I first read one of Sandra Brown’s books several years ago. I have many of her books now. I got away from reading her newest books for a few years for some reason, but that changed last year when I picked up some of her books that I hadn’t read. The Crush was one of those books.

Rennie Newton was a successful surgeon. She lived a very structured life, but it had been disrupted and she was still trying to get back to her ordered life. She’d been selected for jury duty which started the interruptions in her life. She served on the jury for a trial against Ricky Lozada, a contract killer. He was acquitted. Shortly after that, the doctor that got a promotion at the hospital that Rennie had wanted was murdered in the parking lot of hospital. Lozada had developed an interest in Rennie during the trial and decided that they were going to be involved. He was convinced that she had fought to get him acquitted because she was interested in him. He left flowers for Rennie inside her house and called her.

Oren Wesley was the detective investigating the doctor’s murder. He didn’t have much to go on, but he thought that Rennie was involved in the murder somehow. Oren also though that Lozada was involved. Oren got Wick Threadgill to work on the case too. Oren and Wick had been partners on the force before Wick left and became a private detective. Wick and Lozada had a history. Wick was drawn to Rennie and didn’t believe that she had anything to do with the murder. Rennie wasn’t happy when she learned who Wick was, though they ended up working together to try to get Lozada. Rennie knew that she was in danger because of the attraction that Lozada had developed for her.

The Crush was published in 2002 as a hard back. It is now available as a paper back and an audio book. I have the paper back. Sandra Brown books are in the romance section of my local bookstore.

I really enjoyed The Crush. The book grabbed my attention from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. I read the book in a few hours, something that isn’t unusual for me if I really like a book. It was well written and descriptive, which is normal for books by Sandra Brown. It had a fast pace, but it didn’t seem rushed. There were a few places that were slower, but those places didn’t bore me.

There really wasn’t a lot of mystery in The Crush since it was known that Lozada was behind what was going on. However, it wasn’t always known what Lozada would do next or why he did some things. There was still some surprises in the book. There were a few things that happened that were predictable, but the book wasn’t predictable overall. There was some violence in the book. It wasn’t excessive, but it could bother some people. Some of the violence was described as it happened. There was some swearing throughout the book. The word that rhymes with luck was used several times throughout the book. The language could offend some people.

Rennie and Wick met during The Crush. He was immediately attracted to her. She seemed to be interested as well, but she tried to fight the attraction. She hadn’t had a relationship in years because of something that had happened in her past. Rennie and Wick did become involved later in the book. There were some sex scenes featuring the two of them. There were only a few of those scenes, but they were descriptive. Some people could be offended by those scenes. The developing romance between Wick and Rennie wasn’t the main focus of the book. I don’t think the romance aspect of the book took anything away from the rest of the book. People who don’t like to read romances, or who are offended by descriptions of sex in a book should stay away from this one. Earlier books by Sandra Brown had more sex scenes in them, and they were more descriptive as well. It seems like she is trying to focus more on mystery and suspense in her books and have the romance be secondary.

CHARACTERS

Rennie - She was a successful surgeon. She worked long hours and didn’t have much of a life outside of the hospital. She lived a very ordered life and didn’t like it when her routine was changed. She wasn’t happy about being called up for jury duty, but she never considered trying to get out of it. She felt it was her duty to do it. She was upset when a doctor she worked with was murdered. Other things happened and she was reluctant to go to the police because of some things that had happened her past. She was worried that the police would think she was guilty, especially if they learned some things about her past.

Wick - He was a former cop who was now a private detective. He had a history with Lozada and wanted to bring him down. Wick was determined to get Lozada, but he didn’t think that Rennie was involved with what was going on.

Oren - Police officer who was investigating the murder of a doctor that Rennie worked with. Oren believed that Rennie was mixed up in what was going on someway. Oren had been Wick’s partner, and the two men were still friends. Oren was a good cop and was determined to catch Lozada.

Grace - Oren’s wife. She was a strong woman. She was also friends with Wick.

Lozada - He was recently acquitted in a murder trial. Lozada was linked to many murders, but the cops couldn’t get enough evidence to get a conviction. Lozada encountered Wick before. Lozada was arrogant and determined to have his way.

The Crush was another entertaining book by Sandra Brown. The mystery aspect of the book wasn’t as strong as some of her other books, but it was entertaining. Fans of her books should enjoy it.

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Recommended: Yes