AIternately raw, romantic, funny and terrifying,

is a sexy new thriller by Lisa Smith. Smith is a first-time

author with a wry wit. an unblinking eye and a fresh con-

temporary voice. Using short chapters, she captures scenes the way

a skilled news photographer uses a camera.

follows the lives of two people who grew up in

Queens when organized crime was at its height. Assistant District

Attorney Jake Stern was raised by loving grandparents after losing

his family to a fire. A tall, powerful, college athlete known for his

success with women. Jake hides a crippling fear behind a stone-

faced mask. Bettina (Tina) Berenson is a shy, bookish girl rejected by

both parents until at thirteen her father recognizes her seductive

beauty. An immature likable man who admires gangsters, he takes

Tina to the track, to prizefights, and to nightclubs, reveling in the

attention she generates. When her father dies the lonely fifteen-

year-old is easy prey for a dashing charismatic crime-lord. Banished

I by her family, 1ina becomes the mistress of several successwe

gangsters.

Jake and Tlna meet at the trial foretold in the prologue: Tina, the

key witness against a powerful vicious gangster, and Jake. an

ambitious prosecuting attorney, who envies her courage, is repelled

by her past. and is obsessed by her physical presence. But Jake must

keep her alive. Someone is trying to kill her.

A fast-paced tale liberally laced with delicious tidbits of humor.

Intriguing complex characters are Ms. Smith s forte. She has an

uncanny ear for dialogue that is both authentic and telling.

It is a rare book that portrays the many sides of sex: exploitative.

funny, detached controlling touching, erotic, brutal, and finally -

romantic, has it all!

/

/