Bestselling author Julie Garwood has a new calling--contemporary romantic suspense fiction. While longtime fans of Garwood hope she won't forsake the historical romance genre that has been so successful for her, this versatile author is coming into her own as a creator of amazingly complex and detailed suspense novels. In Mercy, Theo Buchanan, the brother of FBI agent Nick Buchanan from Heartbreaker, Garwood's first foray into suspense fiction, meets surgeon Dr. Michelle "Mike" Renard when he throws up on her designer dress at a New Orleans gala. Dr. Mike saves Theo's life with an emergency appendectomy, enabling him to return to Boston and his job as a federal prosecutor.

But Theo can't stop thinking about Mike and her little hometown on the bayou. After concluding an investigation and trial that brings down a powerful organized crime syndicate, Theo receives several death threats and his boss recommends he keep a low profile. What better place to go incognito than Bowen, Louisiana, where the catfish practically throw themselves at your fishing pole and where a certain pretty young doctor is opening her new practice? But when Theo arrives, he finds life in Bowen isn't quite as idyllic as he thought. Someone has ransacked Mike's new office and seems dead set on harming her. As Theo struggles to protect Mike, he uncovers a ring of upper-crust criminals willing to do anything, even murder, to keep their dirty little secret--all $40 million of it--from being discovered. What connection could they possibly have to Mike? And why does everyone under the age of 18 keep calling Theo "Coach"? Join perennial favorite Garwood on a journey into the quirky, close-knit communities of the Louisiana bayou and the journey a man and woman devoted to their careers undertake as they fall passionately in love. --Alison Trinkle


From Publishers Weekly
After last year's bestselling Heartbreaker, her first venture into contemporary romantic suspense, Garwood turns out another of the same genre with equally crowd-pleasing results. Set alternately in posh New Orleans and in a swampy Louisiana bayou, the novel begins with the mercy killing of sickly, bedridden Catherine Bodine, wife of affluent attorney John Russell. John is the 30-something leader of what he and his three friends call the Sowing Club, their own high stakes embezzlement group, a secret society bound by a pact that will guarantee them millions in cash by the time they are 40. A shift to the romantic plot line introduces Department of Justice lawyer Theo Buchanan, doubled over in pain at an awards ceremony in New Orleans. Brilliant and striking surgeon Michelle Renard comes to Theo's rescue, performing an appendectomy, capturing his heart and leaving before Theo can thank her. Determined to show his gratitude, Theo follows the beautiful doctor to the backwater town of Bowen, La. Upon arrival, he finds Michelle distraught because she's being followed, her house has been broken into and her clinic ransacked. Theo hangs around to investigate and gets to know a slew of colorful country folk determined to feed him gumbo, cull free legal advice and make him the new high school football coach. Sparks fly furiously between Theo and Michelle, but bullets fly, too, when it becomes clear that Michelle is the one person who can hinder the Sowing Club's greedy ambitions. Garwood serves up a well-paced and absorbing read sure to satisfy readers who seek a bit of danger in love. Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club main selection. (Sept.)Forecast: This strong offering will hit bestseller lists hard and early and deservedly so. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Attorney Theo Buchanan must save the life of a gorgeous surgeon who once saved his. Garwood's second contemporary in a string of 17 hits. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
"The first one was a mercy killing," says one member of the Sowing Club in a melodic Cajun accent. This opening line sets the stage for pandemonium and attempted murder, Southern style. Nick, an FBI agent, and his brother, Theo, a Justice Department attorney, come to the aid of Dr. Michelle Bernard, who is pursued for a mysterious envelope she doesn't know is in her possession. Singsong Louisiana and Cajun accents exemplify place and characters to bring the listener into the tale. Audaciously flirtatious, sometimes sexually explicit, this suspenseful drama may offend some. Cajun music breaks are provided between scenes, but overall the audio is too long and drawn out. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description
Julie Garwood created an electrifying tour de force in her suspense-charged bestseller Heartbreaker, a "crackling good thriller" (New York Post) that pitted a relentless FBI agent against a madman in a frenzied race for one beautiful woman. Now, in this thrilling new novel, Garwood goes further down the dark road where passion and obsession meet. Like his FBI-agent brother Nick, Theo Buchanan is devoted to his crime-fighting career. Only Theo works the other side of the desk as an esteemed Justice Department attorney. At a gala ceremony in New Orleans, he is suddenly struck ill and is rushed to a hospital where a brilliant and beautiful surgeon, Dr. Michelle Renard, saves his life. It is not the only life-and-death crisis that will ensnare Theo -- for he is about to uncover a ring of criminals bent on preserving their secrecy at any cost. They call themselves the Sowing Club: four white-collar professionals whose sophisticated crimes have amassed millions of dollars in a Cayman Islands bank account. The group is bound by a pact to leave the cash untouched until they accumulate a cool $40 million. But their leader, John, has begun to lose his focus in their "all-for-one" commitment, distracted by and nearly bankrupt from his wife's grave illness. Knowing what must be done, John turns to his three friends. For the sake of the pact, their brand of crime must turn to the mercy killing of John's wife. But the line between mercy and murder quickly vanishes.... Now, in the small bayou town of Bowen, Louisiana, Theo Buchanan comes to the aid of Michelle Renard when her medical clinic is vandalized. What he discovers is chilling and deadly. As the relentless and cold-blooded Sowing Club sets out to silence Michelle, the one person who may have the information that will destroy them, Theo confronts the lies, greed, and evil that bind the lethal foursome -- and risks more than he ever has before. Michelle saved his life...now can he save hers? With all of the storytelling power and insight into the human heart that have made her one of the bestselling authors of our time, Julie Garwood introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of intriguing characters in this new masterpiece of contemporary suspense. There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print.


