The Contestant

Four-and-a-half years ago, Talia Mooney was a diver set to win Olympic gold. When she broke fingers on her right hand during her first dive, however, the gold-and her father's dreams-came to an end. Although Talia still took home the silver medal, for her, diving for competition's sake was over. Now she could go back to doing what she loved best-swimming, diving, and being in the water for no other reason than because she loved it. Now, though, there are problems in Mooney-land. Her father, Colin Mooney, who lives aboard a boat named Slainte and runs Mooney's Sport Fishing Tours, has always had big dreams. And when a con man by the name of Buck Rogers comes calling with maps and charts and diaries, with a story of a sunken Spanish galleon, of course Colin falls for it. The man who had raised his daughter alone ever since his wife's death now owes a wannabe-mobster named Rocco fifty-thousand dollars. So Talia heads back to her father's home in Islamorada in the Keys, and finds that her dear old dad already has a solution on how they can raise the money to pay back the loanshark. Talia's now signed up to compete on Ultimate Endurance, a reality-TV show where all she has to do is outlast her competitors on a remote island. Colin figures it's a given. Having grown up on the water, and being an Olympic winner, Talia has a definite edge. All she has to do is make it through a few days of competition on some island, and they'll have enough money to pay off Rocco. Talia has nothing else to do with her time and energies, since finding a job as an accountant in Miami is turning out to be more of a chore than she thought it would be. Once on the remote island, geared up for the contest, Talia is immediately attracted to another player-Reuben Serrano, a former cop with abs and thighs of steel. As Talia and Reuben fight their feelings, a body of one of the contestants washes up on shore, and suddenly Ultimate Endurance takes on an entirely new meaning. Someone is willing to take the ultimate step to make sure they're the winner of this competition. But which player is the killer? There are several people to choose from, and as the body count rises, Talia and Reuben will have to work together to solve the puzzle. THE CONTESTANT is an entertaining addition to the Bombshell line. Full of action and adventure, passion and suspense, this is a great book for an enjoyable evening read.