"brilliant 4th in a series"

Carol Stephenson is one of the best, and maybe the most underused writer for Harlequin Romances. She had done three amazing books for them, Nora's Pride, Courting Danger, and now the fourth installment of Bombshell's brilliantly conceived and realized Madonna Keys series. The books in order -- 1) Lost Calling by Evelyn Vaughn 2) Haunted Echoes by Cindy Dees 3) Dark Revelation, by Lorna Tedder 4) Shadow Lines by Carol Stephenson 5) Hidden Sanctuary by Sharron McClellan 6) Veiled Legacy by Jenna Mills and then ending up the series with Vaughn again with 7) The Seventh Key.

In this book, Eve St. Giles works for the European Centre for Disease Control. She is head at tracking down flu strains and trying to stop them from breaking free in the population, a "Flu Hunter". Only this is not a visitation of the swine flu or bird flu, terrorist have released a genetically mutated disease in Switzerland and Eve's sister is a victim of this attack. Oddly, this flu is slightly different than most flu viruses -- it only attacks females.

Private securities expert, Nick Petter is Eve's former lover, but soon their paths cross again. One of his clients, a manufacturer of drugs, makes the alarming discovery that a highly risky experiment was wrecked by a former employee and Nick must track down the missing virus before it's too late. He is shocked to learn that Eve is already on the same trail. He's never forgotten their love, but now they must put their personal feelings aside and work to stop this killer. They must join forces in a race to stop the deadly flu from killing more women.

Eve has begun to experience visions, visions of a healer from the time of the Third Crusades. She's always known she has psychic abilities, but suppressed them. Now their power is stronger, growing. She must reach out and embrace these visions before it's too late.

Stephenson is a powerful writer that just gets better with each book. She is a strong addition to this wonderful series.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted November 20, 2006

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