If combining a mass shooting with a romance seems to be an unlikely pairing, rest assured that Sandra Brown is quite capable of making this work wonderfully well in her new romantic thriller, OUT OF NOWHERE. The shooter brags about being uncatchable and even impervious to the risk of becoming a suspect. Until the very clever ending, we don't understand why that would be the case.

"If combining a mass shooting with a romance seems to be an unlikely pairing, rest assured that Sandra Brown is quite capable of making this work wonderfully well... Brown excels at keeping the tension high and the emotions (romance) strong."

Calder Hudson is a real jerk. Conceited, arrogant and smug, he has just finished a job that resulted in a huge payoff and is ready to party. His live-in girlfriend, a television reporter, wants him to meet her at the county fair where she has to work, but he's not in the mood. However, his baser instincts kick in; doing this for her might net him some sex later, so he goes. Elle Portman also attends the fair with her two-year-old son, Charlie, and her best friend, Glenda. While Glenda had planned to get together with some friends afterward for a girls’ night out, Elle and Charlie are ready to head home.

But as Calder enters the fair grounds while Elle and Charlie exit, the man standing next to Elle is shot. Calder tries to get those around him to get down, and he attempts to catch Charlie's runaway buggy. But he is shot, and others are killed or wounded. Elle and Calder meet after the tragedy at a group therapy session. Elle has finally opened up about her feelings and pain regarding the shooting. They talk briefly outside the building, and the air between them sizzles.

Two detectives try to determine the shooter’s identity. The gun was left with the last victim and was made to look like a suicide, which threw off the responding officers. They thought the killer was dead, giving the real culprit time to get away. But the police question the five witnesses who were right at the epicenter of the shooting, including Elle and Calder.

We see the sparks fly when Elle and Calder are together, but starting a romance after what just happened is tricky. Calder has some baggage to dispose of before he is free to begin a new relationship. More importantly, he’s still not very likable; he’s egotistical, and perhaps Elle deserves better. She is a children's book author who is kind, smart and struggling to deal with the aftermath of the shooting. But as she and Calder are targeted by the shooter, they realize the detectives may not find this individual until it is too late. Is it because they saw something that is important but they don't remember it? Why has the killer zeroed in on the five witnesses?

When Calder takes matters into his own hands and Elle is along for the ride, the romance heats up and the danger intensifies. What will it take for them to find the killer before they themselves are victims? Sandra Brown excels at keeping the tension high and the emotions (romance) strong.

While I don't think those who have experienced a mass shooting should read this book (I’m thinking of you, my Highland Park friends), Brown does manage to impart the horror and senselessness of the incident, and the cowardice, callousness and depravity of the perpetrator, as well as the depths of despair of those who escape with their lives.