Those are just the 3 worst things about the book. She uses totally unbelievable dialogue in order to set these twists up, so it's pretty obvious what she's trying to do. The author beats you over the head with transparent attempts to throw you off the scent, only to later get to the big reveal that is so lackluster that it's laughable. The overt misdirection in order to force uninspired twists is another tactic that irks me. I don't need to know that it sent him over the edge to **** inside her, thanks. Just the reader know where it's headed and let them imagine the rest. Poorly written overkill, most of which is irrelevant to the plot.

If I wanted to hear about her huskily whispering his name while he thrusts, I'd go get a Romance novel or watch a porno. But I hate when my mysteries are interrupted by 20 minute long, horribly described sex scenes, of which there were at least 3. That's one of the most cliche', cheesy, overused devices a mystery writer can use.

I have a policy - I don't care how far along I am in a book, if the villain ends up getting a long, drawn out scene during which they haughtily explain their entire crime, motives and methods whilst giving the captured hero/heroine time to stall for an escape, I will immediately stop reading.

There are some elements that I find unforgivable in a mystery. Wrong becomes right at the hands of the man who strikes fear, but also sparks passion.Īs her husband's deception is revealed, and the FBI closes in on her captor, Emory begins to wonder if the man with no name is, in fact, her rescuer from those who wish her dead - and from heartbreak.Ĭombining the nail-biting suspense and potent storytelling that has made Sandra Brown one of the world's best loved authors, Mean Streak is a wildly compelling novel about love, deceit, and the choices we must make in order to survive. At the center of the dispute is a desperate young woman whom Emory can't turn her back on, even if it means breaking the law. Unexpectedly, however, the two have a dangerous encounter with people who adhere to a code of justice all their own. She's determined to escape him, and willing to take any risks necessary to survive. While police suspect Jeff of 'instant divorce,' Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself the captive of a man whose violent past is so dark that he won't even tell her his name. Fog and ice encapsulate the mountainous wilderness and paralyze the search for her. By the time her husband Jeff, miffed over a recent argument, reports her missing, the trail has grown cold. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. From number one New York Times best-selling author Sandra Brown comes a heart-pounding story of survival, that takes the age-old question, 'Does the end justify the means?' and turns it on its head.ĭr.

Mean streak novel