Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Threadbear....
Review: Don't get me wrong, I adore JAK. She is one of the few writers I will buy in hardback...but I am beginning to rethink this. Smoke and Mirrors was fun if you are a JAK fan, if not...you might be sorely disappointed in the hardback price and paperback read. She is a sharp as ever in technique and style, she has polished JAK trademark of willful ladies and stubborn men to a hard gloss. Maybe too much polishing and too hard of a gloss?? She lacks the snap and fire of her earlier works, going the same as many of the Romance Writers ( Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Lowell) are - once they get into 'mainstream' they are taking off the romance banner and maybe alienating fans in the process. It's a fun read, but the story is weak and the ending weaker. She has no real mystery going other than why did she not have a better mystery!!! You see who the obvious murderer is by the early part of the book, if you don't, you will known by the end for there is NO OTHER person it can be, and the reason she has been a murderer for 30 years and killed several people - to pad and protect her retirement account??? OH PLEASE, JAK, thinking cap time!! I love the lead characters. She is the half sister of murdered women, he is the brother-in-law of a murdered woman and they form an aliance that is warm, witty and charming. Especially love his dog!!! But on the balance, the plot is thread bear, the mystery weak as they get. Sorry, I advise waiting for paperback, then the disappointment won't sting as much. JAK is one of my favourite writers, I am let down by the one on the whole.
Rating: 
Summary: Return to the JAK style
Review: For the last several books, Jayne Ann Krentz (who also writes as Amanda Quick) has been ignoring current romance trends to shift her style more and more toward romantic suspense. As she's done so, her writing style has become a bit more aloof, leading to less development of her main characters and the romance between them. Quick's "Slightly Shady" was somewhat of a disappointment for me; the characters and romance seemed almost incidental to the plot. "Smoke in Mirrors" retreats somewhat from that aloof style, giving us good character and romantic development and appealing secondary characters. In addition, the mystery here is well integrated with the characters. Leonora is a good Krentz heroine, with the loyalty and spunk we've come to expect. Thomas is another brooding Krentz hero, complete with large scary (but appealing) dog. The romance between them seems natural and easy, and the development of a secondary romance between Thomas's brother and his yoga instructor is handled well. That said, the pacing of this book was a little off. While the initial build-up of suspense worked well, the conclusion seems rushed, and the eventual unmasking of the "villain" doesn't seem to make all that much sense. All is explained, but it would have been clearer if the conclusion had gone a slightly different direction. Still, this is good Krentz, with all the hallmarks her fans have come to expect of her. A good read! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Want a Walnetto?
Review: For those of you who have been distancing yourselves from this author since her books began to go downhill after Absolutely, Positively, I think you will find this Krentz confection an engaging surprize. If nothing else, the dog Wrench gets the Snickers' award. Smoke in Mirrors was waiting for me on the library shelf. New, no holds. People don't que up for jelly beans. But, hey, jelly beans are part of one of the major food groups. And, although too much candy makes you sick, limited portions are fiiiiiiine. Krentz applied the character formulas she normally uses in her Amanda Quick historicals to the hero and heroine in this modern story. It worked. Her romances are light weight.
Her suspense is light weight.
The Quick formula man and woman are delightful cream puffs.
A very good idea. Leonora and Tom are delightful, and the Krentz brand of humor has never found a better setting.
Rating:
Summary: Smoke in Mirrors
Review: I am a long time fan of JAK and looked forward to her new book, I was not disappointed! Leonora and Thomas are a great team and a great couple. I enjoyed their interaction in dialogue and character as well as their relationships with Thomas' brother and Leonora's grandmother. JAK gives the characters substance and style and the only draw back with any of her novels is that they end. I look forward to other books by her and also books under her pen names. Thank you for an enjoyable time.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of her best works
Review: I had been anticipating the release of this book and was vastly disappointed. By the end I really didn't care of the two main characters got together or not. In my opinion they did not click as a couple. I much prefered her earlier releases.
Rating:
Summary: Uninspired ending
Review: I have been reading JAK for more years than I want to admit (and through all her incarnations). This book was better than I anticipated (I haven't enjoyed her last couple of books), but it doesn't live up to some of her earlier works. I enjoyed the book up until the end when the murderer was unveiled. I found the "twist" ending unbelievable - Why would someone who had gotten away with six murders over 30 years try to kill yet another person hours before starting a new life? This book lacks the sparkle of earlier JAK novels, but it is still a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good read!
Review: I have read all of Jayne Krentz's novels and as always, some are better than others. I just picked up the book to read yesterday and I honestly couldn't finish it. The plot was somewhat shallow leading in with characters that spark attraction yet you don't really care or feel an affinity with them. The academia and the end antagonist who was behind it all was not set up properly. When I found out who was behind all the killings, I thought to myself, "WHAT??" It was a minor character who lacked a real motive and all in all, the story was flat. I really like her novels but this one is not worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: More magic from Krentz
Review: I just finished Smoke in Mirrors this morning, and was late for work as a result. This is a wonderfully gripping tale. You just can't stop once you've started it. The characters are wonderful, the double (actually triple) love stories are compelling and written in Ms. Krentz's stunningly visual style, which just keeps you turning page after page to see what happens next. The suspense and mystery details are outstanding, which is what you expect from Ms. Krentz. Definately a keeper!
Rating: 
Summary: What happened!!!!!
Review: I think I have just about everything Ms. Krentz has ever written and have always enjoyed her characters and plots. I was sadly dissapointed on this latest novel, "Smoke and Mirrors". There was no chemistry between the main characters. No strong but sensative male and a rather tepid female. I think I will just have to go back and re-read all the oldie but goodies and wait for the paper back to come out from now on.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Flat
Review: I used to love Jayne Ann Krentz. This book is just not up to her usual standards. The dialogue is not as snappy, I was rather startled the first time the hero and heroine fell into bed, and the identity of the first murderer was obvious from the start. The identity of the second murderer escaped me until the end, but it didn't make much sense. Not one of her better books, although the prologue was exceptional.
| 
