Book Review: Whirlpool by Elizabeth Lowell

Whirlpool
Author: Elizabeth Lowell
Publication: Avon; First Printing edition (October 31, 2006)

Description: When an exquisitely crafted, authentic imperial Faberge egg mysteriously shows up at Laurel Swann's home studio, she knows it can only be from one person—her father, who has drifted in and out of her life for as long as she can remember. But this time Jamie Swann leaves her something too many people will kill for.

Out of her league and desperate, Laurel is forced to accept help from the very man who is trying to ensnare her father in his own web of double crosses. Cruz Rowan can help her stay alive, but will he do the same for her father?

Elizabeth Lowell, writing as Ann Maxwell, deftly combines the nonstop action of a spy thriller with the heart-pounding excitement of true love and adventure.

My Thoughts: Laurel Swann is a jewelry designer who has a father who drifts in and out of her life. She loves him, but she isn't sure she likes him. When her father sends her a package containing a Faberge egg, he dumps her into the middle of a twisted plot where everyone has at least one agenda and no one cares about an innocent caught in the middle.

When one of the conspirators hires Risk, Ltd. to get the egg back without alerting any government, Cruz Rowan is the one who comes to find Laurel. Shortly after his arrival he saves her from assassins and takes her home with him to Risk, Ltd. headquarters. Laurel takes one look at him and wonders why he is the one to crash the boundaries she has raised between herself and men. She knows he has an agenda and she doesn't know what it is.

Cruz has the same reaction to Laurel. She's the woman who manages to get under his guard. He'll do anything to keep her safe and is afraid that he will have to kill her father to do it.

This story was nicely twisty with all sorts of complex characters. While the villains were painted black, many of the other characters were painted in various shades of gray. Figuring out their motives and angles kept me busy through the whole book. This isn't the first book I've read by Lowell with an innocent and honest heroine who isn't at all naive or a hero who has been so long in the dark that he doesn't think he deserves or can survive in the light. However, this was a great example of a story that uses those types.

Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this exciting romantic suspense title.

Favorite Quote:

"Relax. Let somebody take care of you for a change."

"That just makes it worse when the somebody goes away."

Her matter-of-fact words told Cruz more than he wanted to know about Jamie Swann, Swann's daughter, and trust. But Cruz kept his mouth shut. It wasn't time to talk about her daddy yet. Laurel still believed it was her duty to protect the son of a bitch rather the herself. Somehow he had to change her mind.

And he had to do it soon.

I bought this one in October 2006 when it was first released. You can buy your copy here.