Undercover Encounter
Grade : C-

Fans of romantic suspense have enjoyed Rebecca York's 43 Light Street Harlequin Intrigue series for a number of years. Since I, too, am a fan, I picked up her latest thriller on a whim. Unfortunately, Undercover Encounter, the kickoff to Harlequin Intrigue's New Orleans Confidential continuity mini-series, is not nearly as engaging as York's other work.

The novel opens as New Orleans is gripped by a frightening crime wave. A drug known as Category Five is on the streets, and its effects are devastating. It appears that someone in a Bourbon Street bar is slipping the drug into the drinks of wealthy male tourists, causing these men to become very aroused, with some succumbing to heart attacks. In fact, a government agent is currently comatose as a result of receiving the drug. In addition, men under the influence of this drug are being preyed upon by prostitutes.

New Orleans Confidential, an agency formed under the auspices of the Department of Public Safety, is working with the police department to discover where the drug is coming from and shut down the distribution of it. Agent Alex McMullin is excited about working on this case - that is until he discovers with whom he will be working. Alex discovers that his former girlfriend, Gillian Seymour, is the rookie cop assigned the undercover role of a prostitute.

Alex is convinced that Gillian does not have what it takes to work undercover. Gillian, however, believes that she can do what needs to be done. With the help of the Confidential operatives, she lands a job at Madam Dupre's establishment where she will have the opportunity to learn more about the clientele and observe what goes on inside the brothel. She is determined to do what it takes to succeed on her mission even as Alex is determined to do whatever is necessary to protect her.

On the positive side, there are certainly some very exciting moments in this book. Even though I never entirely bought into Gillian's undercover antics, it is exciting to follow her snooping through the brothel and helping put together a case. The situation is dangerous and York does a good job of maintaining tension throughout many of Gillian's brothel scenes. Some of the action is a little too far-fetched, however, but it's exciting enough to keep readers turning the pages.

Still, this book was difficult for me to get into because I just could not make myself like the hero. First of all, when faced with a young female officer doing undercover work, he decides right away that she isn't up to the job. Instead of behaving rationally, though, he sets out to prove to her that she cannot do the job - so much for teamwork and making the operation first priority. The part that really got to me, though, was the manner in which Alex chose to "convince" Gillian that she couldn't handle her assignment. Without revealing too much, one can fairly say that Alex decides that Gillian needs to get used to what the physical demands of her job as a prostitute will entail. Obviously, this just did not do much to enhance Alex's character.

This treatment also makes it difficult to understand Alex and Gillian's romantic relationship. While Alex obviously feels protective of Gillian, his feelings for her are never fully explained. With Gillian, it is even more difficult. She displays an interesting character as a police officer, but the reader never really gets inside her enough to understand her take on a relationship with Alex.

While Rebecca York has a very readable style, this is just not her best work. The lack of a compelling romance and some credibility-straining plot points made this book fall flat at times. Her 43 Light Street books - especially Nowhere Man - are quite good, though, and I would advise reading those and giving Undercover Encounter a pass.

Reviewed by Lynn Spencer
Grade : C-
Book Type: Series Romance

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : August 27, 2004

Publication Date: 2004/07

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Lynn Spencer

I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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