Sometimes the reader knows by the end of the third chapter that the
male and female protagonists will end up together --- certainly in
bed and probably in a lifelong relationship. This is the case in
Jayne Ann Krentz's newest suspense novel, LOST AND FOUND. However,
the relationship between Cady Briggs and Mack Easton is simply a
sidebar to the real story, a mystery.

   

Cady is an art historian, a consultant specializing in the
decorative arts. Mack runs Lost and Found, an Internet company that
specializes in recovering lost objects. Because of her expertise in
the area, Mack has called on Cady to authenticate several found
objects. However, until Mack asks Cady to come to Las Vegas to help
recover some stolen armor, the two have never met face to face.
Nevertheless, Cady has spent considerable time fantasizing about
the man attached to the voice on the telephone. Meeting him in Las
Vegas only encourages her fantasies, even though nothing but
business is discussed.

   

When Cady travels to San Jose to pursue a lead on the missing
armor, Mack erroneously thinks she is about to double cross him and
follows her --- Cady neglected to inform Mack of the lead. He
arrives in time to find her trying to thwart a robbery attempt, and
together, they are successful not only in stopping the robbery but
in recovering the armor from the software genius who thought he was
getting a great buy on a nice piece for his collection.
 

   

Cady's great-aunt, Vesta Briggs, is a significant figure in the
world of art and antiques and the semiretired head of Chatelaine's,
a high-end gallery and auction house specializing in the decorative
arts. While Cady is in San Jose, Vesta dies suddenly, drowning by
way of an apparent heart attack or panic attack (of which she was
known to suffer) while swimming alone at night (as was her habit).
Chatelaine's is about to merge with another major gallery, and with
Vesta as a major stockholder, her death leaves Chatelaine's in a
state of upheaval.

Cady feels that her aunt's death is suspicious; after all, Vesta
was an excellent swimmer. Even more significant to Cady is a phone
conversation she had with Vesta a day or two before her death.
During the conversation, Vesta said she was reconsidering the
merger, something she would do only if she had grave doubts about
the solidity of the other company. Consequently, Cady wants to
investigate Vesta's death and why she was hesitant about completing
the merger. Cady asks Mack to help with the investigation and, as a
cover story, tells the family he is her "almost fiance," allowing
him access to family intimacies and secrets.

   

With LOST AND FOUND, Krentz has once again proven that she is a
talented author excelling in the suspense genre. She strikes the
right balance between sexual tension and mystery, with a surprising
twist at the end. Cozy up before a crackling fireplace on a snowy
winter weekend and enjoy LOST AND FOUND.