Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

It’s not that Micayla Lange is afraid of the clinking she hears coming from the first floor of the empty McMansion she’s housesitting for her uncle Nicco. She’s a cop, after all. It’s just that finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her was enough drama for one night. Now she’s alone on New Year’s Eve, wearing flannel pajamas and wielding a Glock 22 as she zeroes in on the unmistakable source of the sound: Uncle Nicco’s private office.

Jason Davis steals things for a living, so unexpected developments are a natural part of the job. Getting caught red-handed by a hot, pigtail-sporting police officer in what is supposed to be a gangster’s deserted house is just one more twist in the game. Kind of like finding incriminating photos in Nicco Marino’s safe, only to discover the cop — and the security cameras — have gotten a real good look at his face.

Unfortunately for Mick, she also got a good look at the damned pictures. Her “uncle” might love her like family, but if he knows she’s seen evidence that implicates him in the murder of a city councilman, she doesn’t like her chances. Which is why she’s having a hard time reconciling her professional instincts with what she is rapidly concluding is an inescapable fact: She’s about to help a criminal get away with a suitcase full of stolen money. And she’s going with him. ( synopsis from B& N .com)

Simon& Schuster, hardcover, 370 pages

I wasn’t sure that I would like Sleepwalker because I am not a big fan of books where the main characters are on the run through the book.  Boy was I wrong about this one.  This book will keep you on your toes with suspense from beginning to end.

Micayla (Mike) Lange is a cop spending New Years at her Uncle Nicco’s house, when she wakes up after a nightmare. She is about ready to go back to sleep when she hears an odd noise.  When she goes to investigate it, she walks into a crime scene.  Jason Davis sees Mike and knows the plan has gone sour.  Over the next few minutes, Mike sees pictures that changes her life as she knows it.  Forced to make a run for it together, the two are in deep trouble with their lives in danger and not a lot of resources.  The trust issue looms large between them which isn't good when you are trying to outrun people who want to kill you.

Ms. Robards does a great job keeping the suspense level high throughout the book. The chemistry between Mike and Jason is hot but in a sense somewhat forbidden. Mike is a cop and an honest one to boot, so the reader wonders how a relationship will work between the two characters.  It is a romantic suspense book so you know that a romance will develop. I kept wondering how this was going to be resolved and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  There are twists and a big red herring before it all ends. I started the book and couldn’t stop.  A great new book from one of my favorite authors!

RPL Notes: This book will be available in the Adult New Fiction section after 12-27-11. Ms. Robards is a popular author so it is likely there will be a waiting list for this book. Other books by this author are available in the Adult fiction section.