Guilty

Kitty Kat who becomes Kate should have been named Scaredy Kat. From the very start of this book through the end, Kate is frightened and the more frightened she becomes the less common sense she seems to show.In a regular romance book (not romantic suspense) this character would probably make a good heroine. When not frightened she seems to be able to pursue her goals, be a great mother, and keep her life on track. Unfortunately we see very little of that Kate in this book and the hero of the book sees even less. I have absolutely no idea why he would like her. The author says that he thinks she's brave, yet there is absolutely no reason for him to think so. The woman in this book freezes when she should act, and acts stupidly whenever she is frightened. Every time a new crisis occurs I got to imagining the worst way she could behave and that's what she did almost in all cases.This is shown in even worse light when every other person in the book, including her 9 year old son can think better under pressure than she. The boy says at one point to the hero that it is a relief to have another man help take care of her, and unfortunately he's speaking the truth.

Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Kate White prosecutes her first case in court when embarrassingly her cellphone chimes. Judge Michael Moran "the moron" tells her to shut it now; Kate worries her young son Ben needs her when the shots are fired by the defendant "Little" Julie Soto. Moran is dead with his head blown off and two other prisoners join in the melee. Soto abducts Kate to allegedly use as a hostage while escaping.Kate manages to escape while believing she killed Soto in doing so. However, she is not free as someone stalks her and Ben even breaking into their home. Philadelphia Police Detective Tom Braga leads the official investigation into the courtroom murder and its aftermath. He thinks Kate's escape was planned by her captors and that Soto lives. As he tries to keep the single mom and her son safe, Tom begins to connect the dots leading back to when 1994 Baltimore when fifteen years old Katrina Kominski was part of the foster care system.This exciting urban thriller works because the audience believes that fully developed Kate and Ben are in deep trouble, and that Tom feels a deep need to protect them from Soto and who knows who else. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Kate's cellphone rings a Pussycat Dolls tune and never slows down until the final biting confrontation. Karen Robards provides a strong entertaining romantic suspense.Harriet Klausner

Karen Robards latest novel is the best one in quite a while. Her last two novels have been some of her worst, but this one had all of her trademarks in it. I really enjoyed it and am thankful she has finally gotten her act back togather. When you pay for a hardback you expect to get your money's worth.Kate White is an ADA in Philadelphia, she is a new lawyer. She has fought and worked her way from poverty to where she is now. She has a 9 year old son and as she starts work in the DA's office her life finally looks rosy. Raised in the foster child program, she has been alone until she married at 18 and had Ben. Her husband left her when Ben was born and he was later killed.Tom Braga is a homicide detective at the PPD, his brother works for the Sheriff's dept. as a deputy. He comes from a large family, he is the oldest. Divorced and alone he has decided to protect the tender parts of himself. But during a shootout in the courtroom he makes a connection to the woman held hostage.On the first day of her new job she is in court, when everything goes to ****. The defendent somehow gets a gun and the killing begins, at the end she is held hostage by the defendent in a hall way where he has demanded a helicopter for her life. The unexpected happens when a former member of the gang she ran with when she was 15, turns up. He is one of the crimimals held in one of the holding rooms, he also is part of this escape. He quickly kills her tormentor and tells her she better help him out and get him out of jail or he will reveal her presence at a murder of an off duty cop, when they were young.She is stunned not just to be saved, but by Mario, the thug, who killed the cop. That was the reason she left Baltimore and ran away at 15. Her life is totally messed up again by the same person and for the same reason. She must protect her son and herself, anyway she can.Tom's brother is the deputy shot and left for dead in the room Mario was in. When he wakes up he tells Tom there were two men in the hall with her. She has admitted to killing her abductor. He and his partner feel something is not right. However, nothing can stop the desire for her that he feels. He knows there is something wrong but can he trust this woman who lies to him with every breath.Dropping by her house late one afternoon to question her again, he saves her and her son from someone who seems to be confronting them. Once again he knows she is not telling him the truth. But he spends the night on her sofa anyway.The story is fast-paced and doesn't get draggy, the plot is involved and the romance is hot. Everything you expect from a Karen Robards story. I really enjoyed it and encourage you to get it. Good Reading. I must admitt that I didn't read it immediately, because I wondered if it was any good. Glad I did.

As many other reviewers have summarized the plot, I will jump straight to my reasons to not recommend this book.I have loved Karen Robards in the past for her heroines who handle dangerous situations with realistic emotions and actions. For the first time, I found myself rolling my eyes at a heroine who leaps into dangerous situations, makes no provisions for her son in case of her increasingly likely demise, and basically acts too stupid to live. Despite her developing relationship with a cop, she never asks him for help until it is nearly too late. She survives multiple blows to the head with never a trip to the hospital over a series of assaults. Finally, everything wraps up neatly in the final few pages with no major injuries. Are we to believe villains that include a mob boss, a dirty cop, gang members and a crooked defense attorney in this unlikely conspiracy of enemies would be so inept?I'd recommend some of Ms. Robard's backlist instead who feature heroines who are intelligent and believable, not like Kate who manages to be both foolhardy and apparently as indestructible as teflon.