Rating: 
Summary: Not up to her previous work
Review: Hemlock Bay is not up to Catherine Coulter's previous Sherlock and Savich novels. The plot is contrived and not realistic. While the action is adequate, the romance is lacking. Re-read "Riptide" and wait for the next book in the series. The Sherlock and Savich characters are worth waiting for.
Rating: 
Summary: Another superb contemporary suspense novel by this witer
Review: The husband and wife FBI team of Savich and Sherlock are coming down from the high of apprehending a killer of young children when they learn that Lily Savich Frasier is in the hospital. They arrive in Hemlock Bay, California only to conclude that Lily's husband and father-in-law are trying to drive her out of her mind so that she commits suicide. With her brother and his wife at her side, Lily faces down the Frasiers before returning to Washington DC with the eight valuable paintings she inherited from her grandmother, an internationally acclaimed artist. When she shows the pictures to art broker Simon Russo, Lily learns four are forgeries. Simon and Lily travel to Hemlock Bay to confront her in-laws and the local art curator about the scam perpetrated against her. In the meantime romantic sparks fly between Simon and Lily them. Catherine Coulter has written another superb contemporary suspense novel with just enough romance to make both genres quite pleased with the tale. Savich and Sherlock play critical and prominent roles, but the spotlight shines on Lily and Simon, two strong minded individuals teaming up to insure justice is served. The complex story line moves forward rather quickly as Ms. Coulter has outdone even her usual high quality work with this sure shot best seller. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable and fast-paced
Review: FBI agent Dillon Savich is working on his most challenging case, that of the kidnapping of two boys, when he receives the new that his sister Lily has crashed her car into a tree. Could this be another suicide attempt, the second since the death of her young daughter? As Dillon and his wife, fellow agent, Lacey Sherlock race off to see how Lily is, they discover that she has been left four paintings from her famous grandmother, paintings that are now worth millions. As the husband and wife team delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the paintings, Lily and art broker Simon Russo begin their own investigation, one that will lead them to a notorious and dangerous collector. And, as Dillon realizes that both he and his sister are in grave danger, a killer from the previous case he was working on returns to settle the score. 'Hemlock Bay' is an interesting and fast-paced read, although it would have been much better if the secondary plot involving the kidnapping was the main plot, for it is far more interesting. Well written and suspenseful, this tale of murder and madness does entertain, but some may find the juggling of plots a bit of a distraction. Catherine Coulter has crossed over into the thriller genre VERY successfully, and this, her fifth FBI tale should, with no surprise, fly up the bestseller charts, even with it's minor flaws. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Suspense
Review: FBI agent Dillon Savich and his wife, fellow agent Lacey Sherlock, are closing in on serial killers, Tommy and Timmy or "Tammy" Tuttle. While Tommy is killed and "Tammy" is apprehended, Tammy's almost supernatural abilities to elude police come to light when she escapes custody. Meanwhile, Savich's sister Lily is hospitalized in California presumably after a failed suicide attempt. When Savich and Sherlock arrive in California, their suspicions turn to Lily's husband and in-laws, the Frasiers. The Frasiers have much to gain if Lily is out of the picture leaving behind her grandmother's valuable paintings. But Savich's college friend and art dealer, Simon Russo, discovers that the paintings on loan to the local California museum aren't exactly what they seem, and suddenly both Lily's and Simon's lives are in grave danger. HEMLOCK BAY is a true winner, full of nail-biting suspense and captivating intrigue. In Lily, Catherine Coulter has given the reader one tough cookie of a heroine, who has enough backbone to withstand even the most deadly situations thrown her way. And, as in Ms. Coulter's previous works, Savich and Sherlock are perfect as secondary characters, FBI agents with both guts and class. A MUST READ!
Rating: 
Summary: Little Lilly the Gnarly Punching Bag
Review: A bit far fetched, but pretty good, presided over by the all-knowing hermaphrodite god, MAX. Whenever there's action, poor Lilly gets whacked. Would a person recovering from a nearly fatal accident and the removal of her spleen be capable of such exertion?
I prefer a story that ties everything together. Wilbur Wright's adventures really don't have anything do with anything else in the book, so they could have been left out. Why was Tennyson so intent on Lilly's seeing Dr Rossetti? Savich somehow arranged for Tammy to find out the phone number, but we never learn how. What was so important about the black circle? Also, it would have been interesting to learn if both twins had these powers, and how they got them. What's wrong with these Swedes?
Unfortunately, it appears that Coulter's idea of great art is something along the lines of Norman Rockwell. And speaking of sentimentality, the lovely-dovey family scenes go a little overboard. She doesn't have to lather Sean in so much saccharine.
The main attraction of this novel is that I have never read a book that uses the word gnarly so many times. I began to look forward to seeing how Coulter would find another place for gnarly. Here are a few more. You may cut them from your screen and sprinkle them through the book where you please: gnarly gnarly gnarly gnarly gnarly
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Lots of bad criminals and serial killers in this one, but the story is top-notch. I like Sherlock and Savich as a husband-and-wife team, but I'm still getting used to the baby.
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