.Ex-special ops legend Dane Blaise and his partner in Beachcomber Investigations are hired to protect their wealthy client’s jewels from an ambitious jewel theif loose on the island. Dane … ambitious jewel theif loose on the island. Dane thinks their client is crazy for wasting his money, but Shana is desperate for the big fat fee, so they take the case.
Before long, the case of missing jewels turns into a case of murder and an old enemy enters the picture. Now Dane needs to decide how far he’ll go to solve the case–and how far he’ll go to keep Shana with him on the island.
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In Beachcomber Heat, Dane and Shana are hired to prevent a theft during a lavish party in a most exclusive oceanfront neighborhoods on the island. Soon, the investigation morphs into more dangerous questions, such as, what is the connection between the theft and a murder case? Is the insurance investigator not what she seems? And why were the jewels found in the victim’s mouth?
The story, written by Stephanie Queen as part of a series, is told from Shane’s point of view. We hear not only his dialog but also his inner thoughts about Dana, which makes him the more volunerable character between the two. “Hell if he would let her distract him even when she wasn’t there.” But in the very next breath, “Who was he kidding? She was a distraction every damn waking minute. And in his dreams, too.” The language is gritty at times, which is realistic for characters in this line of work, investigating crime. “You look damn good for a murderer.”
It’s such fun to watch them work out different approaches on how to proceed with their crime suspects. Shane prefers to ‘go along’ with the suspects in order to trip them, which tests the romance between him and Dana, who prefers a direct confrontation.
The heat wave provides the atmospheric foil not only for catching the thieves red-handed but also for the sizzling tension between the two partners (a tension that reminded me of Cybill Shepherd & Bruce Willis in Moonlighting.) Fittingly, the heat wave subsides when the story nears its conclusion. “Today the sky was cloudy with thunderstorm threatening to finally break the heat wave…” and it would be the day he would bust the criminals.
Five stars.
Queen has become one of my go to authors. This book like all her books have been great. Dane is one of my favorite characters. I have such a great image of him in my mind. wow Great book
When parties are being thrown by wealthy residents on Martha’s Vineyard and their jewels are stolen, extra security is needed at the parties so Beachcomber Investigations are called in. Dane and Shana go to a party as guests hoping to catch the thief red handed. They are working with the police on this case but when a dead body is found, things become dangerous. While trying to stay professional, Shana and Dane are constantly wondering how the other feels. Of course, they aren’t open and honest with each other about this.
I like Stephanie Queen’s writing style. The story is smooth and easy to follow. This is a fast paced suspense that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I liked that the ending was full of twists and not easy for me to figure out. Dane and Shana are such strong individuals who work well together even with the romantic tension between them. I love this pair.
Please note I received an ARC of Beachcomber Heat in exchange for an honest review. If you like romantic suspense, you’ll love Beachcomber Heat.