Seven stars
Patterson serves up another great BookShot with the help of Lee Stone, setting this one in the cutthroat world of professional tennis. Kirsten Keller is at the top of her game as she continues a meteoric rise in the world of professional tennis. At match point in the French Open finals, Keller loses her concentration and collapses into a fit of tears before rushing off the court. Something and someone has her spooked, so much so that before she heads to London for Wimbledon, she hires former Metropolitan Police officer, Chris Foster, to protect her. Foster is keen to keep Keller safe from whomever is lurking in the shadows, but this stalker will stop at nothing to get under her skin and is happy not to let Foster stand in their way. While she is left letters, messages etched in blood, and hidden surveillance footage, Keller must stay focused while Foster continues the hunt. During the Wimbledon tournament, tragedy strikes close to home for Keller, which only pushes her closer to Foster, perhaps too close. As the finals approach, Foster is convinced that he must keep Keller on her game while tracking down this individual, who has taken bold risks in order to get the message across. There is not time for Foster to double fault this assignment, which forces him to pull out every option to deliver an ace and keep Keller alive. A fast-paced story that keeps the reader curious to the final serve.
Yet another BookShot that offers the reader something they can devour in short order. The story has a little of everything: great action, corny romance, a stalker scenario, and minor narrative errors to keep the attentive reader on their toes. Patterson has enlisted the help of Stone, who surely knows how to woo the reader with enough tennis lingo to keep it mostly realistic. One cannot expect in-depth dialogue, but what does appear remains highly realistic, as does the premise of the story. Who is this stalker and how have they been able to get so close to Kirsten Keller? It’s the hook that pulls the reader in, game, set, and match!
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Stone for this great read that flows so smoothly and takes up such a short amount of time. I am eager to see if this is a partnership that shall be seen again, either with full novels or in the BookShot world.
Book Reviews to Ponder 