cover image Absolute Trouble

Absolute Trouble

Michelle Jerott. Avon Books, $5.99 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-380-80102-2

Set in Louisiana bayou country, this familiar storyline--an eyewitness to murder reluctantly held in police protection--is set apart by a memorable duo. When a former police colleague asks Dulcie (Dulcinea) Quinn to harbor a witness aboard her houseboat for ""just a day or so,"" she reluctantly agrees. And for good reason: the witness, Cajun hunk Julien Langlois, climbs on board with nothing under his coat but a sequined bow tie, a black G-string and a dark and secretive attitude. Despite having retired, Dulcie can't surpress instincts honed over 10 years on the police force, but she finds tangling with Julien like being caught in an undertow. Guilt-ridden over the loss of his younger brother to the drug world, Julien is set on revenge and it's up to Dulcie to keep him from becoming a murderer himself. Jerrott's theme of redemption brings heart to this finely crafted plot, but what this novice writer does best is create memorable characters and, in an unusual coup, she manages to reveal her protagonists' layers during sizzling sex scenes. (Sept.)