Blood on Skates

Rating:
Summary: engaging romantic suspense
Review: Leaving her philandering husband behind in New York, Catherine Kirby accompanied by her six year old daughter Kirby moves to Rawley, Minnesota where her pregnant best friend Elaine and husband Conway Walsh own a skating rink. Also relocating from Florida is Conway's foster brother Michael Bocecelli who is using Walsh as his surname to hide from the media while helping his "sibling" run the rink.

Neither Michael nor Catherine want to follow up on their immediate attraction for varying reasons, but neither can stop the feelings from growing accentuated by how nurturing he is to her daughter. As they fall in love, someone from Michael's past continues to track him leaving dead bodies on the trail. This serial killer will murder anyone associated with Michael including the Kirby females that he now loves and his "brother" and pregnant wife.

This is an engaging romantic suspense because the "hero" is unique as he carries so much baggage he struggles with his feelings for the Kirby duo and finds it difficult to function in the final confrontation. The story line focuses on the two wounded lead protagonists whose growing love is considered an error on both their parts. Fans will appreciate this intriguing tale of love between two wary scarred veterans still suffering from relational battle fatigue syndrome while they battle a sly killer from Michael's past. Christine W. Murphy furbishes a strong character-driven thriller.

Harriet Klausner