Title: Click, Click, Delete
Author: Heide Katros
Published in October 2010 by Romance At Heart Publications
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
ISBN: N/A
Cover Artist: Josephine Piraneo
Other Books by Heide: Bewitching Angel
Smart and beautiful Amanda is catapulted to the top of Brighton Pharmaceuticals when her father Robert Brighton is found dead in his luxurious office.
A chemical expert herself, she is not new to her father’s business, and she is the only one who knows enough to take his place. Being a rich girl, one of Amanda’s fears is that men might take her for a spoiled brat once they discover who she is, or run a mile once they learn she’s at the head of a company. For the same reasons, when she meets Chance Collins at a friend’s wedding she doesn’t quite give him the full details straight away. Even if the chemistry between them is searing-hot, her life is complicated enough as it is at the moment.
Chance is the sexy owner of Florida Citrus, a company that takes up most of his time, but now Amanda has become a constant thought in his mind, and he scolds himself for imagining more than a physical relationship with a girl he hardly knows. But hiding from his heart won’t do him any good- he’s already in too deep and when Amanda finds herself in big trouble he’s there for her, despite his ex-girlfriend Jennifer doing the impossible to keep them apart. She had cheated on him, marking the end of their relationship, but she now she wants him back.
Things get complicated when evidence suggests Amanda’s father, a not so pristine character as his little girl had thought, was murdered. As the ring of suspects widens, Amanda realizes her life may be in danger. It seems that everyone knew his real nature except for Amanda. Could he have possibly been such a vile character? Was that the only reason he was killed, or is there more behind it? All through the book, Chance has a bad feeling about the events and keeps telling Amanda to go to the police with her evidence rather than play detective. But Amanda is a bit of a hardhead and very brave, so she does it her own way.
Meanwhile the killer is keeping a close watch on Amanda and everyone else she comes into contact with, killing some of them in his search for the one incriminating clue. Which is also the reason why Brighton died in the first place- an external hard drive. It holds a dark secret that no one could have imagined, and the killer is forced to take action against those who might discover the truth. But can Amanda trust Gina, her computer expert friend? Or Angie, the woman who is trying to inch her way into Amanda’s life?
Heide Katros has a flair for dialogue that makes her characters leap off the page, particularly the hero who is devilishly handsome and strong- the kind of guy all women dream of. He’s just that bit arrogant enough to make you want to scream, but also oh-so-sexy. You certainly can’t blame Amanda for wanting him. And Amanda is such a nice girl, even if she hides behind a shield of business-like brusqueness.
I also like the description of the empty offices at night when Amanda is alone. I swear the hair on the back of my neck shot to attention while Amanda was walking down the corridor, and I found myself reading quickly both to find out what happened, but also to hurry her along, as if I could help her!
Heide skillfully makes Amanda’s mother Marion come across as a clueless woman, and that makes Amanda all the more hands-on and in charge of the situation. I felt for her from the start.
Also, Heide’s done an excellent job planting her red herrings. Several times I wavered between two suspects, trying to decide ‘whodunit’. Just when you think you might know who the killer is, in comes more evidence against someone you hadn’t considered. Huh. Heide’s chronological sense and structure are also very good and all the pieces were planted in the perfect place. I love the way she built the puzzle.
Her secondary characters grow on you and I found myself wanting to protect them all from the killer.
I would have preferred a less abrupt ending and seen all the loose ends tied up, but what bothered me was the rape scene. Although I understand it was necessary in order to add depth and give a background history to one of the extremely troubled characters (and I’m not telling which!), I think we should have just seen the aftermath and not the act in itself.
Another string to Heide’s bow is that she has kept in mind that the most interesting villains are the round characters- the ones that aren’t completely bad or entirely good, and that have a soft side as well as evil tinges. And I swear my heart gave a jump when the killer’s identity and motive were revealed!
If you want a really good read with sensual and likeable characters and a tantalizing mystery, I would absolutely recommend Heide’s novel. It’s extremely well-written and fresh, and I found myself becoming protective of the good characters whenever the killer lurked.
I will most definitely keep my eyes open for Heide Katros’ next book and I will tell all my friends. Well done Heide! Your planning and your effort shine through!
A fellow writer,
Nancy Barone Wythe
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