TO CATCH A THIEF

By Christina Skye
HQN (2008), 372 pages, $6.99 (paperback)

“To Catch A Thief” is vintage Christina Skye.
Which is good. And bad.
Skye blends a character and setting from her older (and better) Draycott Abbey series, with a recurring Navy SEAL from her newer, Code Name/Foxfire series.
It would have been better if she’d just stuck with the Draycott storyline.
Not that there is anything wrong with Dakota. But the Foxfire shtick of surgically and experientially enhanced heroes just doesn’t do it for many readers.
At least in this case, it’s a bit more subtle.
Nell is an art restorer, and a serious mountain climber. But while those become valuable assets to the crusading good guys in the story, that’s not what brings her to their attention.
That would be her father, a former (maybe) art thief.
As is often the case in Skye’s tales, the plot is a bit contrived and sometimes frustrating to follow as she alludes to secrets and mysteries. And the entire super secret Foxfire organization with its quirky human experiments and unlikable leader is just hard to take.
Anyway, back to our story. A valuable piece of art is stolen from a museum, and our secret agents discover that the plan is to use it to fund a nasty terrorist group. They suspect Nell’s father of the robbery (and the murder that went along with it) and initially, believe that Nell was an accomplice.
It doesn’t take long for the skeptical and cynical Dakota to doubt Nell’s involvement. But that doesn’t let her off the hook. Dakota and his cohorts use her to locate her father. But even once they find him, they’re not done using her. Dakota isn’t happy about it, but his supervisor insists on using Nell to train Dakota for wall climbing.
Of course the more they’re together, the more their feelings for each other grow. And of course, Dakota becomes another Foxfire operative to break the organization’s rule about no personal involvements.
Oh, the Draycott connection? That would be Nicholas Draycott himself, and part of the story takes place at Draycott Abbey – where Adrian the ghost and his ghost cat Gideon reappear, so to speak.

Overall rating: 3-minus of 5 hearts, a bit more if you’re actually a fan of the Code Name/Foxfire series. Despite the irritating Foxfire bit, the characters are appealing – including recurring mystery man Izzy. If you're looking for authenticity, a story about how Navy SEALS really work, you don't read this. But if you're looking for a light read where a strong hero unwittingly falls for a strong heroine, you’ll probably like it.

Hunk appeal: 10. Dakota finds himself having to choose between “duty and emotion” a couple of times – the “duty” being the mission and his job, the “emotion” being Nell. Would have been nice if he had chosen Nell at least once. Other than that, he was pretty solid, but like his pals from other books, he loses points for being a human experiment.

Steamy scene grade: XXXX. Definitely solid.

Happily-Ever-After: Good. As is often the case with Skye, the ending dragged out somewhat, but when it finally ended, Nell and Dakota were living happily-ever-after.


Also this week …


INNOCENT AS SIN

by Elizabeth Lowell (2007 hardcover, 2008 paperback) 4-minus of 5.

Sift through way too detailed accounts of various guns, African upheaval, the criminal workings of third world counties, political corruption and banking, and you’ll actually find a pretty good romance.
Rand is a reluctant operative for St. Kilda Consulting, who has been looking for the man who caused his brother’s death. He is assigned to investigate the bad guy’s personal banker. After reading Kayla’s dossier, Rand is convinced she’s a victim, not a crook. And when he meets her, he’s even more convinced.
And smitten.
So while trying not only to survive once in a world of evil but to stop it, the couple embraces their rather instant attraction. Their banter was fun, and their instant devotion to each other endearing.