Lyrics of Love

LAPD detective Joe Deauterive was married to Jasmyn. His college pal, record mogul Carson Campbell, was married to singing star Stell Keeling. Carson's adopted sister, Gina, another pop diva, was married to her manager, Paul Winslow. Shuffle the deck and Jasmyn ends up married to Carson while Gina ends up with Joe. Then, Carson is killed in a suspicious car crash on his South Seas resort island of Lyric and some vague suspicions drive a rift between Gina and Joe. While the island setting is lush, well researched, and evocative, the narrative is weighed down all the way to the killer's wildly improbable confession. The tension provided by Joe's investigation is here, but there is little suspense over Joe and Gina's reconciliation--for them, it's love at first sight, part two. All in all, a confused read that isn't helped by Craft's (The Black Pearl) occasionally awkward writing: ""It was Jasmyn, sweetheart, that Carr spoke of finding out he couldn't trust to protect him."" (July)