Random Acts: Does It Take A Killer To Catch A Killer?

I had never read anything by Taylor Smith before, however after having read this one, I know it won't be long before I read another.While the first 50 pages or so are bogged down in backstory invoving Claire Gillespie and the mysterious death of her lover FBI agent Micheal Kazarian, the information is necesarry information.After Claire Gillespie, journalist for a popular newsmagazine, heads out to California to cover the Southland Snatcher case, where infants are kidnapped in public places right from under their mothers' noses, the action picks up.Agen Dan Sprague is a likable character and his interaction with fellow agent Laurel Madden is very well-devoloped.Also, the romance between the two characters was unexpected and handled well. What could have become smutty beach trash stayed right on target, focusing on the three lead characters as they try to stop a killer.Taut, suspenseful, and engaging, Smith scores high marks with this wonderful thriller.

I think that this book was really great. Once I started it I was not able to put the book down, because I was in suspense and always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I didn't expect the ending to happen the way that it did so that came to be a big suprise but that made the book all the more interesting to read. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to read a great suspenseful book.

Claire Gillespie was a top reporter on an overseas assignment when whe fell in love with an FBI agent, Michael Kazarian. When Claire accidentally broke his cover, Michael was murdered. During her next news assignment in California, she found out that Michael had been married! If just so happens that Michael's widow, Laurel Madden, was heading the case Claire was to cover about a serial killer targeting infants. Claire was like a dog with a bone! She was out to prove Laurel a murderer. However, Michael's ex-partner, Dan Sprague, kept getting in the way. ***EXCITING! No John Grisham or Patricia Cornwell here, but well worth your time and money to read. Some stores have put this under Fiction, others Thriller, and still others as Romance. Well, the first two make sense. The last does not. Romance is such a small portion of this story. It is all Thriller!***

RANDOM ACTS is sometimes categorized as a romance novel, but there is no whiny heroine waiting to fall into the arms of her sinewy love interest here. Romance is only a small thread in the intricately woven fabric of this story, which is more suspense than anything else. It is a fast-paced novel about, among other things, a serial killer targeting small children. As a parent, I found this a difficult subject to read about. But like an accident on the side of the freeway, I had to sneak a peek, and what I saw grabbed me and wouldn't let go until the final page. While the serial killings are the impetus of the story, there are several equally compelling subplots that lead the reader through a series of twists and turns right up to the end. The characters are well-developed and very human, and the dialogue is realistic. I am so glad to find Taylor Smith among the league of female authors writing novels with strong storylines and stronger female characters. This is not your typical "for women, by a woman" book. It transcends gender to be just a good read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense novels.

International correspondent Claire Gillespie considers the world to be her beat as she chases after headline news for Newsworld magazine. On an overseas assignment, Claire meets and begins to fall in love with undercover FBI agent Michael Kazarian, who is investigating the Russian Mafia. When Michael is murdered, Claire feels guilty that she broke his cover. A heartbroken Claire goes off on her next assignment, which takes her to California where a serial killer is murdering infants. The FBI assigns the case to profiler Laurel Madden, Michael's widow. Claire, who did not know Michael was even married, begins to have doubts about how her lover died, especially when his ex-partner is stalking her and warns her to stay away from Laurel. RANDOM ACTS is a great espionage thriller that deserves a wide readership. The story line is fast-paced and filled with numerous twists. Claire is a great sleuth, who has no qualms about working two dangerous cases concur! rently in spite of the threats to her life. Taylor Smith, whose previous novel GUILT BY SILENCE was fantastic, continues her amazingly rapid climb to the top rung of the sub-genre. Harriet Klausner