We haven't talked much about all the sub-genres of mysteries, but I am a big fan of romantic suspense. I know it's not for everyone, but I've been a fan for decades and there are many romantic suspense authors I follow.
I've been reading Linda Howard's novels since her first books came out. Recently, she has joined with Linda Jones for a series of paranormals and the two of them have co-authored a new hardcover release, AFTER SUNDOWN. I received an advance copy of this book - which was a thrill, since hardcovers take a chunk out of my book budget.
Linda Howard's books often center around disasters - PREY, where a bear hunt turns deadly; BURN, where a lottery winner goes on a charity cruise that isn't all fun and games; UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS, where surviving a plane crash is the least of the protagonist's problems. In MR. PERFECT, a joke among friends taps into the psyche of a killer. In THE WOMAN LEFT BEHIND, a tech geek is reassigned as a drone operator with a paramilitary unit, taking her way, way out of her comfort zone.
Anyway, I was intrigued by the premise of AFTER SUNDOWN. The world in this story is upended by a Coronal Mass Ejection (the "corona" in this case refers to the sun and not coronavirus) that has fried electrical grids worldwide, taken out the internet, and left grocery stores empty and government non-existent. Linda Howard writes romantic suspense so, like virtually all of her books, the hero and heroine meet while facing challenges most of us will (hopefully) never have to deal with. She is known for steamy scenes and this book is no exception.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejectionsThere were several scenes that were so believable I was frightened for the inhabitants of the small town that is struggling to survive without most of the comforts that, even with coronavirus, we take for granted today. I think reading this while in quarantine made it hit me a little harder than it might have if I read it before the current pandemic.
Okay, I admit I'm a little confused after looking up Linda Howard's bio. This is what it says on Amazon:
"Biography
Linda's first book, the historical romance Guardian Angel, was released in 1994. In the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight, writing as Linda Fallon) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been involved in joint projects with Linda Howard, and has been rereleasing some of her backlist in ebook format. More information can be found at lindawinsteadjones.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, at
www.facebook.com/LindaWinsteadJones and
www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones, and on Twitter @LWJbooks."
So here's why I'm confused - I knew Linda Howard's real name was Linda Howington. I did NOT know Linda Jones and Linda Winstead Jones were pen names of hers. Since AFTER SUNDOWN lists Linda Howard and Linda Jones on the cover, I'm not sure how that works. She co-authored it with herself? I'll have to dig into this.
In the meantime, it goes on my keeper shelf with all my other Linda Howard books.
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