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When the book opens, partners Beth Manning and Russ Salk are investigating the gruesome death of a young child. Evidence points to one criminal, Randy Calvins, but getting him will be difficult. After several other young women are murdered, Beth decides to go undercover to get the murderer. Calvin’s a pimp and a drug dealer, so Beth’s MO will be the virgin sacrifice. Russ is totally against Beth going undercover because his feeling for her go far beyond working partner, but Beth’s mind is made up. Not only is Calvins under suspicion for the death of the child and young women, but is also suspected in the death of Beth’s fiancé.
Russ is very unhappy and worried about Beth going undercover and now his very dependent ex-wife, Marianne, is trying to fix Beth up with his sleazy brother Ted. Little does Russ know, but Marianne and Ted have been fooling around since before she married Russ. Ted is very jealous of Russ and will stop at nothing to get anything and everything Russ cares about. Beth sees Ted’s hidden agenda immediately and wants nothing to do with him. Its Russ she wants, but she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship and working relationship.
Catherine Snodgrass did an excellent job developing her characters. The hero and heroine are both exceptional characters; they are so caring about those around them. There is a lot of healing going on for everyone in this book. Ted is scum and wreaks havoc on everyone. Will Ted ever get what he deserves? Will the love between Beth and Russ be enough to heal their wounds?
THE CHANCE YOU TAKE is a book that I found difficult to review. When I first started the book, I thought I would have a hard time finishing it, but I was wrong. It wasn’t that I thought the book wasn’t good, but I had issues with the repeated rapes and graphic murder scenes. I was quickly drawn into the budding relationship between Russ and Beth and once I got beyond the rapes and murders and into the meat of the story, I was hooked. Those readers who like romantic suspense and those looking for a good romance who aren’t disturbed by rape and graphic crime scenes would thoroughly enjoy this book. I recommend this book and commend Catherine Snodgrass for her ability to write about difficult issues with sensitivity.
Reviewed by Jennifer Ray
for The Road to Romance
November 7, 2004
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