THIGH HIGH

Author: Christina Dodd ISBN: 9780451223371 3/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: NAL SIGNET

Nessa Dahl lives a sensible life—until, that is, Jeremiah MacNaught comes to town and enlists her help to investigate a string of bank robberies. Only Mac realizes that beneath Nessa's no-nonsense exterior exists an outlaw spirit, and between them burns a passion far hotter than a sultry summer night. But when she discovers that the handsome investigator is undercover, lying to her about his identity and convinced she's involved with the crimes, he'll learn what thigh high in trouble really means....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THIGH HIGH is the third book in the Fortune Hunter series. I did not read the first two, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of ,. This is a story that needs no introduction.

Mardi gras beads, a Japanese-speaking investigator and a generations-old family reputation come together in New Orleans in a way that gives a fresh face to what was a run-of-the-mill crime. Bank robberies take on a new dimension when Mac MacNaught becomes obsessed with the woman on the surveillance screen. He's convinced it's Ionessa Dahl and he's determined to see for himself why she is robbing his banks.

THIGH HIGH by Christina Dodd is an extraordinarily good read. While I've never been to New Orleans, the author makes this city as vivid as her characters. In a sense, the setting becomes a character. Mac and Nessa are, of course, attracted to each other. Their romance is gripping, with a no-holds-barred lovemaking that definitely brings the heat level high. While the plot is just convoluted enough that I didn't figure it out, I don't feel that is this story's greatest strength. The most engaging thing about THIGH HIGH is its characters. I fell in love with Mac and Nessa, Calista and Hestia and all the rest. By the end of the story I felt as if I knew them all-and I hated saying good-bye!

Kay James