Book Review: When the Storm Breaks

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

When the Storm Breaks     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Heather Lowell
Class/Genre:   Romance   Mystery   Romantic Suspense
Harper Torch, Aug 2003, $7.50, 464 pp.

Afton Gallagher, assisted by her mom Peggy, persuades her friend Claire Lambert to try the computer dating service that they own. It is after midnight by the time they are through providing "Marie Claire" with a bio. Claire heads home to Georgetown taking a short cut to catch her bus. However, she sees a man with a knife killing a woman and the murderer notices her too. Claire flees in terror, but falls down a set of stairs before banging her head. Though the killer lost the gazelle he has found her purse that she dropped when she ran the hundred-yard dash in record time.

DC Police Detectives Sean Richter and Aidan Burke believe one of their cold cases has just got hot with the apparent return of a dormant serial killer. He learns of Claire witnessing the homicide, but her memory remains faulty from the concussion she suffered. Sean works with Claire to help her recall that horrifying night, but also to keep her safe from a killer who knows who she is and where she lives.

Though amnesia has served as a device in many a thriller, fans will believe that Heather Lowell introduced the technique with this tale because it feels as fresh as the air following WHEN THE STORM BREAKS. The key to the invigorating plot is the key cast members especially the heroine. Sean is a caring hunk who risks his life not for duty, but more to keep the woman he loves safe. Profanity fits within the plot. Fans will appreciate this second-generation novelist’s captivating and suspenseful serial killer romance.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner