I first read a book by Sandra Brown book several years ago. I read some of her shorter romances before moving onto her longer romantic suspense books. I now have several of her books, and I have liked all of them that I have read. I recently finished reading The Switch by Sandra Brown.

The Switch was originally published as a hardback. It is now available as a paperback and an audio book. My copy of the book is the hardback version. I recently found it at my local bookstore on the bargain table for less than the paperback.

Gillian and Melina Lloyd were identical twins with a close relationship. Neither were married, but Gillian had been dating Jem Hennings for a while. Melina didn’t like Jem and she shared her feelings about him with her twin. Gillian wanted a baby and she had been thinking of going through artificial insemination to have one. Jem couldn’t father children because he’d had a vasectomy, but he was supportive to Gillian about the artificial insemination.

The sisters met for lunch and Gillian shared that she had gone through the artificial insemination that morning. She had done it without telling Melina or Jem ahead of time because she didn’t want either of them to try to talk her out of it. Melina was happy for her sister and looking forward to being an aunt. The sisters talked some more and Melina shared her dislike of Jem again. Then she came up with an idea for them to switch places that night. Melina was a media escort for celebrities who came to town. She would drive them around when they had places to go in town. She also helped them deal with the press. That night Melina was supposed to escort Colonel Christopher Hart, a NASA astronaut who was in town to receive an award.

Colonel Hart, who was called Chief by everyone, also had some meetings while in town. He was planning to retire from NASA in a few months and he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do after that. He was meeting George Abbot and Dexter Longtree about possibly being the spokesperson for the Native American Advocacy group that George and Dexter were starting. Something about the men didn’t sit right with Chief. He didn’t feel comfortable being offered the position mainly because he was somewhat famous and part Native American. Chief didn’t want to be rude to the men, so he ended up pressured into a meeting with them the next morning.

Chief was attracted to Melina when they met that night. She seemed to feel the same way. They talked before and after the press conference. They seemed to have a connection. They stopped and picked up some tacos because Chief was hungry and suggested it. One the way into the restaurant, a man called Melina Gillian and she didn’t correct him. She told Chief about her sister then. They took the tacos back to Chief’s hotel room. They talked some more and then acted on their mutual attraction.

Gillian canceled her plans with Jem for that evening, saying she didn’t feel like doing anything. She just wanted some time to herself. Jem was upset and he went over to her place anyway, which irritated Gillian. He gave her a necklace to celebrate the day’s events. He tried to convince Gillian to let him spend the night with her, but she turned him down. He didn’t understand that she wanted to be alone that night. He did try to change her mind before he finally left.

The next morning, Melina was awakened by the police. They told her that her sister had been murdered. Melina was devastated. Chief became involved in the investigation because there were obscenities directed at Native Americans at the crime scene. Melina thought that maybe someone saw her and Chief together and thought it was Gillian.

Melina and Chief weren’t completely satisfied with the police investigation. Some other things happened that reinforced those feelings. Melina thought that Jem was acting a bit strange. He also told the police some things concerning Gillian that she knew weren’t true. Someone attacked Chief. He and Melina decided to do some investigating on their own. They ended up on the run together. Some things related to the murder didn’t add up. Someone was following Chief and Melina. People they talked to about Gillian ended up dead. They discovered that something fishy was going on at the fertility clinic where Gillian had gone for the artificial insemination. They also learned that what happened with Gillian was tied to someone who was known all around the world.

I really enjoyed The Switch. It was a long book, but it didn’t take me long to read it. Once I started it, the plot grabbed by attention and I couldn’t put it down. That has happened when I’ve read other Sandra Brown books. Her books have all been well written, descriptive, and enjoyable. Brown has been able to create many engrossing books with twists, surprises, and suspense. The Switch was no different. Most of Brown’s books that I have read have been longer and complex with a lot of things going on. They have usually had a subplot or two going on as well, like there was in The Switch. Most of what I have mentioned about the plot of the book took place within the first 100 pages. The book had 469 pages. There was a lot more going on than I have talked about.

