Book Review and Giveaway: "Deadly Intent" by Camy Tang

The Grant family's exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! When Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, everything falls apart. The salon's reputation is at stake…and so is Naomi's freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim's ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn…and whom can she trust?

I'm always a big fan of stories set in spas. The setting just seems so relaxing to read about massages, facials, and being in total luxury. I haven't had the chance to go to one in a while, so reading about it is the next best thing. Love Inspired Suspenses can be hit or miss, as some of the stories don't really have good suspense plots. This book, however, has a very good mystery, people actually do die, and there is a romance. This may sound surprising, but there have been some LI Suspenses where the mystery is non existent and there is more emphasis on the romance. A successful book in this series would blend the two together with more focus on the mystery. That is what this book does. I was immediately sucked into the story and tried unsuccessfully to guess who the culprit was. I know a mystery is good when I pick out a background character to be the murderer and I'm totally wrong.

Something I found incredibly funny is that Naomi's sisters are named Monica and Rachel. I'm half surprised Naomi wasn't named Phoebe! (That's a "Friends" joke if you didn't get it). Also Devon's last name happens to be Knightley, a sly reference to a certain leading man in a famous Regency book. I also appreciated how the author has made the lead character half-Asian, but treats her as a normal person. Other than initial descriptions so the reader is aware of her ethnicity, there is no stereotypical descriptions. I really hope this is a series so that way there can be more about the Grant family and more adventures from the spa. Yes there was a murder, but I still came away totally relaxed. This was a really fun book to read and as always Camy Tang has written a winner.

Deadly Intent by Camy Tang is published by Steeple Hill (2009)


I'm giving away a brand new copy of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday, August 11. Open to international entries. Good luck!

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ENTRIES WITHOUT CONTACT INFO WILL NOT BE ENTERED.