High Noon

<p>Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age, when a violently unstable man broke into her family&rsquo;s home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she&rsquo;s Savannah&rsquo;s top hostage negotiator, who puts her life on the line every day to defuse powder-keg situations. Phoebe knows when to reach out and when to pull back - and when to jump in and take action, even if it means risking everything.<p>It&rsquo;s satisfying work - and sometimes those skills come in handy at home when Phoebe deals with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Carly.<p>It&rsquo;s exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After watching her talk one of his employees off a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. Phoebe&rsquo;s used to working solo, but she&rsquo;s finding that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm&rsquo;s length.<p>When she&rsquo;s grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her - in her own precinct house - Phoebe can&rsquo;t help being deeply shaken. And when threatening messages appear on her doorstep, she&rsquo;s not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?<p>Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear - before she becomes the final showdown.<br></p><h3>Publishers Weekly</h3><p><P>At the start of this scintillating slice of romantic suspense from prolific bestseller Roberts (<I>Sweet Revenge</I>), Lt. Phoebe MacNamara, the chief hostage negotiator for the Savannah, Ga., PD, meets Duncan Swift, a sports bar owner, as they both try to prevent a suicidal bartender Duncan fired from jumping off a roof on St. Patrick's Day. In the aftermath, a romance develops between Phoebe and Duncan, though in typical Roberts style the enigmatic Phoebe's devotion to career and family, who include a young daughter and an agoraphobic mother, creates tension in their relationship. After Phoebe survives a vicious attack within her own precinct house by an unknown assailant, it becomes clear that someone is intent on harming Phoebe and those close to her. A courageous protagonist, deft plotting and the sultry Savannah backdrop all add up to another winner for consummate storyteller Roberts.<I> (July)</I></P>Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information</p>