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When history professor Alison Carter became a consultant to the film version of the Wild West legend she’d dedicated her career to researching, she couldn’t possibly have known that she would not only get a front-row seat to a full-blown Hollywood circus but would innocently witness something that would put her life in peril. Nor did she expect that a tall stranger in a cowboy hat would turn the movie — and her world — completely upside down.
A. J. Gallagher didn’t crash the set in dusty Arizona to rub elbows with Hollywood’s elite. Unable to ignore ghosts from the past that refuse to stay buried, A.J. came to put an end to the false legend that has tarnished the reputation of his family. But when he confronts Alison, sparks fly. And when Alison is targeted by ruthless criminals, suddenly she and A.J. must face the intense attraction that threatens to consume them—and survive the danger that threatens their very lives.
“[Brockmann] is one of the superstars of romantic suspense.” — The Dallas Morning News
Brockmann's first novels were stand-alones. But as her career progressed, she noticed that romance mini-series, with their opportunities for character development and intersecting story lines, had become extremely popular. Seeking to increase her readership, she decided to write a mini-series of her own. She found her "hook" in a magazine article on Navy SEALs and, in 1996, she released Prince Joe, the first novel in her Tall, Dark and Dangerous series. The alpha males of Brockmann's fictional SEAL Team 10 proved to be the perfect romantic heroes, and the series was an immediate hit with readers. Four years later, she launched a second series of military/romantic thrillers centered on the friendships, romances, and working relationships among a team of Navy SEALS and members of an elite security agency called Troubleshooters, Inc. Starting with The Unsung Hero in 2000, the Troubleshooters books have catapulted the author to the top of the charts.
Brockmann is known in the industry as a risk-taker, having written stories around such sensitive topics as interracial romance and homosexuality, In 2004, she garnered attention for her eighth Troubleshooters novel, Hot Target, which involved one of her most popular recurring characters, openly gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, in a romantic subplot. Brockman, who dedicated the book to her gay son Jason, was not sure how readers would respond. To her surprise, the reaction from gay and straight alike proved positive. She stated on her website: "I love the fact that the world I've created in my books -- a diverse American world filled with the same variety of people who live in my urban American neighborhood -- has been so enthusiastically embraced by readers."
Brockmann's distinctive literary blend has come in for its fair share of praise. Writing in the Chicago Tribune, veteran Booklist reviewer John Charles stated: "Brockmann strikes the perfect balance between white-knuckle suspense and richly emotional romance." And USA Today has called her "[t]he reigning queen of militaray suspense." As further proof of her mainstream appeal, she remains one of a handful of Romance novelists to have made the leap from mass market paperback to hardcover.
A serious history buff from her youth, Brockmann has read widely on WWII and has been known to incorporate stories from that era into the books of her Troubleshooters series.
Brockmann loves music. She attended Boston University as a film major with a minor in creative writing but dropped out to perform with a rock and roll band. She also sang with and served as music director for a Boston-based a cappella group called "Serious Fun" and produced its first and only CD in 1998.
Brockman is married to novelist Ed Gaffney.
The mother of an openly gay son , Brockmann is a proud member of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays).
In her writing, Brockmann employs a device she calls Deep Point of View. She explains it in an interview with the online writers' journal Writers Write: "In my books, I use subjective point of view, but I'm not satisfied with merely showing the reader what that camera sees from its perch atop a character's head. I bring the camera down, inside of that character's head, so we see the world through that character's eyes. We hear things through his ears. We smell what he smells, feel what he feels, think what he think. With deep POV, I write using words that that character would use. I tell the story with that character's voice."
In 2010 history professor Alison Carter is the expert on the feud between legendary Marshal Silas Quinn and notorious outlaw James "Kid" Gallagher of the brutal Kelly Gang; the Kid kidnapped and murdered the lawman's wife, Melody. In 1898 in the Red Rock Saloon in Jubilation, Arizona Quinn and the Kelly Gang faced off. Alison knows she has come a long way from growing up the daughter of an alcoholic as now she is the consultant to the Hollywood film Quinn.
Having served in the Bush senior's Gulf War, A. J. Gallagher came home suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. For several years he depended on alcohol to numb the ghosts of war. Sober, he wants to exorcize the ghost of his great-grandfather The Kid. However, the Kid refuses to go to hell; instead demanding his descendent clear his name as he insists the legend is false since he and his beloved Melody ran away to Alaska to escape from abusive Quinn. A.J. confronts Alison, but though his evidence is the word of mouth from a spirit, the veteran and the professor are attracted to each other. When deadly felons go after his woman, A.J. vows to keep her safe.
This is a great paranormal romance mindful of Who Shot Liberty Valance and Robert Wuhl's presentation in Assume the Position on "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Fast-paced, the story line is at its best when the focus is on the Kid challenging A.J. to sell the facts to the so called expert while A.J. wants to sell himself to his beloved expert. When the plot takes a suspense spin, it loses some of the charm and underlying insight that the winners write the history to make them heroes and their adversaries' villains.
Harriet Klausner
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lovetoreadAR
Posted September 23, 2010
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This book was amazingly entertaining and powerful. I hated when I had to put it down because I wanted to read straight through. The characters were dimensional and captivating, there were endless twists and action, humor, heroism, tender moments, danger, friendship - just a really wonderful array of things you hope to find in a book. Jamie, the lovable old ghost (in a handsome young body, lol), AJ the great grandson who's just adorably charming and fiercely loyal and loving, and Alison, strong, stubborn, funny and a danger magnet. I mean the stuff that comes at her later on makes you wonder just what the heck she's gotten herself into.