The Switch was a romantic suspense book with some mystery in it. Most of the books by Sandra Brown that I have read have also been romantic suspense books. The mystery aspects of The Switch dealt with Gillian’s murder and why it happened. Because of some things at the crime scene, it was believed that someone mistook Melina for Gillian and that someone was very mad that she had been with Chief. Why would that enrage someone so much that it would cause them to brutally murder Gillian? There was a suspect, but Melina and Chief later learned some things that suggested that more was going on. Someone tried to kill Chief more than once. Something was going on at the fertility clinic Gillian had used. Someone was following Chief and Melina. Gillian had gotten involved in something she hadn’t realized, and people associated with that wanted Melina to take her sister’s place. There were many suspenseful moments throughout the book. The mystery wasn’t the hardest to figure out, but it wasn’t simple either. There were some twists and surprises. There were several times when I didn’t know what would happen next. I didn’t think the book was predictable at all.

There was violence in several scenes of The Switch. Gillian was brutally murdered. Her murder was described as it happened, but the condition of her body was described later when the police were there. The crime scene was described as well. Neither description was pleasant. Later in the book, people were attacked. Some were killed. One murder was described as it happened. There were a few shootings throughout the book. Other bodies were discovered and described. I have read other books that were more violent, but there were some descriptions of some disturbing images throughout the book that could offend some readers. People who don’t like violence in books shouldn’t read this one. There was some action in some scenes, but overall this wasn’t an action-packed book.

Melina and Chief did become intimate right after they met in The Switch. Their relationship did provide some romance for the book, but the romance wasn’t the main focus of the book. The romance didn’t detract from the mystery of the book. There was one sex scene that was described as it happened. That scene was descriptive and steamy. There were also a few flashbacks that briefly described some other sexual encounters. There really weren’t that many sex scenes, but the ones that were in the book could offend some readers.

There was some swearing throughout The Switch. Most of the main characters did some swearing at one point or another. Some characters did it more than others. The word that rhymes with luck was used several times over the course of the book. There really wasn’t a lot of swearing in the book, but some readers may still be offended by the swearing that was in the book. People who don’t like to read books with swearing in them should avoid this one.

There were several characters in The Switch. Chief and Melina were the main characters, so they were the most developed. Jem was in a lot of the book as well, but he wasn’t as developed. Gillian was only in a few scenes before her murder, so she wasn’t developed that much. There were some other characters that turned up several times during the book, and some that were only in a scene or two. None of the other characters were as well developed as Chief and Melina.

CHARACTERS

Melina Lloyd - She owned her own business. She was a media escort for celebrities when they came to town. She would drive them around and deal with the press for them. She was close to her twin sister Gillian. Melina didn’t care for her sister’s boyfriend Jem. Melina was impulsive and more wild than her sister. Melina was devastated when her sister was murdered. She wanted to find the killer and started to investigate on her own.

Gillian Lloyd - Melina’s twin sister. Gillian was a successful real estate agent. She wanted to have a baby before it was too late. She decided to be artificially inseminated since her boyfriend had a vasectomy. She and Jem had been dating for about a year, but she wasn’t certain just how serious their relationship was. Gillian was more conservative than her sister.

Christopher Hart - He was a well known Native American astronaut a few months away from retiring from NASA. People called him Chief. He was in town to receive an award and Melina was his escort to the ceremony. Chief also had a few meetings while he was in town about possible future jobs. Chief became involved with Melina in the investigation into Gillian’s death. He was determined to help Melina and keep her safe.

Jem Hennings - He had been dating Gillian for about a year before her murder. He was a successful stock broker. He’d had a vasectomy several years before and refused to even discuss with Gillian having it reversed so they could have children. However, he was very supportive of Gillian’s decision to become pregnant through artificial insemination. He wasn’t too fond of Melina. He thought she was too wild. Jem acted strange after Gillian’s murder. He suddenly started to act nicer to Melina. He tried to insinuate himself into her life. He even hit on her.

I really enjoyed The Switch. It was an engrossing, suspenseful book. People who like romantic suspense books may also like this one. People who have liked other books by Sandra Brown will probably also enjoy this one.

Other Sandra Brown Reviews
Standoff




Recommended: Yes