Silhouette, ISBN 0-373-21831-1

"Mine, mine, mine! Gimme, gimme, gimme!" I squealed when the latest Dixie Browning emerged from the box of review books.

I barely managed to snare the book before our illustrious senior editor could get her greedy mitts on it. This reminded me of the battles my mother and I fought over the years since Mom first introduced me to Dixie Browning's books. Of course, laying claim to any book that our senior editor wants to read comes at a hefty price -- she insisted that I write a review.

In Undertow, Dixie Browning makes her first foray into the world of romantic suspense. Roxie Henry died tragically in a boating accident witnessed by her young daughter. Now, twenty-seven years later, Roxie's husband, Edgar, decides he needs answers about the accident that claimed the life of his wife. Edgar hires detective Gray Hollowell to look into the matter to see if the police were right when they ruled Roxie's death an accident.

Gray Hollowell doesn't think he'll uncover anything new regarding Roxie's death, but spending six weeks in a cottage on the Outer Banks is just what the doctor ordered. When Edgar Henry dies suddenly, Gray knows he could just let the investigation drop, but Gray feels he owes it to Edgar to look further into the matter. Of course, Gray also doesn't count on Mariah Henry appearing on Henry Island to dispose of her father's ashes.

Mariah Henry only just managed to escape from an abusive marriage when her father died. Now she fulfills his final wishes and returns to Henry Island with his ashes. Even though she cherishes few pleasant memories of the times she spent at Henry Island, Mariah needs a place to stay while she tries to figure out what to do next with her life. To her surprise and dismay she discovers Gray using the cottage. Gray refuses to leave which forces Mariah to stay in the main house with the rest of her father's family.

Gray knows he should leave and let Mariah take over the cottage. But a string of related accidents cause Gray to realize Mariah is in danger. But why? Does this sudden peril relate to Roxie's death or will some other deep, dark family secret surface?

Was Undertow worth the price? Definitely! Dixie Browning cleverly works in several twists that build an enjoyable mystery with just the right touch of romance. And I will gladly pay the price of writing more reviews if Browning continues to write romantic suspense.

Theresa A. Miller

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