All Night Long

What can I say? The story's a bit contrived - how many people do you really know whose parents died in what was an appearant murder suicide. And then comes the e-mail from Pamela telling her to come home. And of course there's the altogether predictable romance developing with the host at the hotel where's she's staying. In summary, a great book. The only real problem is that you're likely to stay up 'All Night Long' getting through it. Ms. Krentz has written some 42 books under various pen names (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle). The surprising is that even with that many books her novels do not turn out to be formulaic. To be sure there are the standard themes that he likes: romantic relationship, family, the classic heroic virtues like honor, determination and love. Is this a classic book that like Shakespeare will be around in three hundred years, NO. Is it a good addition to this year's reading, YES.

I read this book in one sitting and it's wonderful. The two main characters are classic Krentz. Luke is an ex-Marine (oops, FORMER Marine), who's convinced that everything will be fine if everyone just does things his way. Irene, the heroine, isn't at all interested in following Luke's rules. They drive each other nuts, of course, all the while dealing with a murder, a 20 year-old mystery, and their sexual tension. Lots of laughs, lots of romance and some very, very intense suspense. LOVED it.

I bought this book last night and finished it this morning. It was different from some of the JAK books because there is no paranormal element, but rather the two main characters more or less were dealing with post traumatic stress syndrome, one from being a marine in wartime and the other from finding her parents murdered. The book was JAK at her best, funny and touching. Her banter and repartee are at their finest. One thing that hits me as I'm writing the review is how I wasn't bothered by some of the subject matter that the book dealt with as I am with other romance writers. Perhaps that's due to the fact that it wasn't revealed until the end or just that JAK handles it more sublimely than other authors. She's not all gore and prurience for the sake of gore and prurience. Thanks for that, JAK!

Whether writing as Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle or Jayne Ann Krentz, this author knows how to mix a sure-to-please readers' cocktail: Take 2 parts suspense, blend in 1 part sex, add a dash of surprises, and garnish with a satisfying conclusion. It's irresistible - after one sip you down it. Or, in the case of All Night Long read it from cover to cover. Set in Dunsley, a small northern California town bordering a lake, Krentz's latest romantic suspense novel loses no time in painting a chilling scene. The Prologue is related in flashback as Irene Stenson remembers a summer some 17 years ago. She had been out with her best friend, wealthy and privileged Pamela Webb. Things didn't seem right when she arrived home. The porch light was off - her parents never left the house dark when she was out. Hoping to avoid recrimination for her tardiness she went around to the back door, thinking she could sneak into her bedroom. However, she couldn't open the door, something heavy seemed to be blocking it from inside. She pushed. Her screams were "high, desperate, frantic cries of grief, horror and denial" when she saw the bloody scene on the kitchen floor. The deaths of her parents was determined to be a murder-suicide, and teenaged Irene left Dunsley forever. In the intervening years she has been haunted by the dark, unable to sleep unless the room is well lit, terrified of night places. Now, some 17 years later she has received an email from her friend, Pamela, pleading with her to come back. What could possibly be so important that Pamela has to see her after all this time? It seems that question will remain unanswered as Pamela is found dead, pills and booze by her side. Her body is found in the home of her father, Ryland Webb, a U.S. Senator who has a new young wife and a sure shot for the presidency. Pamela's death is declared a suicide. Irene doesn't believe that any more than she believes that her parents' deaths were a murder/suicide. Where can she turn? The townspeople are determined to consider her "not right" after the shock of finding her parents - she could surely use a friend and she finds him in an unlikely place. Luke Danner, a former Marine, now owns Sunrise on the Lake Lodge, the string of cabins where Irene is staying. He's gruff, used to barking orders, yet very attractive. He's everything a Krentz hero is - honorable, brave, strong. Yet, he has some problems of his own. Of course, there's chemistry between the two that develops intriguingly. While Irene had intended to put Dunsley in her rear view mirror as quickly as possible, she knows that she must find the truth that has been hidden for so many years and why keeping it secret is so vital to the present. One more exciting read from the indefatigable Jayne Ann Krentz. - Gail Cooke

In the small Northern California town of Dunsley, Irene Stenson missed curfew because her best friend Pamela Webb deliberately kept her out late. When she finally arrives home she sees the murdered bodies of her parents on the kitchen floor. Their deaths were deemed murder-suicide and Irene left town and never returned or spoke to Pamela. Seventeen years later, Pamela e-mails Irene asking her to come back to Dunsley because she has something important to tell her. She checks in at the Sunrise on the Lake Lodge and is immediately attracted to the owner Luke Danner who finds himself very interested in his boarder. When Irene arrives at Pamela's house, she finds her former friend dead, a bottle of empty pills and liquor near the body. The sheriff rules it a suicide but from the urgency of Pamela's message Irene thinks she was murdered. As a reporter she starts her own investigation because she believes there is a link between her parents' deaths and Pamela's demise. Luke helps her and saves her life quite a few times because it is obvious someone is willing to kill to keep Pamela's secret hidden. A Jayne Ann Krentz novel is always a joy too read and ALL NIGHT LONG is no exception. The protagonists are drawn true to life and are not as quirky as Ms. Krentz's characters usually are but that is because they are dealing with dark, troubling and dangerous situations and emotions. The mystery is very complex and filled with red herrings and unusual twists and turns. There is a secondary character, one of Luke's brothers, who deserves his own story. Harriet Klausner