Skip to main content

Ricochet

Review

Ricochet



The "thriller" aspects of Sandra Brown's books just keep getting
better. And while the "romance" aspects may not be at the
forefront, they're still present with all their steamy seductions
and stormy affairs. In RICOCHET, one of our favorite and most
prolific authors brings together all of the elements that we seek
when we pick up a book for pure entertainment. Although many of her
novels reflect in-depth research and provide detailed backdrops,
Sandra Brown has chosen to simply write a great story filled with
characters who bring it to life. And she never fails to include
situations that cause us to reflect on our own values and to make
judgments that are based on more than mere feelings. If all that
weren't enough to send you running to the bookstore, she has
enhanced her use of humor and provided some broad smiles and
laugh-out-loud-chuckles.

Detective Duncan Hatcher of the Savannah, Georgia Police Department
has a history with Judge Cato Laird, and it's not a pleasant one.
So when Judge Laird declares a mistrial in Hatcher's case against
drug dealer and murderer Robert Savich, Hatcher loses it. His
outburst in court earns him jail time and moves him closer to
forced retirement, if not being fired outright. However, when the
Judge's trophy wife, Elise, kills an intruder in their home,
Hatcher's relationship with both of the Lairds becomes much more
intimate though definitely not more cordial.

Can you guess who the love interest will be for our hero? That's
ok. Some degree of predictability is what we hope for when we pick
up a thriller with romantic overtones. But acting on the attraction
between him and the perpetrator in a suspicious shooting would
surely ruin Hatcher's career and violate the value system that he
has always lived by. In fiction, as in life, often the lust hormone
trumps the intellect hormone, and the ensuing story provides an
exciting sidebar to the mystery that develops around the
shooting.

When other bodies turn up and past secrets are revealed, the plot
thickens. Elise is seen with Robert Savich, the ruthless criminal
who recently escaped conviction. An investigation shows that there
may be a link between Savich and Judge Laird, and that others who
were to testify against Savich have been killed. The clues are
there for the reader to follow right up to the exciting
conclusion.

RICOCHET follows a pattern that has become familiar to mystery
fans, but it can never be called a formula because there are too
many surprises and shockers no matter how much you think you have
it all figured out. As evidence mounts against Elise, Hatcher is
drawn away from his values in his attempts to prove her innocence.
His partner (and part-time conscience), Detective DeeDee Bowen, has
to work overtime to keep him from slipping over to the dark side.
She knows Hatcher better than he knows himself and can accurately
read his moods. He is her mentor, and she does not want to see him
throw away his career by breaking the very rules he has been sworn
to uphold.

As always, Sandra Brown pulls all of the threads together and
creates a satisfying tapestry that we are fortunate enough to be
able to thoroughly enjoy --- especially if we like happy
endings!

Ricochet
by Sandra Brown

  • Publication Date: July 24, 2007
  • Genres: Fiction, Thriller
  • Paperback: 515 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket
  • ISBN-10: 1416523324
  • ISBN-13: 9781416523321