In Their Footsteps

Tess Gerritsen will always be at the top of my medica/mystery/suspense novels. She writes with what could be, or is, possible in the medical field. I love that her female leads are smart and innovative, but also are subject to the foibles of all that is female. Her books are 'grabbers'. I have to read one almost in a day, to the detriment of my household duties.

This is one of those hidden gems you sometimes find. I got it for 20¢ at a flea market several years ago because I recognized the author's name, but I didn't expect anything more than a quick, easy read. I was very pleasantly surprised. British socialite Beryl Tavistock meets the mysterious American Richard Wolf when his car nearly collides with her horse on the road to a party at her family's country house. She receives a bigger jolt at the party when she learns that her parents, who'd been spies, hadn't died in the line of duty 20 years ago as she'd thought, but instead in a jealousy-fueled murder-suicide. But when Beryl tries to learn more, she finds herself in danger and in the middle of international espionage, and Richard Wolf always seems to be in thick of it as well. I'm a sucker for spy stories, anyway, and this was like Len Deighton with romance. Lots of fun, intrigue, and page-turning action, from the British country house, to Paris, to Greek isles, to Berlin. And as the mystery unfolds, so does the romance between Beryl and Richard. They're very much espionage-novel types--I'm not really sure how to explain it, other than to say that if you read older spy stories, particularly Deighton's, you'll recognize them. Maybe it's the writing style that makes me think that. The conflict between Beryl and Richard has to do with trust, but in a spy story, that's a much better conflict than the trust issues I complain about in other romances. If I'd read this one in 1994, I'd have been reading romance a few years earlier. As it is, the frontispiece says there's a sequel--the story of Beryl's brother Jordan. I think I'm going to have to search for it.

More of the summary from the back cover: The quiet scandal surrounding her parents' deaths twenty years ago has always haunted Beryl Tavistock. Now she's asking dangerous questions, and the answers are proving that old secrets die hard. Caught in what's become a deadly game of cat and mouse, her search for the truth takes her from the rain-slick streets of Paris to the sun-drenched isles of Greece. And as she gets pulled into a world of international espionage, Beryl quickly discovers that she needs help. Richard Wolf, an ex-CIA agent and a man she's only just met, is her only hope. But in a world where trust is a double-edged sword, friends become enemies and enemies become killers.... When I first started reading this book, I wasn't that into it, but then I got completely absorbed! I thought it was a really good suspense story with a little romance thrown in, but not too much to take away from the story. Great plot and twists, don't miss it! This was my first Tess Gerritsen book, and it definitely won't be my last!!

As previously stated by another reviewer this title is much different then the medical thrillers that we are used to by this author. This title was orignially published back in 1995 and the storyline is really a spy/suspense/romance tale that is fast paced and demonstrates that Ms. Gerritsen was well on her way to becoming the author that she is now.This read will take the reader from England to Paris, then on to Greece, and finally Berlin. The chemistry between Richard Wolf and ex-CIA agent and Beryl the young woman that is trying to figure out who killed her parents and why is really believable but at the same time this relationship did not detract from the spy storyline. Do yourself a favor and pick up this read. You won't be sorry.

The reading of In Their Footsteps (Old Secrets Die Hard), which is by Nanette Savard, not the author, unless it's a pseudonym, wasn't bad. She handled the accents fairly well (British & French) and she kept the story moving along. I didn't know if I'd like such an audio, but I did, and I don't know if I'd listen to or read any of Ms. Gerritsen's other books, but this one wasn't bad at all. If you can find it (in an out-of-print site or store) check it out. It certainly is better than most of the run of the mill romances and mysteries (think Harlequin).