Seattle author Jayne Ann Krentz has a well-deserved reputation for excellence among romance and mystery readers. Her latest release, In Too Deep, does not disappoint.
In Too Deep kicks off the Looking Glass Trilogy and is also a part of Krentz’s long-running Arcane Society novels. The story features Fallon Jones, a “modern day Sherlock Holmes” with a psychic twist who has come to the tiny village of Scargill Cove to escape his problems. Isabella Valdez has also fled to the small town on the Northern California coast—and she’s seeking Fallon’s help.
Both Fallon and Isabella have unique psychic gifts. When they join forces to solve a mystery tied to a dangerous 1800s psychic inventor whose creations threaten the modern-day residents of the Cove, they discover that their gifts are even more powerful together. Other Scargill Cove inhabitants have talents of their own—and reasons for protecting the village’s hidden history. But when someone uses murder to gain access to evil power, it’s up to Fallon and Isabella to stop them.
Finding and destroying a killer, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. Cold psychic energy is swirling through the streets of Scargill Cove and death threatens the residents. Only Fallon and Isabella can untangle the threads and save the tiny population.
Other questions are on their minds as well. How does the threat to their neighbors in Scargill Cove tie in with the person chasing Isabella? What did she see that has her former employer willing to go to any lengths to ensure Isabella’s silence—even if that means her death? And how are the assassins connected to the mysterious killer robot dolls and the destructive magic lantern light that nearly killed Fallon months earlier?
In a plot that twists and turns with ever-intriguing layers, Krentz deftly weaves romance and creates characters whom readers will root for and love. In an interview with USA Today, Krentz is quoted as saying that romance “is potentially dangerous, but . . . nothing of significance gets done in the world without it.” The quote is particularly apt when applied to In Too Deep, for without the romance between Fallon and Isabella, the fascinating mysteries would remain unsolved. Fortunately for readers, there’s plenty of romance to save the day.
Lois Faye Dyer writes from Port Orchard, Washington.
