Trust No One

Well, this is embarrassing...I've had a really chaotic couple of months with very little time to read for pleasure. Trust No One arrived the day it was released (thank you, Amazon!) in January and I was buried in revisions and working on a new book and January and February passed in a blur. Finally, this week, I had time to read the book, but the moment I opened to the first page, I realized I had already read it! At some point during the chaos, I'd obviously found time to bury myself in this wonderful story, but since I'd once again cracked the pages, I had to read it all over again, and I loved it even more this second time. Jayne writes such wonderfully quirky characters, and I never figure out who the guilty party is in her romantic suspense--and even though I knew this time, (Obviously, since I'd already read it) I had every bit as much fun reading the story again as I did the first time around. Point being, this is why JAK's books, under whatever name she's writing (Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, or Jayne Castle) always end up on my keeper shelves, because I know I will read them over and over again. Usually, though, I know when I pick one up that I'm rereading it...in my defense, I look at the name of the author, not the title of the book. I'm really bad about that. I know that JAK's are always "auto-buys" for me, but I rarely remember what the books are called. It's the story that holds me attention, and the marvelous "author's voice" that keeps me coming back for more. I highly recommend TRUST NO ONE. It's absolutely wonderful.

Thoroughly enjoyable! The murder mystery is good and the burgeoning relationship between Grace and Julius is fabulous. Ms. Krentz applies her usual quirkiness to her heroine and the ultimate straight man to the hero. Opposites attract.Grace finds her employer's dead body. It is not the first dead body she has found. This also means she is out of a job. She goes home and stumbles into a blind date with Julius. Julius goes on this date to get a take on if Grace is a killer. Instead he finds the most interesting, soon to be the most important, person to him. One incident after another makes him determined to stay close to her and keep her safe while they try to find the killer.Ms. Krentz is always entertaining and always writes a solid story. I look forward to all of her books under all pseudonyms.

The story opens with Grace Elland discovering her boss murdered in his home. Based on events in her past, she becomes the prime suspect. Suddenly with no job, Grace moves back to her childhood home to try to get her bearings. She is a positive thinker who uses her last job working for a popular motivational speaker to try to make sense of what has happened.She meets Julius Arkwright - a venture capitalist - as the result of a blind date set up by her best childhood friend. They DON'T hit it off. He's all about making money by any means necessary.Together they start to investigate the strange happenings in Grace's life. Both believe in the mantra "Trust No One". Lots of twists and turns (and surprises) make this an enjoyable read. Jayne Ann Krentz is a master of writing novels that you can't put down... and this novel is an excellent example of her writing. Great from start to finish.

At times it is the plotting of the book that brings enjoyment; or then there are those times when the protagonists are so likable they make the book fun. Its an extra bonus to find oneself relishing both the plot and the romantic couple. Grace and Julius were a delight, they were both a little quirky and liked the quirkiness in each other. In addition, the story had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and enjoying. I almost always love JAK but this one had a little something extra. Definitely a keeper.

I love Jayne Ann Krentz - in all her incarnations - and her novels are some of the few that I frequently reread. I miss the Arcane Series but I have never picked up one of her books and not been totally absorbed. While I anticipated some of the mystery elements in this book, many of the twists and turns were not expected. I enjoyed the romance between Grace and Julius and even the non-romance between Agnes and Harley. I loved the ending where Grace has found 'her calling'. I would recommend this suspense romance to anyone who enjoys a mystery with lots of turns and twists.