McBride's latest Heart Lake novel (after Ms. Simon Says
) tells the tale of romance postponed in a warm smalltown setting. After a serious injury ends his career in the Delta Force special ops unit, Sam Mendenhall returns to his boyhood home in rural Michigan to act as town constable. Petty pilfering represents the height of local excitement until the return of Sam's childhood sweetheart, Beth Simon, coincides with a wave of more serious crimes. Old-house restoration expert Beth hopes to flee a persistent ex-husband while opening a bed-and-breakfast in her family's Victorian mansion; the all-too-visible presence of the handsome Sam, who broke her heart 16 years earlier, and several attacks on her home are unwelcome obstacles to this plan. As she fights for her professional dreams and mends old wounds with Sam, the investigation reveals not one but two culprits. The pair's romance is lively and believable, keeping the reader fully engaged despite the inevitability of their reunion. Except for a strained subplot involving Beth's obsessed ex—an obvious suspect Sam never considers until the 11th hour—the plot is deftly handled, offering vivid secondary characters and an appealingly gentle mystery. McBride's assured voice is another plus, perfectly balancing ironic wit with more earnest reflection. Agent, Karen Solem at Spencer Hill Associates. (Dec.)
