Triple Exposure
by Colleen
Thompson
Heart-stopping
suspense with magnificent portrait of romance as a healing force.
Publisher: Dorchester (July 2008)
Rachel Copeland returns to her home in
Marfa, Texas, thinking to find safety and refuge from her past.
Serenity is the last thing Rachel finds as danger lurks in every
corner: in the landscape, in her family, from the loner Zeke and from
someone who means her harm. Unearthly lights, known as the Marfa
lights, and ghostly owls haunt the desert landscape with an
inexplicable mystery. The Marfa spirit guides have a way of uncovering
even the darkest secrets. Rachel Copeland's stalker won't ever let her
forget that she killed a man. The courts may have let her go saying it
was self-defense but no one can seem to forget, not even Rachel
herself. Her defense has wrecked havoc on the life and finances of her
father and step-mother. Doubt lingers. Hostilities and resentments
tinge personal interactions.
While in her step-mother’s diner, Rachel meets a loner, a man who also
shuns attention, a man no one really knows. As she photographs his
woodworking, she captures on film what her heart sees --- Zeke Pike, a
man ever so sensuous and talented. Rachel's camera gets her in a load
of trouble as her photography peels away the layers, opening up secrets
and raw emotions. When Rachel’s photographs become part of a
committee’s program to promote local artists, the beauty of Zeke’s body
and art stand before her in print and in her heart in a way she can no
longer ignore. Just as her heart opens, the public exposure stirs up
past and current trouble. Suddenly, danger threatens both love and
life---but who is behind all the threats? A startling, eye-opening,
edge-of-the-seat twist draws Zeke and Rachel together like never before.
Colleen Thompson writes a thrilling, intricate tale of suspense that
reaches deep into the darkness and secrets of the human heart.
Carefully chosen citations at the beginning of each chapter create a
mysterious atmosphere with images of the Marfa lights and indeed light
itself. Eerie passages on owls, evil and justice give Colleen‘s
Thompson‘s narrative a haunting context from which to view the desert
and inner landscapes. From the very first pages, the reader catches
glimpses of the villain’s heart before an identity is ever known,
creating a chilling effect as the reader understands the current
impetus driving the villain but not necessarily the motive or subtle
connections. Triple Exposure
interweaves multi-layered threads of suspense as the past and present
merge, not just from one character but many. Triple Exposure will keep readers
guessing until the final heart-stopping resolution. Colleen Thompson
creates an intriguing infrastructure that leaves the reader feeling
that only the drawing together of this unique hero and this unique
heroine could ever unveil the secrets.
Triple Exposure
creates an exquisite match between hero and heroine, two people bruised
deeply by past experiences who respond to each from the very depths.
Despite the fears triggered by her stalker, Rachel is a strong and
talented heroine. Photographer and sailplane pilot, Rachel may have
been a victim once but she is certainly not a passive woman. She has an
eye for beauty and a heart for her family. Colleen Thompson paints a
beautiful portrait of father and daughter as well as the underlying
resentments triggered by change within Rachel‘s family. Colleen
Thompson’s descriptions (as seen thorough Rachel’s eyes) of photography
and flying are sheer beauty. She captures the very essence of the
spirit found in the natural and artistic world. Zeke, the stunningly
handsome stranger, the man without a family, has a heart that intrigues
just as much as his body and art. Protector of horses and abused
animals, Zeke nurtures them, but can he bring his own heart back from
despair? Zeke is a man who treasures solitude but as Rachel enters his
life, Zeke’s true self emerges, both the person that he was and the
different man he is today. Colleen Thompson’s descriptions of solitude
and intimacy create a magnificent portrait of romance as a healing
force.
Triple Exposure is
not only a powerful romance but also a rich story about family dynamics
and about the grief and forgiveness. In Triple Exposure, Colleen Thompson
writes a tension-filled tale of a multi-layered danger with an eerie
connection between landscape and the human mind. Suspense and romance
combine, igniting the hero and heroine with a healing love that
transforms, rippling outwards to others and through time, bringing past
secrets to new light. Triple Exposure
is a must read for Colleen Thompson and Romantic Suspense fans!
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