I liked the instant connection they had, history repeating itself, when it's right, it's right. And that AJ had the most awkward of times explaining how he knew the things he did and the problems it presented throughout, I got a good chuckle when the roles reversed there. I did have times when I wanted to whack Alison for being darn near overzealous at times and seemingly insensitive to the man AJ loved, but I think part of why she fought that so hard was her own past. This made all the more difficult by his vulnerability, when a guy is as good as this one, how can you resist? AJ's extended family was also amusing and warm. And the bad guys? Were about as bad as you could get. Even the FEDs were funny and sweet, I liked how that was thrown in there. The goodbye was both heartbreaking and tender and I was so happy with the ending. All in all, an incredible read that I'm sure I'll make again and again. Try this one, you won't be disappointed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Two-thirds of the way through Infamous and I'm still questioning if Suzanne Brockmann actually wrote this book. It is totally unlike the previous books that I have read -- and I don't mean this in a good way. I somehow feel cheated that I was hooked into buying a book based on the author's past performance. Ir will make me more hesitant to automatically buy her books in the future.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 24, 2013
This book has everything:really great romance, suspense, and a bit of paranormal activity for good measure! AJ and Allison are characters you want together, although there are serious obstacles in their lives. I thoroughly loved this book and I'll be looking for more from this author.
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Posted January 27, 2013
1/27/13 A pretty good book.
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Posted June 13, 2012
Love Suzanne Brockman's books. This one was an old one I had been looking for.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.chumlee4
Posted December 31, 2011
Throughly enjoyed thsi book and will all from this author.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.What a fun book! I was totally taken by surprise when I discovered the supernatural element of this book (the blurb I read really tiptoed around that aspect of the story), but since I really enjoy fantasy books as well as books by Suzanne Brockmann, it was not a problem. It's told from multiple perspectives (two third-person, one first-person, and old diary entries) and all are well done. Although I do love her SEAL stories, I'd love to see more like this one as well.
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Posted July 14, 2011
This was the first romance book I have ever read. I could not put it down. I absolutely loved it! I love how it takes you from modern day to the 1800's. Must read!! very thrilling, exciting, emotional, embracing!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.History Professor Allison Carter hired to consult on the filming of a movie about the life of an American West legend Silas Quinn isn't prepared to have that legend's name tarnished. A J Gallagher is going to do just that, you see his great-grandfather Jamie Gallagher was the villain to Silas's hero, except according to AJ the story is backwards. Allison and A J have some major sparks flying, but she's not going to let that get in the way of the truth, and the truth is hard to take especially when sexy AJ claims to see Jaimie's ghost. But specters are the least of this couple's worries when bodies start showing up, the question is will they become one of them.
Suzanne Brockman takes a rest from her Troubleshooter's series to give us a whopper of a stand-a-lone. Her story line is quite unique giving a ghost a starring role in her novel, a novel that's not a paranormal tale, but rather a wonderful contemporary romantic suspense that just so happens to have a ghost on board as one of the main characters. Her dialogue is all you'd expect on the set of a motion picture from the tough talking troublesome male hero to the all demanding Diva. Speaking of divas and heroes, her characters are a combination film professionals, film stars, film extras, set employees and those all important bad guys and they all are a necessary part of the telling of the story, from the villains who are some of the most notorious you'll ever see to the one liners we only see for an instant. Her hero and heroine are exceptional studies in humanity, both with skeletons in their closets and both afraid of them falling out, both tortured by their own personal demons, both afraid to step out of their comfort zone, that is until one or both of them is put in danger which brings the tiger out in them to defend their mate. They are sensational examples of love is blind and yet the readers will see in them something that must bring them together when so many things conspire to keep them apart. This duo really earns their happy ever after. The romance will have you scratching your head one minute, laughing the next and sitting on the edge of your seat one minute after that. The love scenes are emotionally charged and very physical and yet the author gives her audience that sense of rightness about it too.
So if you like your romance served up with a healthy dose of suspense, a roller coaster emotional thriller set in a contemporary scene, let this be the one you choose. Suzanne Brockmann is a quintessential genius in the genre of romantic suspense and she will not disappoint any reader with this exceptional example of her skills. It's the perfect end of summer read, the perfect novel to sink your teeth in as you see the kids off to the bus for the first day of school. So treat yourself to a novel you won't soon forget and give Infamous a try.
mn_mom05
Posted August 18, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. Suzanne Brockmann is the queen of Romantic Suspense and she doesn't disappoint. Her characters are the star, they are rich, likable and flawed. It's a modern day romance, with all the glitz of a Hollywood movie production crossed with the wild, wild west.
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Posted November 7, 2010
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Overview
When history professor Alison Carter became a consultant to the film version of the Wild West legend she’d dedicated her career to researching, she couldn’t possibly have known that she would not only get a front-row seat to a full-blown Hollywood circus but would innocently witness something that would put her life in peril. Nor did she expect that a tall stranger in a cowboy hat would turn the movie — and her world — completely upside down.
A. J. Gallagher didn’t crash the set...