Envy
   Sandra Brown
   (Guest Reviewer - Sandi von Pier)
  2001 Warner books
    ISBN: 0446527130

Maris Matherly-Reed is a New York book editor, the daughter of the chairman & CEO of Matherly Press & the wife of bestselling author Noah Reed. Maris is a book lover, especially mysteries (my favorite). One day she wades through the unsolicited “slush pile” on her desk & finds a manuscript that captivates her. The submission is of a prologue only & the writer is identified only as P.M.E., with a return address of an obscure island off the Georgia coast. Maris' love of a good mystery & P.M.E.'s blockbuster potential, compels her to search for him.

Guest Reviewer Sandi von Pier writes:

I just finished reading Envy by Sandra Brown & couldn't wait to tell everyone about it! I have never read a book by this author before & after reading this one I know I will read more. She has more than 60 books to her credit, with over 40 on the New York Times best sellers list. Envy will certainly be her next.

Being the bookaholic that I am this story captured my interest right away. It's about writing, publishing, editors & authors, with two parallel plots surrounding a crime committed 14 years ago & the victim's plan for revenge.

Maris also uses the trip to find this elusive author to reevaluate her marriage. Noah is a one-book author who found he preferred the publishing business to writing. He eventually ended up at Matherly Press & finessed his way into the aging CEO's upper management & Maris' heart. Lately, though, their fairy-tale marriage has been more like a working relationship & she doubts his fidelity to her & to the company.

Maris finds Parker Evan, the enigmatic P.M.E., on the eerie island of St. Anne. He is bitter & caustic, with many secrets, & is determined to conceal his identity as well as his past. Maris finds working with him isn't easy but she feels that Envy is worth it. She is riveted by his tale of two friends who charter a boat for a night & with a young woman set off to celebrate -- only one person returns.

Due to her love of mysteries Maris becomes convinced that Parker's story is more than just fiction. She is troubled by her attraction to him, her concerns over her aging father's health & her conniving husband. She is gripped by a chilling suspicion about the novel's characters & searches for the undisclosed truth. In the midst of this turmoil someone close to her dies & someone even closer shows his true colors. He is evil, a man who will use her, or anyone, to get what he wants & he won't let anyone stand in his way.

Sandra Brown goes back & forth between showing the actual manuscript Parker is writing & the day-to-day interactions of Maris, Noah & Parker. There is a host of other likable & some detestable people too.

Exploring the way love & hatred shape lives, Envy uses both Maris' quest & Parker's novel to create a breathtaking story of suspense, deceit & murder, retribution & redemption. From the moment you open it 'til its spectacular finale you will be engrossed. I know, I was!

Do catch my Interview with Sandra Brown -- it's well worth it!

More from Sandra Brown: The Alibi; The Switch; Standoff; Unspeakable; Fat Tuesday; Exclusive; The Witness; Charade; Where There's Smoke; A Treasure Worth Seeking; Another Dawn; Best Kept Secrets; Bittersweet Rain; Breath of Scandal; Eloquent Silence; Exclusive; Hidden Fires; Love Beyond Reason; Love's Encore; Mirror Image; Prime Time; Seduction by Design; Shadows of Yesterday; Slow Heat in Heaven; Sunset Embrace; Sweet Anger; Tempest in Eden; Temptation's Kiss; The Silken Web & French Silk.
(09/02/01)

Sandi von Pier
A RebeccasReads.com Guest Reviewer