What are the odds of reading two books in a row featuring heroines who are burned out concert violinists? I have no idea, but I do know Carnal Innocence was much better than the other one. Carnal Innocence is a spellbinding tale of romantic suspense – one that manages to be romantic and suspenseful.

Caroline Waverly is a world famous violinist, pushed since childhood by a mother who was determined that she would be the best. After she finds her conductor fiance having an “intimate rehearsal” with a flutist, she plays the concert of her life – then collapses on stage after it’s over. After resting in a hospital for a while, she decides to go to Innocence, Mississippi to recuperate. Her recently deceased grandmother left her a house there, and it is where Caroline’s few happy childhood memories took place.

When Caroline first sees Tucker Longstreet speed by in his Porsche (almost hitting her car), she is not impressed. When she finds out that Tucker is part of the richest family in a town and is a known womanizer, she is even less impressed. Tucker, on the other hand, likes Caroline immediately. She’s not his usual type, but he’s drawn to her and determined to win her over. While Caroline begins to like Tucker more as she gets to know him better, she still believes that he is lazy and something of a tomcat, and she has no intention of getting involved with anyone.

Tucker and Caroline are both intriguing characters, and watching their romance unfold is something like watching the movie Titanic – you get so involved in the love story that you forget they are about to hit an iceberg. Or in Caroline and Tucker’s case, you forget that there is a homicidal maniac loose in the town who has already killed three women. The suspense plot, which is somewhat in the background at first, comes to the forefront at the end of the book, and it’s a nailbiter. I have to admit, all the clues about the killer’s identity are there, and I still managed to miss them all. When the villain is revealed, it comes as a total surprise.

Romantic Suspense can be a real misnomer; often such novels are heavily weighted toward either romance or suspense. In Carnal Innocence, Roberts strikes a perfect balance, handling both aspects of the story with equal finesse. The suspense works so well because the characters are so well developed – you really care what happens to them.

Tucker is by far the best character. His laziness and fickleness are an elaborate act. He’s actually a hard worker, and he’s really just been waiting for the right woman. He’s rich, but he is always concerned for others. One of the most revealing scenes comes in the beginning of the book when Tucker explains his methods for donating to charity. He sticks all solicitations in a bag, draws out two at random every month, and gives them a generous contribution. It’s a lazy method, but it’s fair too. Of course Caroline falls for Tucker by the end of the book, and I couldn’t blame her.

Caroline herself is a well-developed character, and her motivations and struggles are explained in a way that makes her easy to relate to. She and Tucker are backed up by a full supporting cast that is large in number but surprisingly easy to keep straight. In many ways, Innocence seems like a real town with real people. The one flaw (and reason for the minus after the A) is that at times Roberts’ vision of Southern life seems a little dated. This is particularly true of the characters names, which have a folksy charm more common in 1951 than 1991 when the book was first published. While it’s not unheard of to find a Billy Ray or Bessie Jo, for the most part people in the South are named like everyone else. Innocence, Mississippi boasts Edda Lou, Happy, Sissy, Wood, Marvella, and Birdie, several of whom are young people. And it doesn’t end there. Fortunately, the people are well-drawn, even if their names aren’t.

Since this book does feature a serial killer as a major plot point, there is obviously some violence here. Nora Roberts’ single title releases are generally more violent than her trilogies or series romances, and this follows the usual pattern. There are also some scenes that are more than a little shocking, and there’s plenty of harsh language too. However, there are not many scenes from the killer’s point of view, so it’s less gruesome than say, Montana Sky – one that was a little too gory for me. But if you like romantic suspense, you can’t do much better than Carnal Innocence. A hero to die for, steamy sex down in the delta, a homicidal maniac lurking in the shadows – who could ask for anything more?