Fat Tuesday

FAT TUESDAY could only mean Mardi Gras and the madness that goes with it! This tale is about a cop at the end of his rope. Burke Basile feels that he's the reason his partner is dead, his marriage is over, and his career is over, so he focuses his revenge on his main enemy, Pinkie Duvall, a lawyer who helps killers get away with murder. Burke plans the ultimate revenge - he plans on kidnapping Remy, the lawyer's beautiful wife. What he doesn't know is how desperate this woman is and how she is trying to get out of the loveless marriage to Pinkie, but is instead a prisoner in her own home. Burke plans a daring plot that has him inside Pinkie's mansion for a Mardi Gras masquerade party on Fat Tuesday, but didn't consider his love-at-first-sight feelings for Remy. FAT TUESDAY is a highly charged story in which Sandra Brown proves that she can cross the line of romance writer into the genre of mystery. This is one of my favorite books by her, and I consider it a "stop light book" (one that you have on the seat when you're driving, and while at a stop light, you read a paragraph or two - you definitely can't put this book down). This is filled with romance, wicked attempts of possessing another human being, and suspense.

Bought this book thinking it would be a gift for someone who likes romance novels. She already had it. The book sat around for awhile, then someone asked me if I liked Sandra Brown's new mystery novel, and pointed out some of the reviews. Rule: Never judge a book by its author's name. FAT TUESDAY is a good adventure story with a decent mystery plot, though not as strong as some I've read. What excels here are the characters. Pinkie Duvall is well portrayed as not only a powerful attorney, but a drug dealer as well. Burke Basile is a New Orleans cop whose life is falling apart. His partner died accidentally from a shot fired by Basile in a drug raid and he witnesses his wife involved with someone else. Basile wants revenge, and his target is Pinkie Duvall, who he holds responsible for all that has happened to him. He resigns from the New Orleans Police, poses as a priest to kidnap Remy, Pinkie Duvall trophy wife, then the action really starts. The characters are well defined. The plot seems like a cliche at first, then suddenly you find that you can't put this one down. Good book - I'll be looking for more of Sandra Brown's mystery novels.

The book was awesome. I found it impossible to put down and had a hard time from skipping to find out the ending. Sandra Brown paints a great picture for her audience and is very vivid and creative when describing her characters. The ultimate Pinkie is evil and intriguing while Bastile plays a similar counterpart. If you want a good suspense story, read Fat Tuesday!