Review: Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz

Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: December 8th 2015
My rating: 4 stars 
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No one does romantic suspense better than Jayne Ann Krentz. Now, the New York Times bestselling author of Trust No One and River Road delivers a novel that twists and turns into a read that will leave you breathless.

Madeline and Daphne were once as close as sisters—until a secret tore them apart. Now it might take them to their graves.

They knew his name, the man who tried to brutally attack twelve-year-old Madeline in her grandmother's hotel. They thought they knew his fate. He wouldn't be bothering them anymore...ever. Still their lives would never be the same.

Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother's mysterious death. And at the old, abandoned hotel—a place she never wanted to see again—a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.

Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts...and wants.

Jack is no good at relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes a profoundly intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack's brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth....

My Thoughts:

Madeline and Daphne were best friends, “secret sisters,” when they were young.  They parted ways when a horrific event set them going their separate ways, but they are thrown together again when the nightmare resurfaces.  Eighteen years later secrets thought long buried have somehow been unearthed and Madeline and Daphne are once again in great danger.  They’re not alone, though.  Madeline’s head of security, Jack Rayner and his brother Abe are there watching their backs.  And Madeline feels safe with Jack in her corner.

Eighteen years seems like a long time to be apart, but it feels like nothing when they’re reunited and have a mystery to solve.  I appreciated the positive female bond between Madeline and Daphne, and liked the support and healing they provided for each other.

Sometimes, with a mystery the events of the past are kept hidden with only small bits of information parsed out, and this can be very frustrating.  I’m happy it was revealed, almost from the beginning, what happened with Madeline and Daphne in the past.  The main part of the mystery in the present is trying to figure out who is stirring up the past.  Who knows what happened back then besides the five sworn to secrecy? As the killer takes aim over and over, it becomes imperative to flush this person out before they all end up dead.

There was plenty of danger, twists and turns in Secret Sisters!  I’m happy that the drama and thrills came from the mystery instead of the romantic relationships.  Jack and Madeline were each strong-minded, with romantic issues, but this made it easy to relate to each other.  They understood and didn’t pressure.  I liked Jack’s take-charge, protective nature, and Madeline appreciated his expertise in the dangerous situation they found themselves in.  Jack was the more experienced one in their predicament, but he never diminished Madeline’s strengths or smarts, and he took her counsel to heart.  Abe and Daphne’s romance was more on the back burner, but I enjoyed it as well.  They were an odd, but cute match-up. 

This is my second Jayne Ann Krentz romantic suspense novel, and I plan on reading more from her.  Secret Sisters was a highly entertaining and satisfying mystery! 

About the author:

Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name, as well as futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. Learn more at jayneannkrentz.com and connect with her on facebook.com/JayneAnnKrentz.