Houston, Texas - the Present

Narcotics Officer Detective Chase Kelly jumped into the river to escape his partner, Zeke Duncun, who shot him. Zeke, with the help of all-around bad guy Big Bruno, also shot Officer Brian Stokes and left him for dead. Zeke is looking for a compilation book of records of drug deals and other criminal activities that Pablo Martinez has told him Chase knows about.

Wounded, bleeding, wet, and tired, Chase manages to get to the backyard of photographer Lacy Maguire. Her dog, Fabio, barks furiously when he finds the man. Lacy is scared to pieces when Chase points his gun at her and demands that she let him stay for awhile.

Lacy's current project is shooting Christmas card pictures for the Pet Magazine Group. She has Christmas music playing, a Christmas tree, and her dog and three cats, Leonardo, Samantha, and Sweetie Pie are dressed in holiday style. But it is nowhere near Christmas.

Her animals like him, and slowly Chase and Lacy come to terms with each other, and trust matters, as desire between them grows. It is a logical growth, and totally unexpected on both their parts. For the shy divorcee, Chase is a revelation. Lacy has never had such pleasure and fulfillment in her life. Her ex, Peter, was not good in bed.

The good news is Brian Stokes is not dead. Chase gets in touch with his former partner, Jason Dodd, and tells him what he knows about Zeke. Jason then orders 'round the clock monitoring of Brian. But will that be enough to keep the young husband and father alive? The bad news is Chase has no idea what book Zeke is looking for.

DIVORCED, DESPERATE AND DELICIOUS is funny, witty, suspenseful, and very entertaining. Lacy's mother, Karina, is always on her case about finding someone new. Sue and Kathy, Lacy's friends, are also worried about her lack of male companionship. There are other characters who populate Lacy's crazy world and drive Chase up the walls almost as much as the strange appliances and furniture -- added residuals from her work -- in her apartment. This is a wonderful book. The characters are charming, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Christie Craig has a winner.

Vi Janaway