Book Review: Welcome to Temptation

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Welcome to Temptation     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jennifer Crusie
Class/Genre:   Mystery
St. Martin's, Mar 2000, 352 pp.

Siblings Sophie and Amy Dempsey travel to Temptation, Ohio to film a video starring a has-been actress whom wants to return to her Hollywood glory days. Though the extended family DNA must include a gene for thievery and scams, in the case of Sophie it must have skipped a generation, as she is the most law-abiding person there is. Sophie has a premonition that Temptation will prove to be trouble. The town mayor Phin Tucker verifies her omen.

He makes her feel things that she never felt before. In spite of his brain's better judgment, he falls into lust with the town's visitor. The pair begins a passionate affair that earn them the contempt and disapproval of the local residents. However, things become ugly when their ecstasy turns into a much deeper relationship that forces one of the town's blue blooded residents to personally take action to break them apart. That could include killing Sophie.

One thing about a Jennifer Crusie novel is that the book is filled with subtle and not so subtle types of humor. For instance, if the charming lead couple marries, her name becomes ... This offbeat jocularity found throughout the tale provides a counterpoint to the serious story line. The delightful but eccentric secondary cast amplifies the plot with their oddities that show why Ms. Crusie is considered a master of characterization. WELCOME TO TEMPTATION is filled with twists and turns that will give much pleasure to an adoring audience that will demand sequel after sequel from one of the better modern day authors of the new millenium.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner