Snowfall
Grade : C+

I wish I could have given this book a higher grade. I started to, but as I began writing the review, my thoughts began to focus and I realized Snowfall, while being a pretty tight page-turner, left me vaguely unsatisfied. There was nothing really wrong with it, but nothing exemplary either. It was quick read with a suspenseful plot and then it was over.

Independently wealthy Caitlin Bennett is hugely successful as mystery writer C.D. Bennett. The only child of a cold-hearted tycoon, Caitie is alone in the world. Her best friend is her editor, Aaron Workman, who is openly gay and who thinks that Caitie's life would be complete if she'd fall in love with his step-brother and former cop, Connor "Mac" McKee. Caitie and Mac met three years earlier and did not hit it off and as things are now, can't stand the sight of each other.

For the past six months, Caitie has been receiving threatening letters which she has basically shrugged off until her publishing house begins getting them too. When Caitie is shoved in front of an oncoming truck and is seriously injured, Aaron calls his brother in Atlanta, and Mac flies to New York, determined to be Caitie's champion whether she wants him to be or not.

Even though the police are working on Caitie's case, nothing seems to pop for them. They have their hands full with what appears to be a serial killer who usually rapes then slashes the faces of his victims. The reader knows these crimes are related to Caitie (since we are in the killer's head), but the police haven't put it together yet.

While Caitie heals from her wounds, she and Mac become friends and the sexual tension starts to churn. Mac realizes before Caitie does that they're meant for each other and starts to put the moves on her. But it isn't until a tragedy befalls them both that she realizes she needs him in every way, including in her bed.

Yes, this is a suspenseful story. Yes, it kept me turning pages. The romance was subtle, but it was nicely played out. I liked that Mac deeply loved and respected his gay brother. However, offsetting the parts I liked were other parts, parts I didn't care for. Caitlin literally cries through the entire story. I know, she was being stalked, she was injured, and she was scared. In real life, her emotionalism would be appropriate, but poor Caitlin, who never seems to be a truly strong heroine, is just a mess through nearly the entire book. So when the chips are down, her surprising show of strength is good to see, but somewhat out of character.

If you've ever been severely bruised you'll know that it takes about a month for the bruising to completely disappear, yet Caitlin's looking good after only a week. The reasons for Mac and Caitie disliking each other so much weren't really very solid, and therefore their quick turn-around and romantic commitment seemed a bit rushed. As far as the villain goes, if you're a mystery reader, you'll know instantly who the bad guy is, and why. If you're not, it may take longer to figure it out, but even so, knowing who the killer is doesn't really detract from the story. The characters don't have enough information to hone in on the guy until it's almost too late.

In the grand scheme of things, Snowfall is better than the average read, but has nothing particularly special to recommend it. If you are one of Ms. Sala's fans, however, I hope you'll get more out of it than I did.

Reviewed by Marianne Stillings
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : October 28, 2001

Publication Date: 2001

Review Tags: 

Recent Comments …

Marianne Stillings

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
What's your opinion?x
()
x