Double Jeopardy … Gwen Hunter publishes two summer thrillers from The Herald Sunday, June 22, 1997 By Misty Massey LAW OF THE WILD. By Gwen Hunter. Hodder & Stoughton. For generations, the DeLande family has controlled a good portion of Louisiana bayou country with money and power. What no one is quite willing to admit (out loud, anyway) is the inner power they possess, and the ways the DeLandes use their abilities. Another bayou family, the LeMays, have been connected to the DeLandes by blood and love, for as long anyone can remember. Young Mara LeMay is lovely and independent, and wants to live her own life, \instead of being a DeLande mistress as her mother was. Unfortunately, her budding womanhood had attracted the attention of both the DeLande Eldest, who wants her for himself, and another man, sworn to take his revenge for the injury she did him. Mara must protect her family and herself armed only with her knowledge of the bayou and her father’s gun. But will it be enough? LAW OF THE WILD is the latest edition to the DeLande saga from … author Gwen Hunter. Her native Louisiana provides a steamy and sensuous backdrop to this tale of love and vengeance, and her understanding of the ways of the bayou lets the reader feel the stifling heat and smell the humid air of Louisiana in the summer, as if he were really there poling a raft through the water. Hunter has an excellent way of making each character memorable, hers and villains alike. Her writing is refreshingly realistic, allowing the reader to loose himself in the unfolding tale. LAW OF THE WILD, although part of the DeLande saga, can be read alone and enjoyed. I would suggest, however, that you find and red the other books in the series as well. You’ll thank me! ASHES TO ASHES. By Gwen Hunter. Hodder & Stoughton. Ashlee Davenport had it all – a beautiful home in the country, loving family and friends around her, a fulfilling carrier, and a husband who adored her. Ashlee had the perfect life, until the day her husband Jack died. First came the threatening phone calls, seemingly connected to Jack’s business. Then while sorting his papers, Ashlee discovers letters and photographs detailing a sordid mess of adultery, graft, and possible murder. Everyone connected to Jack could be suspect, leaving Ashlee to trust only herself and the few close friends who gather together to help. In the midst of her grief, Ashlee must figure out what Jack was up to, and who might want to kill for it, before it destroys what is left of her life. ASHES TO ASHES is an exciting tale of intrigue and deception, peopled with shifty characters who may or may not be what they seem. Hunter’s ability to bring a character to life is never so clear as here; each inhabitant of the story is individual and unforgettable. Hunter also employs her vast knowledge of the way and habits of the South to invest ASHES TO ASHES with the feeling of reality often missing in the standard thriller. Her writing style is smooth and uncomplicated, making the reader comfortable from the start, but not too comfortable; as the tension mounts throughout ASHES TO ASHES, the reader may find himself as nervous Ashlee herself, until the rousing conclusion when all is finally revealed. ASHES TO ASHES is an excellent choice for whiling away the hot summer days ahead. |