Review: Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

Mean Streak by Sandra Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sandra Brown is one of my favourite romantic suspense writers and whilst her latest book, Mean Streak is a good one, it’s not as good as some of her earlier novels like Breath of Scandal and French Silk, just two of my favourites.

One of the things she does well is how she manages to surprise me every time....just when I think I have it all worked out...I know who the villain is....BAM....no, not anything I thought I knew!!!! And once again, she does this in this fast paced story that includes betrayals, murders, hillbillies, romance and a LOAD of twists and turns that you just never saw coming!!!!

I liked the heroine, Emory Charbonneau,

a successful paediatrician and reluctant heiress. She’s smart, kind, caring and totally focused.....although I questioned her sense in her husband “choice”....Jeff - self-centred, selfish, and a total loser!!!!

Anyway, Emory is training for a very important marathon that she’s taking part in and decides to travel to North Carolina mountains - where she disappears during her hike.

She wakes up in a remote cabin,

being cared by a mysterious and naturally gorgeous and sexy man,

"It was a lived-in face with a webbing of creases around his eyes, furrows at the corners of his lips, and a watchful wariness behind his eyes, which were a startling aquamarine. The cool color contrasted to his suntanned, wind-scoured face."

who refuses to tell her his name

She sank deeper into the mattress. Her concussed brain dragged her toward oblivion. She was just this side of it when she jerked into full awareness.
“You never told me your name.”
“That’s right,” he said. “And I won’t.”

So, I’m wondering, who is this mystery man??? Is he really a bad or good guy???

In the meantime, there’s a FBI agent on the trail of finding someone connected to some really horrible crime which seems connected to the mystery man!!!!

Whilst Emory is “incommunicado”, Jeff, her husband is suspected of foul play....and quite rightly so...what a dog....having an affair with his wife’s friend and work colleague!!!!!
The story flits between the police investigation into Emory’s disappearance and the cabin where she’s being held by a man who she thinks might be very dangerous!!!! But as time passes she begins to feel attracted to the mystery man holding her “captive”. The sexual attraction is undeniable and soon both are drawn to each other.........

". . .drawing her closer and pressing his face into her giving middle, then. . ."

"He nipped the side of her neck with his teeth, wanting to mark her as his, damn well knowing he had no right to her, no right even to want her. 'Scared?' [he asked] 'No.' 'Then I'm not doing it right.'"

"Tearing his mouth free of hers, he buried his face in the ell of her shoulder and neck, his breath fast and hot against her skin. 'Yeah, okay, something has changed. When I'm by myself in the night, I'll want you.'"

I would have liked a bit more sexual tension between Emory & Mystery man but the few times they were together, worked pretty well.

During the time Emory spends in the “boondocks”, we get a look at some hillbillies that are so not nice………………in fact, they are pretty awful!!!! And they live just down the road from mystery man!!!!

Unexpected things happening all the time….her husband suspected of trying to kill Emory so he can get her fortune, his so caring and loving lover…remember she’s Emory’s friend……in between police officers trying to work out Emory’s husband’s tricks and the FBI agent, Jack Connell’s, on the search for the mystery man…………………….talk about action taking place every moment!!!!

There are some secondary characters that are interesting and likeable…the FBI agent, Jack Connelly, the two detectives working on Emory’s disappearance, Knight & Grange.

So, okay, there were some pretty predicable things but still…did I get s surprise in the end. That I never expected.

I really enjoyed this book It kept me engaged and in a way, guessing until the very end…really, I thought I got the plot all along…just to be surprised when I least expected.


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