Bannon brothers: trust

With a bullet in his back, Bannon is on leave from his job as a police detective in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When called to headquarters by his adversarial captain, he runs into a friend who is updating files and closing cold cases. A 25-year-old case grabs Bannon's attention because the reward is about to run out for solving the abduction of three-year-old Ann Montgomery, the daughter of a prominent member of the community. Bannon wonders why everyone has given up looking for the culprits. Restless, he gives in to his friend's prodding to unofficially investigate the case. His connection with the Montgomery family deepens when he becomes intrigued by artist Erin Randall. He purchases two horse paintings from her, and they slowly begin a relationship. She is commissioned by the powerful father of the long-missing girl to paint his prize horse. As her and Bannon's involvement grows, so does the danger stemming from Bannon's investigations. In this trilogy-opener, Dailey gives readers a tale combining action and gentle romance.--Engelmann, Patty Copyright 2010 Booklist

Bestseller Dailey (Santa in a Stetson) launches a new series with this well-paced but unremarkable love story between an injured cop and the intriguing artist who inspires him. Roped into unofficially reopening a cold missing persons case by a friend who knew the victims, RJ Bannon is delighted when artist Erin, who refuses to reveal her last name, offers to help him investigate. When the case turns dangerous just as a sweet romance blossoms, Bannon has to decide whether solving the mystery is worth putting the woman of his dreams at risk. Populated with stock stereotypes as secondary characters, only Erin, Bannon, and Bannon's brothers (who will star in the sequels) really emerge as individuals. Dailey's prose is lovely, with imagery that clearly evokes the setting, but the contrived plot never overcomes its formulaic pattern, and readers will figure out the solution long before Bannon does. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Still on leave after stopping a drug dealer's bullet, veteran police officer RJ Bannon is intrigued with a 25-year-old cold case: the abduction of three-year-old Ann Montgomery, which has attached to it a hefty award that is about to expire. Bannon's interest unexpectedly rattles a few cages, and when he meets lovely Erin Randall, an artist who has been hired by Ann's father to paint his prize stallion and who seems to be targeted by a stalker, the pieces of this twisted puzzle begin to drift into place. Old tragedies, money, and blackmail are at the heart of this multi-faceted story that takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride from the chilling violence of a deranged killer to a heart-tugging conclusion. -VERDICT Dailey launches her "Bannon Brothers" trilogy with this fast-paced, compelling romantic mystery peopled with an abundance of well-developed characters, including a resourceful, take-charge hero. Dailey (Santa in Montana) lives in Branson, MO. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"With a bullet in his back, Bannon is on leave from his job as a police detective in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When called to headquarters by his adversarial captain, he runs into a friend who is updating files and closing cold cases. A 25-year-old case grabs Bannon's attention because the reward is about to run out for solving the abduction of three-year-old Ann Montgomery, the daughter of a prominent member of the community. Bannon wonders why everyone has given up looking for the culprits. Restless, he gives in to his friend's prodding to unofficially investigate the case. His connection with the Montgomery family deepens when he becomes intrigued by artist Erin Randall. He purchases two horse paintings from her, and they slowly begin a relationship. She is commissioned by the powerful father of the long-missing girl to paint his prize horse. As her and Bannon's involvement grows, so does the danger stemming from Bannon's investigations. In this trilogy-opener, Dailey gives readers a tale combining action and gentle romance." Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

In Dailey's (Trust, 2011; Honor, 2012) latest Bannon brothers installment, Kelly Johns, a beautiful, blond Atlanta TV news anchor, is filming at an abandoned high-rise construction site when gunshots ring out. A stranger pushes her to safety behind a pillar. It turns out to be Deke Bannon, the third brother. When Kelly is targeted with death threats, Deke comes to the rescue. She accompanies him in a private plane to Texas and a big-ticket fund-raiser put on by a wealthy art-loving widow, who wants to build a museum. Fans of the prolific Dailey will be pleased with her predictable blend of suspense, glitz, glamor, and romance without explicit sex. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Kenzie is tough. An army veteran, she now is a civilian, training elite dogs for both the military and wealthy individuals. Linc Bannon, a high-level federal intelligence operative, who had an unrequited interest in her, snaps into action when he sees her wrecked car on the news. Kenzie's friend, who works for a military supplier, had borrowed the car and was run off the road in what looks like an attempted murder. Now she's in a coma and Kenzie wants to know why. The plot thickens when Kenzie enlists Linc's help, another one of Kenzie's friends is killed in Afghanistan, and a stalker makes Kenzie leave her home to take up temporary residence at a firing range. Tough, smart characters and an intriguing puzzle, along with dogs and guns, make this an enjoyable, romantically suspenseful read. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Still on leave after stopping a drug dealer's bullet, veteran police officer RJ Bannon is intrigued with a 25-year-old cold case: the abduction of three-year-old Ann Montgomery, which has attached to it a hefty award that is about to expire. Bannon's interest unexpectedly rattles a few cages, and when he meets lovely Erin Randall, an artist who has been hired by Ann's father to paint his prize stallion and who seems to be targeted by a stalker, the pieces of this twisted puzzle begin to drift into place. Old tragedies, money, and blackmail are at the heart of this multifaceted story that takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride from the chilling violence of a deranged killer to a heart-tugging conclusion. VERDICT Dailey launches her "Bannon Brothers" trilogy with this fast-paced, compelling romantic mystery peopled with an abundance of well-developed characters, including a resourceful, take-charge hero. Dailey (Santa in Montana) lives in Branson, MO.

Bestseller Dailey (Santa in a Stetson) launches a new series with this well-paced but unremarkable love story between an injured cop and the intriguing artist who inspires him. Roped into unofficially reopening a cold missing persons case by a friend who knew the victims, RJ Bannon is delighted when artist Erin, who refuses to reveal her last name, offers to help him investigate. When the case turns dangerous just as a sweet romance blossoms, Bannon has to decide whether solving the mystery is worth putting the woman of his dreams at risk. Populated with stock stereotypes as secondary characters, only Erin, Bannon, and Bannon's brothers (who will star in the sequels) really emerge as individuals. Dailey's prose is lovely, with imagery that clearly evokes the setting, but the contrived plot never overcomes its formulaic pattern, and readers will figure out the solution long before Bannon does. (Aug.)

Bestseller Dailey's second Bannon Brothers contemporary western (after Trust) attempts suspense but never reaches a satisfying conclusion. Middle brother Linc Bannon sees news footage of a horrible car accident and recognizes the license plate of his longtime crush, Kenzie. Linc rushes to find her, only to discover it was Kenzie's friend Christine in the car. Kenzie, a former soldier who still works with the military, believes the crash was more than just an accident and enlists Linc, a federal intelligence agent, to help her find out what happened. They discover a conspiracy involving failed military armor and a psychopathic stalker. Kenzie and Linc's romance progresses at a realistically slow speed, sweet rather than sexy, as they take time to get to know each other while facing crises, and Kenzie's relationships with both Linc and Christine show satisfying depth, but readers are likely to identify the stalker and piece together the conspiracy far earlier than the heroes do. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates. (June)