RENEGADE

Palmer's new romance catches up with small-town Jacobsville, Tex., police chief Cash Grier and fashion model–turned– film star Tippy Moore, who crossed paths in the author's previous novel, Lawless . Hardened, war-weary Cash, a former mercenary, swears he'll never trust another woman again after a crushing betrayal by his ex-wife ("They say bullets are dangerous. But the most dangerous thing on earth is love.'); red-headed Tippy's sunny exterior hides a horrific past of abuse and neglect, making her equally wary of men. An idyllic meeting in New York, where Tippy lives, segues quickly into a rather improbable series of events, including a miscarriage, a kidnapping and a daring rescue. When Cash whisks Tippy off to Jacobsville for her own safety, the pressures on the couple ease, but Palmer concocts some convoluted sideplots featuring local politicians trying to work outside the law and a state senator arrested for inebriation. Too many pages are wasted reiterating ad infinitum the trust issues that plague Cash and Tippy, but Palmer knows how to make the sparks fly between her protagonists. The ties binding Tippy and Rory, the nine-year-old half-brother she cares for, and the solid relationship Cash builds with both of them are heartwarming and endearing. (Aug.)