Reviewed by Chris
Longmuir
I thought I would do something different in terms of a
review for Eclectic Electric, instead of reviewing one book I would review the
genre termed Romantic Suspense and
provide some examples of the genre.
Romantic suspense is a crime category I had not been
aware of until I heard an author talking about it on a panel at Crimefest. This
convention which is held annually at Bristol, focuses on crime books and
writers, so this made me think that perhaps this type of crime fiction might be
worthy of further exploration. My initial investigation into the genre
confirmed that romantic suspense is not widely recognized in the UK as crime
fiction, although it is a popular genre in the US. However, I did mention the
genre to a friend who writes contemporary romance novels, and she not only knew
what romantic suspense is, but she gave me the impression that this is a well
known category of romance. So, that begs the question, as to whether romantic
suspense is a subgenre of romance or of crime. And whether crime writers back
away from romance in their thrillers, although I have read many crime books
with a thread of romantic interest in them.
I was unable to find definitions of romantic suspense in
any of the reference books on British crime fiction that I consulted, although
I did find basic definitions elsewhere. Ultimately it boils down to a
combination of romance and suspense using elements of crime, mystery, danger,
adventure, and even espionage. It must have female and male main characters,
and a villain, and is often told from the female point of view. They are fast
paced with a build up of suspense, and often depict graphic sexual scenes.
The first book I read in this genre was The
Gingerbread Man, by Maggie Shayne, and it erased all my preconceptions of
the mixture of romance with crime, in a crime novel. This book mixed child
abduction and murder with an ongoing romantic story involving a cop, and a
young woman whose sister had been abducted when both of them were children.
Both strands of the plot worked well, weaving together in a satisfactory way.
The action was breathtaking and the suspense built steadily to reach an
exciting climax. Meanwhile the romance aspect of the story developed in
time-honoured fashion from initial resentment and dislike to a growing
attachment which both main characters resisted until their passions overcame
them, and ended up with a satisfactory conclusion. I must say I am not in the
habit of reading romantic fiction, so I did not expect to like this book as
much as I did. However, the blend of romance and suspense pulled me in and I
enjoyed it.
My next choice was Silent Deceit, by Kallie Lane.
This was a novella set in Canada, so it was a shorter read, and it was
completely different to the previous book. The crime element in this one
involved a female undercover cop looking for her brother who is missing. The
action is set in a bikers’ bar and the boss of the bar is a real villain. I had
mixed feelings about this one, and although it was well written I could not get
into the characters. The villain was underdeveloped and only appeared on the
scene fleetingly which I thought was a lost opportunity. Further development could
have made him more menacing and intensified the suspense. The romance element
seemed to be more of a sex element, and if you like your romance hot and steamy
this may be the book for you. I thought it was disjointed, with the sex scenes
added in between the action. It was not a book with the feel good factor,
although you might feel differently. It just wasn’t for me. I am not even sure
it met the criteria of a romantic suspense book.
The next book I read was Imposter, by Karen
Fenech, and I was hooked from the first chapter. This author certainly knows
how to write suspense, and the beginning of the novel was extremely fast paced.
After such an exciting start the rest of the book flowed and was well
structured. It was expertly written and the characterization was excellent. If
the initial fast pace had been maintained it would have made an uncomfortable
read, but there were quieter passages, sexy passages, and more suspense
passages, all expertly intermingled to make a well structured and satisfying
novel.
I have noticed with romantic suspense books that they
are sexier than other crime novels which is in no doubt due to the romance
element, and this book was no exception. It was a woman in jeopardy novel, with
the two main characters distrustful of each other, and fighting the sexual
attraction they both felt. The romance and the suspense were so entwined it
would be difficult to separate the plot strands, and I think that truly makes
this a prime example of romantic suspense fiction.
When I started reading my selection of books in this
genre, I do not think I had fully grasped how graphic the sexual scenes would
be. I am not a prude, and I have written sex scenes in my time, but nothing
quite as graphic as I found in these novels. In comparison to mainstream crime
novels and the different subgenres, sex is not a taboo subject, but again, I
have not come across anything quite as explicit as the sex scenes in romantic
suspense. I can only assume this is the romance influence on the books, and
readers of romance fiction are looking for something more graphic than crime
writers provide.
The information used for this review was taken from my
non-fiction book Crime Fiction and the Indie Contribution which examines many
sub-genres of crime fiction as well as giving information on ebooks and crime
fiction in general.
Chris Longmuir
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