Don't Look Down

November 14, 2005
Playful love scenes and a large dose of humor lift Enoch's second novel to star gorgeous 33-year-old Richard Addison, a British billionaire, and stunning 24-year-old Samantha Jellicoe, a former thief (after Flirting with Danger
). While Rick tries to prove to Samantha that settling down with him won't destroy her sense of self, he works to keep her out of trouble with the police after Sam's first client in her new security business is murdered. Besides trying to solve the murder, Sam must deal with her internal conflicts about loving Rick and, in a lighter vein, her ex-crook business partner's grousing about going straight. Some readers may have a problem with the story's unreality, which is heightened by the immorality of most of the wealthy portrayed in the Palm Beach, Fla., setting. Contemporary romance-land offers up as many billionaires these days as the ridiculous number of dukes cluttering English historicals. Still, Enoch deserves credit for having a couple go through a second book with their sexual chemistry intact.

Starred review from January 1, 2006
Enoch introduced art thief Samantha Jellicoe and her British multibillionaire lover Rick Addison in " Flirting with Danger" (2005). Now the fearless, feisty, "semi-reformed" Samantha is back for a second caper, and so is long-suffering Rick. Having finally decided to leave her life of crime, Samantha goes into the security business. But being legitimate doesn't come easy. Samantha resents all of the unsolicited advice Rick offers, and Stoney, her partner, best friend, and fence, keeps trying to get her to return to the more lucrative life of crime. Plus, there's always the fear that a colleague from her former life, a police officer, or someone she's robbed, will show up at her office. Things aren't much better on the home front. Rick's ex-wife, Patricia, wants Rick back, even if she has to frame Samantha for a crime she didn't commit. As the cherry on the cake, Samantha's first customer turns up dead. With their undeniable chemistry, their witty repartee, and their adventures sleuthing in the glamorous world of Palm Beach glitterati, Samantha and Rick are reminiscent of " The Thin Man" 's Nick and Nora. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)