MURDER LIST BY JULIE GARWOOD

** 2 STARS (Not Really a Mystery!)

I must admit I was kind of disappointed in this book. I bought this book on the way to the airport and simply purchased it based on the title , "The Murder List". With a title like that I assumed it would be a murder mystery....WRONG! This book is a romance novel.

Meet Regan Hamilton...She is an air-head drop dead gorgeous Heiress and philanthropist who is absolutely perfect.

One day Regan is persuaded by her two friends to become involved in their amateur investigation of a con-man, who runs popular self-help seminars. They are convinced he murdered a gullible milionairess for her money.

The three women attend one of the con-man's seminars and participate in a "cleansing exercise" geared to rid them of their anger. Participants are asked to make a list of people they really don't like and wish they could murder. Regan is shocked but plays along. They are then asked to burn their lists, which is symbolically supposed to cleanse them of negative feelings. Unfortunately, Regan is unable to burn hers, because her cell phone rings and she walks outside to answer it.

After the seminar, she leaves the conference center and is attacked by a strange man on the way to her car. While trying to escape she drops her phone, and her seminar "murder list".

Soon afterward, the first person on her list dies, an apparent suicide. Then another one has a fatal heart attack. When Regan goes to the police to report the attack, as well as her perceived connection to the murders/deaths, Detective Alec Buchanan is assigned to be her bodyguard.

Of course, Alec Buchanan is an absolute hunk who falls in love with Regan. Unfortunately, this is where the murder mystery takes a back seat to the romance storyline. The rest of the story revolves around the developing romance of Regan and Alec.

As you can probably guess our hero Alec saves Regan's life and they live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, the plot contains little that is original, worthwhile, or interesting. The characters are cardboard caricatures. Not one of them is developed sufficiently to come across as believable. The heroine (Regan)is just too naive - too cutesy, to be as intelligent and creative as the author would have us believe. The villains are not particularly scary!
"The Murder List" just doesn't make the grade.

Although this book was certainly not one of Julie Garwood's best books, she has several books which you may enjoy.

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Until Next Time!
Arianna :)