Download Description
Julie Garwood created an electrifying tour de force in her suspense-charged bestseller Heartbreaker, a "crackling good thriller" (New York Post) that pitted a relentless FBI agent against a madman in a frenzied race for one beautiful woman. Now, in this thrilling new novel, Garwood goes further down the dark road where passion and obsession meet. Like his FBI-agent brother Nick, Theo Buchanan is devoted to his crime-Þghting career. Only Theo works the other side of the desk as an esteemed Justice Department attorney. At a gala ceremony in New Orleans, he is suddenly struck ill and is rushed to a hospital where a brilliant and beautiful surgeon, Dr. Michelle Renard, saves his life. It is not the only life-and-death crisis that will ensnare Theo -- for he is about to uncover a ring of criminals bent on preserving their secrecy at any cost. They call themselves the Sowing Club: four white-collar professionals whose sophisticated crimes have amassed millions of dollars in a Cayman Islands bank account. The group is bound by a pact to leave the cash untouched until they accumulate a cool $40 million. But their leader, John, has begun to lose his focus in their "all-for-one" commitment, distracted by and nearly bankrupt from his wife's grave illness. Knowing what must be done, John turns to his three friends. For the sake of the pact, their brand of crime must turn to the mercy killing of John's wife. But the line between mercy and murder quickly vanishes.... Now, in the small bayou town of Bowen, Louisiana, Theo Buchanan comes to the aid of Michelle Renard when her medical clinic is vandalized. What he discovers is chilling and deadly. As the relentless and cold-blooded Sowing Club sets out to silence Michelle, the one person who may have the information that will destroy them, Theo confronts the lies, greed, and evil that bind the lethal foursome -- and risks more than he ever has before. Michelle saved his life...now can he save hers?


About the Author
Julie Garwood is the author of sixteen New York Times bestsellers, including Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring. There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print.

FROM OUR EDITORS

With all the storytelling power and insight that have made her a smash-hit bestselling author, Julie Garwood introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of intriguing characters in this relentless romantic thriller.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Julie Garwood created an electrifying tour de force in her suspense-charged bestseller Heartbreaker, a "crackling good thriller" (New York Post) that pitted a relentless FBI agent against a madman in a frenzied race for one beautiful woman. Now, in this thrilling new novel, Garwood goes further down the dark road where passion and obsession meet.

Like his FBI-agent brother Nick, Theo Buchanan is devoted to his crime-fighting career. Only Theo works the other side of the desk as an esteemed Justice Department attorney. At a gala ceremony in New Orleans, he is suddenly struck ill and is rushed to a hospital where a brilliant and beautiful surgeon, Dr. Michelle Renard, saves his life. It is not the only life-and-death crisis that will ensnare Theo -- for he is about to uncover a ring of criminals bent on preserving their secrecy at any cost.

They call themselves the Sowing Club: four white-collar professionals whose sophisticated crimes have amassed millions of dollars in a Cayman Islands bank account. The group is bound by a pact to leave the cash untouched until they accumulate a cool $40 million. But their leader, John, has begun to lose his focus in their "all-for-one" commitment, distracted by and nearly bankrupt from his wife's grave illness. Knowing what must be done, John turns to his three friends. For the sake of the pact, their brand of crime must turn to the mercy killing of John's wife. But the line between mercy and murder quickly vanishes....

Now, in the small bayou town of Bowen, Louisiana, Theo Buchanan comes to the aid of Michelle Renard when her medical clinic is vandalized. What he discovers is chilling and deadly. As the relentless and cold-blooded Sowing Club sets out to silence Michelle, the one person who may have the information that will destroy them, Theo confronts the lies, greed, and evil that bind the lethal foursome -- and risks more than he ever has before. Michelle saved his life...now can he save hers?

With all of the storytelling power and insight into the human heart that have made her one of the bestselling authors of our time, Julie Garwood introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of intriguing characters in this new masterpiece of contemporary suspense.

There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print.

SYNOPSIS

Justice Department attorney Theo Buchanan, devoted to his crime-fighting career, encounters a group of four white-collar professionals calling themselves The Sowing Club. Their sophisticated crimes have amassed millions of dollars in a Cayman Islands bank account. Buchanan follows them down the dark road of their passions and obsessions.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

After last year's bestselling Heartbreaker, her first venture into contemporary romantic suspense, Garwood turns out another of the same genre with equally crowd-pleasing results. Set alternately in posh New Orleans and in a swampy Louisiana bayou, the novel begins with the mercy killing of sickly, bedridden Catherine Bodine, wife of affluent attorney John Russell. John is the 30-something leader of what he and his three friends call the Sowing Club, their own high stakes embezzlement group, a secret society bound by a pact that will guarantee them millions in cash by the time they are 40. A shift to the romantic plot line introduces Department of Justice lawyer Theo Buchanan, doubled over in pain at an awards ceremony in New Orleans. Brilliant and striking surgeon Michelle Renard comes to Theo's rescue, performing an appendectomy, capturing his heart and leaving before Theo can thank her. Determined to show his gratitude, Theo follows the beautiful doctor to the backwater town of Bowen, La. Upon arrival, he finds Michelle distraught because she's being followed, her house has been broken into and her clinic ransacked. Theo hangs around to investigate and gets to know a slew of colorful country folk determined to feed him gumbo, cull free legal advice and make him the new high school football coach. Sparks fly furiously between Theo and Michelle, but bullets fly, too, when it becomes clear that Michelle is the one person who can hinder the Sowing Club's greedy ambitions. Garwood serves up a well-paced and absorbing read sure to satisfy readers who seek a bit of danger in love. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Attorney Theo Buchanan must save the life of a gorgeous surgeon who once saved his. Garwood's second contemporary in a string of 17 hits. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile