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Jackson Cole, a club owner in Memphis, is stunned when Detective Gomez arrives to question him about the murder of Roberta Klein. Apparently, Jackson was the last person that Roberta was supposed to have seen before she was murdered. Jackson had seen Roberta the previous evening, but he insists that he wasn't the one who had strangled her.
There's only one person who can possibly help Jackson out of the mess he's in. Unfortunately for him, that person just happens to be his former fiancée.
Hallie Hunter is a divorce lawyer, and she doesn't usually take criminal cases. Besides that, she has personal reasons not to want to represent Jackson in the Roberta Klein murder case - Roberta was one of the key reasons that she and Jackson split up. Add to that the fact that Jackson broke her heart once, and she's not sure she wants to give him the chance to do it again, and you have every reason imaginable for her to want to avoid the only man she's ever loved. But, when Detective Gomez decides to play hardball, Hallie really has no choice in the matter. Who else will go to bat against Gomez to give Jackson a fair shake?
As evidence mounts against Jackson, Hallie is hard-pressed to keep from falling in love again. Either Jackson was the murderer, or someone has set him up - and she's determined to find out which it is, although she has her own personal opinion on the matter.
Though a bit dry at first, WITHOUT YOU picks up the pace mid-book. Author Mary Lynn Baxter does a creditable job of portraying characters that seem real. Hallie could be “the girl next door” and Jackson is perfect as the romantic interest. WITHOUT YOU is an interesting legal thriller that will keep suspense readers guessing.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
November 22, 2004
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