Book ~ "Smash Cut" (2009) Sandra Brown

From Amazon ~ This superlative romantic thriller from bestseller Brown features a particularly memorable villain, sociopath Creighton Wheeler, who's obsessed with re-enacting scenes from films like Strangers on a Train and Frenzy. When Creighton's wealthy uncle, Paul Wheeler, is shot dead in an apparent robbery at an Atlanta hotel, Paul's close friend, gallery owner Julie Rutledge, attempts to persuade the police that Creighton ordered the hit. Creighton's father asks Derek Mitchell, a criminal lawyer, to represent the accused Creighton but Derek declines because he had a plane tryst en route to Paris with Julie after Paul's murder. Angered by Derek's refusal, Creighton stalks Julie; targets Derek's dog, Maggie; and plots to kill the ex-girlfriend of his henchman, Billy Duke, after Billy has second thoughts about helping Creighton. Brown skillfully charts Julie and Derek's quest to catch the slippery fiend. Multiple smash cuts (abrupt scene shifts) lead to a wonderfully frenzied finish.

Not a great story ... kind of far fetched and ludicrous at times.

The ending has a twist that was silly and too compact ... but we're left with a happy ending. I thought the death of Maggie the dog was extreme.

But I enjoyed the writing style and that kept me going.

Book ~ "The Switch" (2001) Sandra Brown

From Amazon.com ~ When Gillian hears her biological clock ticking, she is inseminated. Gillian switches places with her twin, a media escort, and chauffeurs astronaut, Chief Hart, around town. It turns out to be a fatal attraction and suspicion falls on Chief when Gillian's mutilated body is found the next day. The dead woman's boyfriend, Jem Hennings, has a vested interest in focusing police efforts on Hart but Melina has her own reasons for thinking him wrong. Jem's connection with a charismatic preacher known as Brother Gabriel is at the heart of this mildly creepy mystery, in which Melina tracks Brother Gabriel to his lair and uncovers his plot while simultaneously revealing her own dark secret.

I read this book a couple years ago so knew how it was going to end but I still enjoyed it again. There's lot of action, interesting characters and a good mystery. I like Sandra Brown's mystery novels - her romances not so much.